About the Book
Germany and the Holy Roman Empire offers a striking new interpretation of a crucial era in German and European history, from the great reforms of 1495-1500 to the dissolution of the Reich in 1806. Over two volumes, Joachim Whaley rejects the notion that this was a long period of decline, and shows instead how imperial institutions developed in response to the crises of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, notably the Reformation and Thirty Years War.
The impact of international developments on the Reich is also examined.
The first volume begins with an account of the reforms of the reign of Maximilian I and concludes with the Peace of
Westphalia in 1648. It offers a new interpretation of the Reformation, the Peasants' War, the Schmalkaldic War and the Peace of Augsburg, and of the post-Reformation development of Protestantism and Catholicism. The German policy successfully resisted the ambitions of Charles V and the repeated onslaughtsof both the Ottomans and the French, and it remained stable in the face of the French religious wars and the Dutch Revolt. The volume concludes with an analysis of the Thirty Years War as an
essentially German constitutional conflict, triggered by the problems of the Habsburg dynasty and prolonged by the interventions of foreign powers. The Peace of Westphalia, which ended the conflict, both
reflected the development of the German polity since the late fifteenth century and created teh framework for its development over the next hundred and fifty years.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Narratives of Early Modern German History I. Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in 1500 1: Origins and Frontiers 2: The Reich as a Polity 3: Fragmented Territories 4: The Reich and the German Nation II. The Reform of the Reich and the Church c. 1490-1519 5: The Reformation Era in German history 6: The Reich under Maximilian I 7: Reich, Papacy, and Reichskirche 8: Religious Renewal and the Laity 9: Humanism in the Reich 10: The 'Print Revolution' and the Public Sphere 11: Economic Landscapes, Communities, and their Grievances 12: Martin Luther and the 'Luther affair' 1517-1519 III. Charles V and the Challenge of the Reformation in the 1520s 13: The Reich During the First Decade of Charles V 14: Luther and Imperial Politics, 1519-1526 15: Luther and the German Reform Movement 16: Alternative Reformations and the Dominance of Lutheranism 17: The Knights' War, 1522-1523 18: The Peasants' War, 1525 19: Reformation in the Cities IV. Mastering the Reformation c. 1526-1555 20: The Emergence of Protestant Territories 21: The Persistence of Catholicism 22: Charles V, Ferdinand, and the Reich in Europe 23: The Establishment of Protestantism, 1526-1530 24: The Schmalkaldic League, its Counterparts, and the Politics of the Reich, 1530-1541 25: Charles V as 'Lord of Germany', 1541-1548 26: The Triumph of the Reich, 1548-1555 V. Managing the Peace 1555-1618 27: Contours of the 'Confessional Age' 28: Emperors, Imperial Officials, and Estates after the Peace of Augsburg 29: Constitutional developments after 1555: Reichstag, Kreise, Courts, and Legislation 30: The Reich in Europe 31: Managing the Domestic Peace, 1555-c.1585 32: The Consensus Falters, c. 1585-1603 33: Paralysis, 1603-1614 34: Problems of the Habsburg Dynasty 35: The Reich in the Reign of Emperor Matthias, 1612-1619 36: The Crisis of the Habsburg lands 37: Imperial Public Law and the Struggle over the Imperial Constitution 38: Irenicism and Patriotism on the Eve of War VII. The German Territories and Cities after 1555 39: Problems of Interpretation 40: A Benign Environment? 41: State Formation? 42: Domestic Order and Defence 43: Confessionalization? 44: Finance, Taxation, and Estates 45: The Resurgence of the Courts 46: The Imperial Cities 47: Responding to Crises VII. The Thirty Years War 1618-1648 48: The Thirty Years War in German History 49: What Kind of Conflict? 50: The Reconquest of Austria and Bohemia, 1618-1623 51: Ferdinand Victorious 52: Denmark and the War for the Reich, 1623-1629 53: What Kind of Reich? Sweden and the Defence of German Liberties, 1630-1635 54: Wallenstein and After 55: France, Sweden, and the German Way, 1635-1648 56: The Peace of Westphalia 57: The Impact of the War on German Society 58: The Thirty Years War and the German Polity Glossary Bibliography Index
About the Author :
Joachim Whaley read History at Christ's College Cambridge. He held Fellowships in History at Christ's College and Robinson College before becoming a Lecturer in German in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge, where he teaches German history, thought, and language. He is the author of Religious Toleration and Social Change in Hamburg 1529-1819 and of numerous articles on early modern and modern German history. He was elected a Fellow of
the Royal Historical Society in 1984, and Fellow of the British Academy in 2015.
