Women and the Counter-Reformation in Early Modern Münster

Women and the Counter-Reformation in Early Modern Münster examines how women from different social backgrounds encountered the Counter-Reformation. The focus is on Münster, a city in the north of Germany, which was exposed to powerful Protestant influences which culminated in the notorious Anabaptist kingdom of 1534. After the defeat of the radical Protestants, the city was returned to Catholicism and a stringent programme of reform was enforced. By examining concubinage, piety, marriage, deviance, and convent reform, core issues of the Counter-Reformation's quest for renewal, this fascinating study shows how women participated in the social and religious changes of the time, and how their lives were shaped by the Counter-Reformation. Employing research into the political, religious, and social institutions, and using an impressive variety of sources, Simone Laqua-O'Donnell engages with the way women experienced the new religiosity, morality, and discipline that was introduced to the city of Münster during this turbulent time.

Simone Laqua-O'Donnell studied at the University of Cambridge and was a PhD student at Balliol College, Oxford. In 2006 she was awarded a Research Fellowship at Downing College, Cambridge. She joined the University of Birmingham in 2009.

- Introduction - 1: The Reformation of Convent Life - 2: Female Piety: Women's Relationships with the Living, the Dead, and the Divine - 3: An Ideal Marriage after Trent - 4: Deviant Women and the Urban Community - 5: A Bishop, his Priests, and their Concubines - Conclusion