To the field sermon : popular Reformation in the Low Countries between urban space and countryside
- Author
- Anne-Laure Van Bruaene (UGent)
- Organization
- Project
- Abstract
- Among the most striking phenomena in the history of the Reformation in the Low Countries are the Protestant open-air sermons of the summer of 1566. These sermons, held in fields, woods, marshlands or other open spaces beyond the city limits, were attended by hundreds or even thousands of men and women from all social groups, eager for reform. This essay discusses the geographical proliferation, organization and characteristics of the field sermons, which can be seen as an early example of the spatial accommodation of religious division in early modern Europe. It also argues that these sermons had a profound impact on urban communities, because civic authorities were faced with the challenge of controlling the flow of people and information, especially at the city gates. Moreover, field sermons had an impact on urban space at large, as sermon-goers claimed their place in town through a range of spontaneous and ritualized acts that reinforced their goal of obtaining a site of worship within the city walls.
- Keywords
- NETHERLANDS, ICONOCLASM, Low Countries, popular religion, Reformation, urban space
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01JG1V7B2FM5PYZ6EJN7JAHN7T
- MLA
- Van Bruaene, Anne-Laure. “To the Field Sermon : Popular Reformation in the Low Countries between Urban Space and Countryside.” EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY, vol. 55, no. 1, 2025, pp. 112–29, doi:10.1177/02656914241301623.
- APA
- Van Bruaene, A.-L. (2025). To the field sermon : popular Reformation in the Low Countries between urban space and countryside. EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY, 55(1), 112–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/02656914241301623
- Chicago author-date
- Van Bruaene, Anne-Laure. 2025. “To the Field Sermon : Popular Reformation in the Low Countries between Urban Space and Countryside.” EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY 55 (1): 112–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/02656914241301623.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Van Bruaene, Anne-Laure. 2025. “To the Field Sermon : Popular Reformation in the Low Countries between Urban Space and Countryside.” EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY 55 (1): 112–129. doi:10.1177/02656914241301623.
- Vancouver
- 1.Van Bruaene A-L. To the field sermon : popular Reformation in the Low Countries between urban space and countryside. EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY. 2025;55(1):112–29.
- IEEE
- [1]A.-L. Van Bruaene, “To the field sermon : popular Reformation in the Low Countries between urban space and countryside,” EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 112–129, 2025.
@article{01JG1V7B2FM5PYZ6EJN7JAHN7T,
abstract = {{Among the most striking phenomena in the history of the Reformation in the Low Countries are the Protestant open-air sermons of the summer of 1566. These sermons, held in fields, woods, marshlands or other open spaces beyond the city limits, were attended by hundreds or even thousands of men and women from all social groups, eager for reform. This essay discusses the geographical proliferation, organization and characteristics of the field sermons, which can be seen as an early example of the spatial accommodation of religious division in early modern Europe. It also argues that these sermons had a profound impact on urban communities, because civic authorities were faced with the challenge of controlling the flow of people and information, especially at the city gates. Moreover, field sermons had an impact on urban space at large, as sermon-goers claimed their place in town through a range of spontaneous and ritualized acts that reinforced their goal of obtaining a site of worship within the city walls.}},
author = {{Van Bruaene, Anne-Laure}},
issn = {{0265-6914}},
journal = {{EUROPEAN HISTORY QUARTERLY}},
keywords = {{NETHERLANDS,ICONOCLASM,Low Countries,popular religion,Reformation,urban space}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{112--129}},
title = {{To the field sermon : popular Reformation in the Low Countries between urban space and countryside}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1177/02656914241301623}},
volume = {{55}},
year = {{2025}},
}
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