Die reformatorische Bilderfrage in den schwäbischen Reichsstädten

The debate concerning the alleged abuse or rightful use of religious images was ignited during the Reformation. Using twelve case studies of Swabian imperial cities and communities in their rural hinterlands, Gudrun Litz examines the political, urban, official, theological and personal factors that influenced this problem and determined the solutions which were put into practice. She focuses on written sources, which consist mainly of unprinted material from city, church and private archives. In addition, of considerable importance is the material culture of those images which have been preserved, since the fate of those religious objects which were not destroyed during the Reformation or were destroyed later can provide information on the exact occurrences in the cities and territories. Taking all of these elements into account, this work offers a cogent interpretation of Reformation iconoclasm.