The Political Culture Of The Mining Cities Of The Ore Mountains (1470-1648)

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This project probes the political culture of the mining cities of the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) in the early modern era. During this period, the region was marked by a complex division of power (Herrschaft) between cities, rural nobles and mining elites. In view of this, this project begins with the hypothesis that the distinction of being a mining city impacted not only the social, legal and economic dimensions of a city, but also the political. An asymmetrical comparison of three mining cities in the Ore Mountains provides the setting. Freiberg will take centre stage as there exists a wealth of archival material and secondary literature on it. However, in order to achieve a broader scope, Joachimsthal and Schneeberg will be contrasted with Freiberg. The study begins in 1470 with the beginning of the second mining boom and continues to the end of the Thirty Years War. Based primarily on an analysis of unpublished archival material, three major themes will guide the study. First, communication networks and daily governance will be examined. Second, interactions with legal, economic, religious and social values and norms in specific conflict fields will be assessed. Third, the results from the first two themes will be incorporated and classified into existing concepts on social order. The project will contribute to and further our knowledge of political culture and urban history, specifically the development of municipal archetypes.