著者

鍵和田 賢

出版者

公益財団法人 史学会

雑誌

史学雑誌 (ISSN:00182478)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.121, no.8, pp.1377-1410, 2012-08-20 (Released:2017-12-01)

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Historians who study early modern Germany used to regard "the confessional age" as a stagnant era characterized by religious conflicts and wars; however, recently the age is regarded more and more as a time of the establishment of coexistence between a number of confessions. Now the task is to shed light on the problem of how this "confessional pluralism" was concretely formed. Furthermore, the research has begun to take notice of inter-confessional communication as the basis of that "pluralism". Following these recent arguments, this article examines inter-confessional negotiations in the city of Cologne during the congress for the Peace of Westphalia. Though Cologne was ruled by Catholic magistrates, the city was also inhabited by Protestants. Between 1647 and 48, three Calvinist communities of Cologne who were impressed by the progress being achieved by the Peace Congresses in Munster and Osnabruck, attempted to negotiate with the magistrates. The Calvinists sought the right to attend services in neighboring territories, which was forbidden, and consequently succeeded in winning this right from the magistrates. After the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia, these Calvinist communities tried to obtain the right to hold services inside the city and also attain civil rights for Protestants. This time, however, instead of negotiating with the magistrates, the Calvinists petitioned the Evangelical estates of the Empire for those rights at a conference of the Holy Roman Empire. The magistrates brought this action into serious question, because it damaged their right to make decisions regarding religious issues inside the city. Consequently, the magistrates hardened their attitude toward Protestants in the city, and the Calvinists failed to accomplish their goals. When magistrates subsequently threatened the Protestants by issuing a decree to expel them, the Calvinist communities recognized the need to change their approach, deciding to respect the inviolable right of the magistrates regarding religious issues inside the city. Consequently, a framework for "confessional pluralism" in Cologne arose, in which all internal religious problems would be negotiated with the magistrates first. Thereafter, the magistrates expressed the intention to permit Protestants to live inside the city provided that they respect their authority to adjudicate internal religious issues. The author concludes that the series of subsequent negotiations that followed these events formed the foundation of "confessional pluralism" in Cologne.