Auf der Suche nach der französischen Konfessionalisierung

Abstract

This contribution attempts to achieve balance in the French historiography on the subject of early modern Catholicism with respect to the following question: How can one explain the scanty and incomplete reception of the concept of confessionalization? To answer this question, specifities in French historiographic traditions as well as in French history itself are taken into account. In the first place, the chronological division of the period and the accentuation of the longue duree, actual practices, and the piety of the masses create factors that impede the reception of the confessionalization paradigm. Secondly, the relations between state and church, and the manner and method in which these relations have been historiographically reflected, present significant differences between France and the Empire. Finally, new approaches and empirical research show that the existing record need not be considered final.