Dr. Tilman Moritz

Politics of history in the prince-bishopric of Paderborn after the Thirty Years War

Confessional conflicts were identified as a main factor of escalating violence during the 16th and 17th century. Hence there were several initiatives to exclude religious dissent from different spheres of life, in particular from the political field which first came to its own at the same time. Religious rule, however, was essentially based on confessional, i. e. catholic pervasion of everyday life and politics. Therefore its actors looked for ways to reintregate religious identity into public discourse as well as redefining political practices in the light of a renewed (and emphasised) catholicism – all in order to 'stabilise' the deeply jolted sovereignity of ecclesiastical princes.
My research aims to understand contemporary historiography as a medium of such "political communication", both as discourse and practice of building identity or community respectively. It focusses on the several historiographical 'projects' initiated by Ferdinand von Fürstenberg, prince-bishop of Paderborn (b. 1626, d. 1683). Their design was rooted in personal and institutional 'experiences' of the Thirty Years War and the Peace of Westphalia but became formative for memory cultures far beyond. A closer look will also be taken at the influence of Jacob Masen (b. 1606, d. 1681), a Jesuit and prolific author on rhetoric and controversial theology. His personal contribution to the "Annales Paderbornenses" has received little attention so far and thus will be studied in-depth.

Winter term 2023
The Church between revolution and reaction (1789–1850)
Basic themes and current research in Church History
Introduction to the study of Early Modern History (Historical Institute)
The Seven Years War (Historical Institute)

Summer term 2023
Constantine – The emperor and his god

Summer term 2022 (entfallen)
Licence to kill? Christian ideas of knighthood

Winter termr 2021/22
Gender history in Reformation studies

Summer term 2021
The processes of Joan of Arc (awarded with E-Learning Label Advanced)

Winter term 2020/21
Baroque, a catholic media revolution?

Summer term 2020

Conquista and mission. Catholic culture(s) in early modern Latin America (awarded with E-Learning Label Basic and Good Practice in Digital Teaching award)

Winter term 2019/20
Confessional churches and ecumenic thought in the early modern period (in association with the department of Systematic Theology, Paderborn)

Summer term 2019
Holy warriors, power politicians, media professionals – the Jesuits in the early modern period

Winter term 2018/19
Enligthment in "Catholic" and "Muslim" France (in association with the department of Romance studies, Paderborn)

Summer term 2018
"Romans go home" – Palestine in the time of Jesus (in association with the department of Systematic Theology, Paderborn)

Winter term 2017/18
Wars of belief, religion and confession (1550–1650)

Summer term 2017
Laicism in France, its history and the role of Islam (in association with the department of Romance studies, Paderborn)

Winter term 2016/17
The history of the bishopric of Paderborn from founding to present day

Summer term 2016
Basic themes and methods of Church History

Winter term 2015/16
Introduction to the study of Early Modern History (Historical Institute, Paderborn)
Machiavelli (Historical Institute, Paderborn)

Summer term 2012
»Si vis pacem para bellum«? Society and violence during the Thirty Years War (Historical Institute, Paderborn)

Winter term 2011/12
Ferdinand von Fürstenberg (1626–1683), prince-bishop of Paderborn and Münster (with Prof. Dr. Johannes Süßmann, Historical Institute, Paderborn)

Winter term 2010/11
Knight, Death and the Devil – the 16th century as a period of nobility crisis?

05/2023
Paper: "Das Scheitern Ulrichs von Hutten: Fiktion und Funktion einer ritterlichen Selbstinszenierung", Ebernburg-Stiftung, Bad Münster a. St.

09/2022
Paper: "Ex historia eruta. Zur Paderborner Geschichtsschreibung im 17. Jahrhundert", im Rahmen der »Monumenta«-Ausstellung, Kreismuseum Wewelsburg.

05/2022
Research report – Colloquium "Aktuelle Forschungen zur Frühen Neuzeit", Paderborn University, Historical Institute.

11/2020
Research report – Colloquium "Aktuelle Forschungen zur Frühen Neuzeit", Paderborn University, Historical Institute.

10/2019
Paper: »Barockisierte Herrschaft? Neuordnungen Paderborns aus dem Dreißigjährigen Krieg« – Ringvorlesung »Barock: Kulturtransfer / Transferkultur«, Paderborn University, Institute of German Studies and Comparative Literary Studies.

09/2019
Paper: »Auferstehung und Ruinen. Das Bistum Paderborn im unsichtbaren Schatten des Dreißigjährigen Kriegs« – Annual conference of the Görres Society 2019.

06/2019
Paper: »Seelsorge an der Geschichte. Konfessionelle Historiographie und Paderborner Geschichtspolitik des 17. Jahrhunderts« – Conference »Katholische Konfessionalisierung in Paderborn? Religiöse Prozesse in der Frühen Neuzeit«, Paderborn University und Theological Faculty Paderborn.

06/2019
Paper: »Religious Discourses in the 16th Century« – Conference »Ways to Reconciled Diversity in Christianity and Islam«, Johann Adam Möhler Institute (Paderborn), Institute of Ecumenic Studies (Strasbourg), Centre of Comparative Theology and Cultural Studies (Paderborn).

06/2017
Paper: »Autobiographik als ritterschaftliche Selbstverständigung: Das Beispiel der Argula von Grumbach« – Bielefelder Kolloquium (Prof. Dr. Franz-Josef Arlinghaus), Bielefeld University, Historical Institute.

09/2016
Moderation: Workshop »Wissensordnungen und Argumentationsmuster des Politischen im späten Mittelalter und in der frühen Neuzeit, 14.–16. Jahrhundert«, Trier University, Centre of Medieval Studies.

01/2011
Paper: »Ulrich von Hutten, ein ritterschaftlicher Autobiograph?« – New research on early modern history, Gießen University, Historical Institute.

11/2010

Paper: »Autobiographik als Ausdruck ritterschaftlicher Habitusbildung im Reich (1480–1560)« – Colloquium on History, Wuppertal University, Historical Seminar.

2021
Topmost evaluation "E-Learning Advanced" awarded to the course "The processes of Joan of Arc", summer 2021, Paderborn University

2020
Award "Good Practice of Digital Teaching" awarded to the course "Conquista and mission – Catholic culture(s) in early modern Latin America", summer 2020, Paderborn University

2011
Grant for doctoral research provided by the research funds of the Faculty of Cultural Studies, Paderborn University

• AG »Säkularismus und nichtreligiöse Überzeugungssysteme« des Zentrums für Komparative Theologie und Kulturwissenschaften (ZeKK), Paderborn
• DFG-Schwerpunktprogramm 2130 »Übersetzungskulturen der Frühen Neuzeit« (assoziiertes Mitglied)
• Open History e. V.
• Verband der Historiker und Historikerinnen Deutschlands e. V.
• Verein für Geschichte und Altertumskunde Westfalens, Abt. Paderborn e. V.
• Willibald-Pirckheimer-Gesellschaft zur Erforschung von Renaissance und Humanismus e. V.