Organized Arson as a Political Crime. The Construction of a «Terrorist» Menace in the Early Modern Period1

Abstract

Throughout the early modern period there were numerous rumors about organized arson. When the emerging administrations of the early modern states organized fire-fighting, policing, and measures against the homeless poor, they often did so under the assumption that they were threatened by incendiarists’ conspiracies. A critical look at the source materials makes it more than likely that the arsonist scare was a delusion comparable to the fear of witches, poisoners or Jewish plotters. Using a supposed peasant upheaval, the ‘Bundschuh’ rebellion of 1517 as an example, this article discusses how and why arsonist scares originated. There are parallels between modern terrorism and the imaginary organized arson of the early modern period: The conspiracy structure, the violent attacks against non-combatant targets carried out by non-soldiers in furtherance of political goals, the spread of insecurity and anxiety as an end in itself. Thus, terrorism as a concept was known to the early modern period and influenced processes of state building.