The Martial Ethic in Early Modern Germany: Civic Duty and the Right of Arms (Early Modern History Society a)

388 Pages·2011·3.32 MB·English

by  B. Ann Tlusty

Early Modern History: Society and Culture
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CHRISTIAN SLAVES, MUSLIM MASTERS
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MADNESS IN SEVENTEENTH CENTURY AUTOBIOGRAPHY
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MATHEUS MILLER’S MEMOIR
A Merchant’s Life in the Seventeenth Century
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DEATH, BURIAL AND COMMEMORATION IN IRELAND, 1550–1650
B. Ann Tlusty
THE MARTIAL ETHIC IN EARLY MODERN GERMANY
Civic Duty and the Right of Arms
Richard W. Unger
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RELIGION, GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CULTURE IN EARLY MODERN
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The Martial Ethic in Early
Modern Germany
Civic Duty and the Right of Arms
B. Ann Tlusty
Professor and Chair of History, Bucknell University, Pennsylvania, USA
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© B. Ann Tlusty 2011
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tlusty, B. Ann, 1954–
The martial ethic in early modern Germany : civic duty and the right
of arms / B. Ann Tlusty.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978–0–230–57656–8 (hardback)
1. Military ethics—Germany—History. 2. Military socialization—Germany—
History. 3. Masculinity—Social aspects—Germany—History. 4. Men—
Germany—Attitudes—History. 5. Germany—Militia—History.
6. Germany—History, Military. I. Title.
U22.T58 2011
306.2'7094309031—dc22 2011004351
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne
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For Helmut
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Contents
List of Figures and Tables x
Acknowledgments xii
List of Abbreviations xiv
Introduction 1
Armed households 3
The view from the street 5
A culture of weapons 8
1 Keeping the Peace: Household, Citizenship, and Defense 11
Civic obligations 15
The social structure of civic defense 21
Weapons and civic representation 27
Defense systems 31
Military defense and firefighting 32
Police functions 34
Ceremonial duties 35
The night watch 36
The urban soundscape 40
Conclusion 44
2 Duty and Disorder 46
Disinterested citizens and disorderly guards 48
The question of loyalty 50
Guards versus off-duty citizens 53
Conclusion 54
3 Negotiating Armed Power: The Control of Arms and Violence 56
The sanctity of the household 58
Peaceful spaces 60
The open streets 61
Controlling violence 63
Personal injury and manslaughter 68
The weapons ban 70
Guns in the city 76
Gun control in the countryside: The case of Württemberg 81
Conclusion 87
vii
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viii Contents
4 The Age of the Sword: Norms of Honor and Fashion 89
The military code of honor 91
The rules of fair play 95
Escalation 102
The formal duel 105
Dueling laws and legal practice 110
Swordplay and the “Good Death” 116
Fashion and the age of the sword 124
Conclusion 130
5 Keeping and Bearing Arms: Norms of Status and Gender 133
Keeping arms: Household arsenals 134
Resort to arms: Gendered patterns 145
Citizens, soldiers, and peasants 158
Conclusion 162
6 In and Out of the Commune: The Social Boundaries of
Citizenship 166
Student culture and town–gown relations 167
Peasants 171
“Are you Jews or Landsknechts?” 175
The Catholic clergy 185
Conclusion 188
7 Martial Sports and the Technological Challenge 189
Shooting societies and shooting matches 191
The rise of shooting as a sport 191
Discipline and safety at shooting matches 196
The rules of fair play and reciprocation 197
Technological shifts and good sportsmanship 199
Social and gender identity 200
Military readiness 204
The politics of sport 206
Decline and privatization 209
Sword-fighting 210
Sword dancing 217
Conclusion 221
8 Communities in Conflict: Competing Jurisdictions in the
Empire 223
Case study I: Town and country, law and custom:
Local defense in a divided village 224
The backstory and the players 224
Fall, 1578 226
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Contents ix
The aftermath 228
The triumph of custom 231
Case study II: The Swedish rogue and the captain of the
guard 232
The backstory and the players 232
Spring, 1633 234
Legal and customary boundaries 237
The aftermath 242
Conclusion 243
9 Citizens versus the State: Household, Community, and
Urban Politics 245
A culture of fear 247
Masculine gossip 251
Citizens confront the city 258
Diffusing tension 262
Conclusion 264
10 Conclusion 265
Gender and hierarchy 267
Military theory and the decline of the militia 269
The German example and its context 272
Notes 277
Bibliography 329
Index 358
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