Christianity under the Ancien Régime, 1648–1789

A study of Christianity in Europe, including, importantly, Britain in an important period of its development.

W. R. Ward (Author)

9780521553612, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 April 1999

284 pages, 6 maps
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.575 kg

"He covers the ground with such speed and complexity that the result is a compressed and compact narrative that will repay reading, and then reading again." Books & Culture

Focusing on policy, rather than religious institutions, Professor Ward offers a brief, but comprehensive, account of religious belief and practice of all kinds in Europe between the Westphalia settlements in 1648 and the French Revolution. The book is organised around large regions, for instance, Central and Northwestern Europe (including Britain), Southern Europe and North and Eastern Europe. Professor Ward discusses the political, social and intellectual forces at play in each of these regions in order to allow the reader to understand changes in policy in their proper context. In addition, popular belief, which churches of all denominations regarded as suspicious, is presented in its context of traditional practice, and an attempt is made to assess the successes and failures of European domestic missions during this period. With its maps, glossary and guide to further reading, this will be a major aid to students of Christianity under the Ancien Régime.

Preface and Prospectus
Glossary
1. Peace and conflict: church and state in Central and Northwestern Europe
2. Christianity in Southern Europe
3. Catholicism in the Holy Roman Empire and the Eastern Habsburg lands
4. The religion of the Protestants
5. Revival moves westward
6. The enlightenment and its precursors
7. The churches in Northern and Eastern Europe
8. Religion after the Seven Years War.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], European history [HBJD]