Call for Papers: Nobility and Reformations in the Low Countries

The Society for Nobility Studies and the Amsterdam Centre for Religious History (ACRH) invite submission of proposals for the conference Nobility and Reformations in the Low Countries, 1450-1650 (Amsterdam, 3 April 2020). A detailed Call for Papers can be found on the ACRH website (https://www.acrh.eu/events/all-events/adel-en-reformatie).

Introduction

Reformations had far reaching impact on political leadership. In the sixteenth century, Burgundian-Habsburg rulers sought to safeguard their territorial unity by defending Catholic harmony, while on a more local level city magistrates intended to create a Christian community under their own guidance. In contrast to their crowned head, these local rulers accepted religious diversity – albeit with some reluctance. But things started to change by the middle of the century. The adoption and rejection of Protestantism by German princes, caused division along confessional lines in the principalities of the Holy Roman Empire, including the Low Countries. Nobles had to think of strategies to preserve their dominance in a world characterized by religious pluralism. It remains unclear to what extent nobles managed to steer these religious transitions. The historiography emphasizes the fractional opposition between Catholic pro-Spanish nobles on the one hand, and Protestant rebellious nobles on the other. The large and incoherent group of ‘inbetweeners’ is largely ignored. Moreover, hardly any attention is paid to the interaction between nobles and the regional communities. In the conference Nobility and Reformations in the Low Countries we address these issues by integrating approaches from the fields of religious history and nobility studies. Were nobles involved in iconoclasm? Were they forced to flee their home base in order to evade religious suppression? Did they promote new forms of religiosity by more material means? By addressing questions like these, we seek to better understand the role of nobles in reformations.

Submission guidelines
Proposals for presentations can be submitted to nobilityandreformations@gmail.com. A reply will be sent to confirm the receipt of the proposal. Please note that the length of the presentation should be 20 minutes. The main language of the conference will be Dutch, papers may also be presented in English or German. Themes to be addressed may include (but are not limited to):
a. Nobility and transregional exchange of religious ideas: the connection between nobility and all sorts of religious exiles, and the formation of religious-based enclaves.
b. Nobility and local reformations: the involvement of nobility in processes of reformation or confessionalisation in regional contexts.
c. Nobility and religious material culture: the influence of nobility on the formation of embodied piety during the era of reformations.
d. Nobility and patronage: the leading role of nobles in creating new political and confessional structures.

The conference is meant as a platform for specialists in the fields of nobility studies and religious history to engage with a wider audience. Please avoid the overuse of specialist jargon and abbreviations.

Proposals should include the following information:
a. Full name;
b. Email address;
c. Telephone number;
d. Affiliation (e.g. university, institution);
e. Academic title (e.g. Dr., MA/MSc. Prof.);
f. Title of the presentation;
g. Abstract in Dutch, English or German (200-250 words, ex. references).

All submissions will be evaluated by a Programme Committee consisting of the following members:

Fred van Lieburg, chair (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Corinne van Dijk (Medieval Memoria Online) and Conrad Gietman
(Hoge Raad van Adel).

Deadline for submissions: 11 December 2019, 23:59 (CET).

Notification of acceptance: 17 january 2019.

Conference details
Title: Nobility and Reformations in the Low Countries, 1450-1650.
Date: Friday 3 April 2020 (full day).
Location: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Organizers: The Society for Nobility Studies (‘Stichting Werkgroep Adelsgeschiedenis’) and the Amsterdam
Centre for Religious History.
Fee: Presenters of accepted papers are exempted from paying a conference fee (including lunch). Travel costs
will be reimbursed up to € 50,-. Guidelines for reimbursement will be sent to presenters before the conference.