The Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648Gardiner, Samuel Rawson
History
The Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648
Gardiner, Samuel Rawson
Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648
Under the influence of this feeling the princes of these southern
regions for the most part adopted a religion very different from the
courtly Lutheranism of the north. If Würtemberg continued Lutheran under
the influence of the University of Tübingen, the rulers of the
Palatinate, of Hesse Cassel, of Baden-Durlach, of Zwei-Brücken, sought
for strength in the iron discipline of Calvinism, a form of religion
which always came into favour when there was an immediate prospect of a
death-struggle with Rome.
[Sidenote: § 8. Courtly character of Calvinism in Germany.]
Unhappily, German Calvinism differed from that of Scotland and the
Netherlands. Owing to its adoption by the princes rather than by the
people, it failed in gaining that hardy growth which made it invincible
on its native soil. It had less of the discipline of an army about it,
less resolute defiance, less strength altogether. And whilst it was
weaker it was more provocative. Excluded from the benefits of the Peace
of Augsburg, which knew of no Protestant body except the Lutheran, the
Calvinists were apt to talk about the institutions of the Empire in a
manner so disparaging as to give offence to Lutherans and Catholics
alike.
[Sidenote: § 9. Frederick IV., Elector Palatine.]
Of this Calvinist feeling Christian of Anhalt became the impersonation.
The leadership of the Calvinist states in the beginning of the
seventeenth century would naturally have devolved on Frederick IV.,
Elector Palatine. But Frederick was an incapable drunkard, and his
councillors, with Christian at their head, were left to act in his name.
[Sidenote: § 10. Christian of Anhalt.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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