Reforming the North
The Kingdoms and Churches of Scandinavia, 1520–1545

Reforming the North offers a broad perspective on the Protestant Reformation in Scandinavia and on the implications of the reformation for Northern history.

James L. Larson (Author)

9780521765145, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 January 2010

550 pages, 2 b/w illus. 2 maps
23.4 x 16.2 x 4 cm, 0.86 kg

"...Larson's book should be appreciated for its clarity by those looking for an introduction to the Northern Reformations, and for its vision by those familiar with their histories." -Erick Thomson, Canadian Journal of History

The turbulence of the Protestant Reformation marks a turning point in European history, but the Scandinavian contribution to this revolution is not well known outside the Northern world. Reforming the North focuses on twenty-five years (1520–45 AD) of this history, during which Scandinavians terminated the medieval Union of Kalmar, toppled the Catholic Church, ended the commercial dominance of the German Hanse, and laid the foundations for centralized states on the ruins of old institutions and organizations. This book traces the chaotic and often violent transfer of resources and authority from the decentralized structures of medieval societies to the early modern states and their territorial churches. Religious reform is regarded as an essential element in the process - in the context of social unrest, political conflict, and long-term changes in finance, trade, and warfare. Reforming the North offers a broad perspective on this turbulent period and on the implications of the Protestant Reformation for Northern history.

Introduction
1. The North
Part I. Lord of the Northern World, 1512–23: 2. Preliminary
3. Christian II's other kingdom
4. A conquest
5. Hubris
6. Insurrection
7. The king's fall
Part II. Successors, 1523–33: 8. The new men
9. Brushfires
10. Reform by indirection
11. Reform by decree
12. Return of the king
Part III. Civil War, 1533–6: 13. A republic of nobles
14. Reactions
15. The war of all against all
16. The fall of Copenhagen
Part IV. The Settlement, 1536–45: 17. A new order
18. Under the crown of Denmark eternally
19. Dilemmas of a very early modern state
20. Supremacy and its discontents
21. Conclusion.

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