Review :
`Review from previous edition scholars ... will concur in their debt to Whaley's magnum opus ... [it] stands apart as the most authoritative account of the early modern empire'
C. Ingrao, CHOICE
`As a general treatment of three centuries of legal and institutional history Whaley's volume will stand as a monument of eurdite revisionism that, within its self-imposed limits, could hardly be improved.'
H. C. Erik Midelfort, The Sixteenth Century Journal Vol. XLIII No. 4
`... the most comprehensive work on the subject in recent times and will almost certainly achieve the rank of a standard work - and not only in the anglophone world ... a singular monument of anglo-saxon learning ... a model of historical scholarship ... a monumental work ... recommended not only to scholars but also to students and anyone interested in history ... Whaley's style makes reading his book a pleasure'
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
`a monumental history of the Holy Roman Empire which far surpasses everything that has been written about the subject to date. German history between the Reformation and Napoleon has never been written in such a lively, multi-faceted, source-based, and coherent manner. A history that embraces the whole of [German] culture, religion, economy and society'
Süddeutsche Zeitung
`Whaley sees the Reich as a continually reforming, diverse but legally ordered polity, rather than some kind of bizarre monstrosity or collective fiction. His two volumes are exceptionally well written and highly nuanced and reflect the latest scholarship. Indeed, they represent a huge personal achievement. They will provide a standard of scholarship against which all future works will be measured'
Alan Sked, Reviews in History
`... its complexity and sophistication, [the] stupendous breadth and depth of Whaley's knowledge. The two volumes are full of incisive chapters on topics as diverse as economic policies, religious reform movements, court culture ... skilfully crafted and engrossing narrative'
Michael Schaich, Times Literary Supplement
`superb and authoritative study'
Peter Oborne, Daily Telegraph
`Whaley's account is one of the best works on early modern German history. From the first page to the last, it shows how German history can be presented as both a history of Emperor and Empire, and a history of common culture. It will immediately establish itself as a standard guide to its subject.'
Georg Schmidt, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena
`Overall brilliantly successful ... a detailed account of two hundred years of German history ... In a thousand details the monograph is more knowledgeable that other English-language accounts of German history ... and in numerous respects it is more knowledgeable than many a German handbook ... Whaley demonstrates a stupendous knowledge of German history. The reviewer believes this book is the most important English-language work on pre-modern German
history for at least two decades'
Axel Gotthard, Sehepunkte
`An enterprise of this magnitude requires a steady hand on the tiller, as the author steers between the rocks of historiographical controversy and the shoals of submerged detail. Whaley accomplishes his argosy with poise and style. These two volumes, which will undoubtedly become a first point of reference, are a remarkable achievement of which the author should feel justly proud'
Tom Scott, English Historical Review
`the most comprehensive survey of Germany's early modern history ever undertaken, the first book of its kind since the 1950s, and one of the most substantial works of historical scholarship published in the UK in 2011'
Research Horizons, University of Cambridge
`His work, though different in emphasis and organisation, stands equal with the major German speaking syntheses today existing such as by Horst Rabe, Karl Otmar von Aretin, Heinz Schilling, or Georg Schmidt. His detailed knowledge of the vast relevant research literature, in German or in any other language, on topics ranging from the later fifteenth to the early nineteenth century is breath-taking. As such, this work is a must-read for all students of Early
Modern Germany unless they work on specific issues of social and demographic history. The superior quality of Whaley's synthesis is beyond question. This is a masterpiece that demands close attention and respect.'
