Drawing Death into Life. Comparative Perspectives of Protestant Ways in Coping with Death between Desacralization and Resacralization, 1580–1700

»To die peacefully« – This project follows the origins of this ideal and examines how death and dying were present in the daily lives of the people in Early Modern Europe. On the one hand, it investigates the emotional norms that death and dying evoked. On the other hand, it lays a focus on the ethical implications it entails.

Primary sources are funeral sermons. While the research on these sources so far mainly focused on genealogical information, the project aims to incorporate the entire source, including the sermons itself. A special appeal lies in the perspective, which allows a comparison, that is at the same time European and confessional. Middle-German funeral sermons, Lutheran funeral sermons and funeral sermons from the reformed Basel, as well as English copies from the territory of the Church of England shall provide insight about the question whether there were discernible differences or similarities between Protestant mourning in the 16th and the 17th century.