Communities of Devotion

Dr Maria Craciun, University of Cluj, Romania and Dr Elaine Fulton, University of Birmingham, UK

This collection of essays explores the complex relationship between western monasticism and lay society in east central Europe from the late medieval period to the eighteenth century. It is an important addition to current scholarship, showcasing fresh research on a subject and region on which little has been published in English. As such it will contribute to the reintegration of eastern and western European history, as well as expanding the existing parameters of scholarly discourse into late medieval and early modern religious practice and piety.

Contents: Introduction: communities of devotion: religious orders and society in East Central Europe, 1450-1800, Maria Craciun and Elaine Fulton; Mendicant piety and the Saxon community of Transylvania, c. 1450-1550, Maria Craciun; The influence of Franciscan friars on popular piety in the kingdom of Hungary at the end of the 15th century, Marie-Madeleine de Cevins (translated by Max von Habsburg); The third path: charity and devotion in late medieval Transylvanian towns, Carmen Florea; Conflict and cooperation: the reform of religious orders in early 16th-century Hungary, Gabriella Erdélyi; Between bishop and prince: monasteries and authority in Austria in the late 16th century, Rona Johnston Gordon; Mutual aid: the Jesuits and the courtier in 16th-century Vienna, Elaine Fulton; Jesuits, confessional identities and landlordship in God's Transylvanian vineyard, 1580-88, Christine Peters; Tanquam peregrini: pilgrimage practice in the Bohemian Franciscan province, Martin Ebel; The Basilian monk and the identity of the Uniate Church in 18th-century Transylvania, Greta-Monica Miron (translated by Maria Crãciun); Epilogue, Ronnie Po-chia Hsia; Index.