Robert von Friedeburg, H-Soz-u-Kult online
`an account whose methodological reflection, thematic range, and wealth of detail are unparalleled... these two volumes will quickly become standard works... their particular form, combining sections on historiography and methodology, structural history and the history of events, has no counterpart in the German-language historiography.'
Stefan Ehrenpreis, German Historical Institute London Bulletin
`...successfully combines an experts love of detail with a clear view of the large picture...[It] can be recommended without hesitation as a valuable handbook for history teachers, students and journalists... [and] anyone interested in the historical-political development of Germany in Europe.'
Willi Eisele, AHF-Information
`a work of impressive scholarship and considerable erudition ... These two volumes put the Empire firmly back into German history. They provide a richly detailed, judiciously balanced discussion of the last three centuries of the Empires existence ... Whaleys history is a must for anyone with a serious interest in early modern Germany.'
Peter Wilson, Central European History
`A full and fresh assessment of more than three hundred years of German history ... the best political and institutional history of the Reich in any language ... Whaley seems to have read and digested everything. For this astonishing achievement alone one must be grateful ... As a general treatment of three centuries of legal and institutional history Whaley's volume will stand as a monument of erudite revisionism that, within its self-imposed limits, could
hardly be improved.'
H. C. Erik Midelfort, The Sixteenth Century Journal Vol. XLIII No. 4 (2012), pp. 1225-7.
`essential reading'
Edward Bradbury, Contemporary Review
`Joachim Whaley's magnificent new two-volume study ... sets out precisely wherein the Old Reichs distinctive character lay and enables us to appreciate the reasons why it held the loyalties of so many for so long ... The whole is presented with admirable lucidity, free of jargon ... Whaley's monumental and magisterial study will assuredly quickly become and deservedly long remain a standard authoritative handbook for anyone concerned with the
subject.'
John L Flood, The Modern Language Review
`Joachim Whaley's magnificent book gives readers the best, most persuasive available account in any language of the revisionist case. He turns the old view on its head ... He displays a remarkably wide-ranging knowledge of German culture during the three centuries covered by his book ... This is a bracing book of ideas and arguments, sustained over 125 chapters and almost 1,500 pages. It is both scholarly and very readable.'
David Blackbourn, Common Knowledge
`This monumental study ... rests on an impressive body of knowledge, not least on knowledge of the secondary literature ... the extraordinary readability of the two volumes ... makes this text an enjoyable read for specialists, students and enthusiasts from many different fields.'
Laura Anna Macor, Historia Philosophica [translation]
`Whaley negotiates a vast bibliography, which includes the history of institutions, to offer an excellent tool that is both a compass for orienting oneself among the various issues and itself a starting point.'
Michaela Valente, Archivio Storico Italiana
`One of the most impressive and helpful scholarly monographs of 2012... In this landmark study, Whaley provides a historical overview in which he evaluates narratives and interpretations, that are revealing about the thinking of the period but also in view of some modern views and theories. Chapter by chapter, he tests the validity of perceptions and the sense of identity Germans began to develop in the 16th century not least in opposition to wider
European aspirations and claims. By questioning patterns of established thought Whaley manages time and again to add new insights to the interface of subject areas such as theology, politics, the economy and social issues... His study will be as useful to the established scholar as it is to the novice seeking
to understand the influences and concerns that shaped the...Empire.'
Ulrike Zitzlsperger, The Years Work in Modern Language Studies, lxxiv (2014)
`These two-volumes ... are the fruit of long and thorough research and stand out for their many hundreds of pages of reader-friendly freshness. The external perspective of British scholarship has succeeded in producing a standard work on both German and European history.'
Prof. Dr. Bernd Schneidmüller, University of Heidelberg [translation]
`Whaley's two volumes mark an immense accomplishment and should be read by any scholar working on the early modern Empire or early modern politics in general. They represent the most comprehensive history of the Empire available in English and are sure to genereate debate for decades to come.'
Archiv fuer Reformationsgeschichte
