Narrow, not easy to identify book request

by veobaum

Mods, delete if this isn't appropriate.

I am really struck by the role of the "German Princes" in the success of Martin Luther. I would love to read something detailed about the politics, economic, social and military history of the period 1500-1550 in the region and relationships to the Holy Roman Empire/rest of the continent.

The challenge is that I keep getting directed to Luther biographies or histories of Protestant Reformation. These are great but I am already familiar with much of it and it's not where my interest is now.

Any thoughts on something? Even if it isn't booklength treatment but part of a broader Europe or a longer period, I would be happy.

Thanks!

sunagainstgold

You're in the weird place where traditional political history, and even much of the recent political culture/socio-political history narratives, are being published by German scholars in German. The Middle Ages have Benjamin Arnold's work, but 1500 is pretty much where he ends. A few I might recommend:

  • Thomas Brady, German Histories in the Age of Reformations - this might be exactly what you're referring to with being directed to histories of the Ref, and if so I apologize. But especially the opening section, I think, is a great introduction to the structures of the HRE and how they interacted with the cultural situation. Not as great for social history, so...
  • Tom Scott, Society and Economy in Germany, 1300-1600 - although most of the focus is on rural and urban economies, from household to corporate level, there are good substantial sections on the level of lordship and cities as political entities. Not so strong on the princes. So
  • Peter Wilson, Heart of Europe and Joachim Whaley, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire (prob. volume 1) are histories of the HRE specifically that might interest you. I still don't think these are as structural as you might want. So one that is more academic/harder to access, but seems really on target:
  • Hillay Zmora, State and Nobility in Early Modern Germany: The Knightly Feud in Franconia, 1440-1567 - about the relationship between the landed nobility and the princes, and its role in confessionalization/polity formation