The Reformation and the Restoration of Civic Authority in Heilbronn, 1525–32

In: Central European history, Band 19, Heft 3, S. 235-261

Abstract

TheCouncils of many Imperial Free Cities struggled throughout the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries to establish their position as "Obrigkeit," enjoying the same kind of recognized authority as that exercised by the other petty political rulers within the Empire. The struggle resulted in increasingly authoritarian trends in city government, as some Councils sought to extend their control over more and more aspects of citizens' lives in an effort to win the respect of other ruling groups. Although sporadic violence marked the growing polarization between governed and governing which developed from such efforts, city Councils still justified their actions on the basis of benefit to the community—a community which included both Council and citizenry. This unitary concept of the urban community was subjected to further severe strains by the introduction of the ideas of Luther and Zwingli into the cities.