Practices of piety in the underground: Using the example of secret Protestants in Carinthia, Styria, Upper Austria and Salzburg in the 18th century

This book sheds light on a special part of Protestant history, namely the so-called ‘secret Protestantism’ in Austria. It addresses the period of the Counter-Reformation and the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants and provides insights into the lives of the people who suffered particularly from this conflict. The Austrian secret Protestants were people who stood between the two hostile denominations. In the course of the Counter-Reformation, beginning in the 16th century, attempts were made to re-Catholicise the Austrian hereditary lands and the Archbishopric of Salzburg. The Protestants living in these areas were forced to either renounce their faith, leave their homes or practise their faith in secret. In the latter case, the so-called secret Protestants practised their faith by reading hidden books and holding secret services. The piety of these people is characterised by Pietist Protestantism, but also by the Catholic environment, which is why it has unique elements. This exciting topic is explored in this book.