In the past years ideological elements that guaranteed cohesion and loyalties in early modern societies have become a key interest of scholarship. Revolving around the notion of amor patriae (love of country), this study shows how this classical idea with its civic humanist connotations was transferred into the context of monarchical theory of the (German) Empire. The book further explores how love of country fitted into European debates on the nature of commonwealth and the citizen's duties. Combined with an analysis of humanist images of the German fatherland and nation, this concept's application is examined in the German pamphlet literature from the conflicts of the late 16th century to the end of the Thirty Years’ War. The result is a refreshing portrait of the confessional era in Germany, which is often simply characterized by sectarian and political divide.

Consultant editor: Mireille Charmantier-Daures, Frederick Schram