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Dorfner, T. Von ‘bösen Sektierern’ zu ‘fleißigen Fabrikanten’. Zum Wahrnehmungswandel der Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine im Kontext kameralistischer Peuplierungspolitik (ca. 1750 – 1800). Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung, 45(2), 283-313. https://doi.org/10.3790/zhf.45.2.283
Dorfner, Thomas "Von ‘bösen Sektierern’ zu ‘fleißigen Fabrikanten’. Zum Wahrnehmungswandel der Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine im Kontext kameralistischer Peuplierungspolitik (ca. 1750 – 1800)" Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung 45.2, , 283-313. https://doi.org/10.3790/zhf.45.2.283
Dorfner, Thomas: Von ‘bösen Sektierern’ zu ‘fleißigen Fabrikanten’. Zum Wahrnehmungswandel der Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine im Kontext kameralistischer Peuplierungspolitik (ca. 1750 – 1800), in: Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung, vol. 45, iss. 2, 283-313, [online] https://doi.org/10.3790/zhf.45.2.283

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Von ‘bösen Sektierern’ zu ‘fleißigen Fabrikanten’. Zum Wahrnehmungswandel der Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine im Kontext kameralistischer Peuplierungspolitik (ca. 1750 – 1800)

Dorfner, Thomas

Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung, Vol. 45 (2018), Iss. 2 : pp. 283–313

4 Citations (CrossRef)

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Dr. Thomas Dorfner, RWTH Aachen, Historisches Institut, Theaterplatz 14, 52062 Aachen

Cited By

  1. Entscheiden als Problem der Geschichtswissenschaft.

    Hoffmann-Rehnitz, Philip | Krischer, André | Pohlig, Matthias

    Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung, Vol. 45 (2018), Iss. 2 P.217

    https://doi.org/10.3790/zhf.45.2.217 [Citations: 5]
  2. Die Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert

    Women’s Labour in the Christiansfeld Archives

    Petterson, Christina

    2023

    https://doi.org/10.13109/9783666565618.405 [Citations: 0]
  3. Reassessing the Moral Economy

    Profit Due to Christian Behaviour: The Moral Economy of the Moravian Church in the Eighteenth Century

    Dorfner, Thomas

    2023

    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29834-9_9 [Citations: 0]
  4. Herrnhut 1722-1732

    Literatur

    2021

    https://doi.org/10.13109/9783666503573.309 [Citations: 0]

Abstract

During the late 1750s a fundamental shift in the perception of the Moravian Church took place among the upper classes of central Europe. The older view of reality dating from around the year 1750 according to which the Moravians were dangerous sectarians was replaced by the perception that the Moravians were hardworking, obedient, yes almost exemplary subservients. This resulted in the Moravian Church receiving over 100 invitations between 1758 and 1804 from aristocratic houses throughout central Europe to establish a community. This paper shows that the shift in perception took place because both among the subjects and the objects of this perception, fundamental attitudes had changed: from the late 1740s onwards, the Moravian Church had successfully developed its own manufacturing and commercial projects. The new generation of nobility however, which had taken over control in states and/or territories from the 1760s onwards, regarded the economic benefits as a raison d’état. For example, Catholic nobles such as Landgrave Frederick II of Hessen’Kassel were prepared to establish pietistic groups owing to financial considerations. At the same time, aristocratic councillors were turning away from a primarily quantitative population policy and paying more attention to the quality of the settlers. The Seven Years’ War served as a catalyser for this shift in perception because during the years 1757 and 1758, when the fighting paused, several hundred princes and nobles personally took a closer look at Herrnhut. The majority of the aristocratic invitations to establish communities were economically motivated and had the aim of setting up a manufacturing operation. According to the Moravians’ self–perception however, factories were not a sufficient reason to establish a new community. They only felt duty bound to fulfil the Great Commission of the Bible and therefore paid attention to whether an invitation offered the possibility of spreading the Gospel in a territory. Nevertheless, the governing institutions of the Moravian Church did not venture to accept or decline an invitation independently. They figured out the will of Jesus Christ with the help of (usually three) lots. The specific custom of drawing lots could lead to an invitation being declined that was initially favoured, due to a negative result when drawing lots.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Thomas Dorfner: Von „bösen Sektierern“ zu „fleißigen Fabrikanten“. Zum Wahrnehmungswandel der Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine im Kontext kameralistischer Peuplierungspolitik (ca. 1750 – 1800) 1
I. Die Hinwendung der Brüdergemeine zu Manufaktur-, Verlags- und transnationalen Handelsprojekten 7
II. Die Inaugenscheinnahme: adelige Besucher in Herrnhut 1
III. Die Niederlassungsofferten: Motive und Erwartungen der Adeligen 1
IV. Die Beratungen der Brüdergemeine: Entscheidungsmodi und Selbstwahrnehmung 1
Resümee und Epilog 2
Summary: From „Evil Sectarians“ to „Hardworking Manufacturers“. On the Shift in Perception of the Moravian Church in the Context of Cameralist Populating Policies 2
Gedruckte Quellen 2
Literatur 2