Converting Bohemia
Force and Persuasion in the Catholic Reformation

This book sheds light on the course of the Counter-Reformation and the nature of early modern Catholicism.

Howard Louthan (Author)

9780521889292, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 February 2009

368 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.66 kg

'the breadth of vision behind this book will ensure its enduring significance among those interested in the history of Bohemia, in early modern Catholicism, and in the history of mission.' The Journal of Church History

Prior to the Thirty Years War, almost all of Bohemia's population lay outside the Catholic fold, yet by the beginning of the eighteenth century the kingdom was clearly under Rome's influence. Few regions in Europe's history have ever experienced such a complete religious transformation; because of this, Bohemia offers a unique window for examining the Counter-Reformation and the nature of early modern Catholicism. Converting Bohemia presents a full assessment of the Catholic Church's re-establishment in the Czech lands, arguing that this complex phenomenon was less a product of violence and force than of negotiation and persuasion. Ranging from art, architecture and literature to music, philosophy and hagiography, Howard Louthan's study reintegrates the region into the broader European world where it played such a prominent role in the early modern period. It will be of particular interest to scholars of early modern European history, religion, and Reformation studies.

Introduction: a tale of two windows: framing the history of early modern Bohemia
1. Severed heads and holy bones: authority and culture in post-White Mountain Bohemia
2. Reshaping identity and reforming the kingdom: confessional change and the nobility
3. 'Monarchs of Knowledge': mastering dissent in post-White Mountain Bohemia
4. Finding a holy past: antiquarianism and Catholic revival
5. Reshaping the landscape: art and confessional identity
6. Formation of the faithful: Catholicism in the countryside
7. Sermons, songs and scripture: reforming believers by the word
8. Pilgrimage and popular piety
9. Making Bohemia holy: Christian saints and Jewish martyrs
Conclusion: between force and persuasion.

Subject Areas: Church history [HRCC2], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], European history [HBJD]