Tolerating the Intolerable: Coexistence in the 17th Century Vilnius Cover Image

Цярпенне невыцерпнага: суіснаванне ў Вільні XVII стагоддзя
Tolerating the Intolerable: Coexistence in the 17th Century Vilnius

Author(s): David Frick
Subject(s): Social history, Social differentiation, 17th Century, Sociology of Religion, History of Religion
Published by: Палітычная сфера
Keywords: Vilnius; Tolerance; Religious Communities; History of Denominations;

Summary/Abstract: The article considers the practices of tolerance and coexistence of different religious and ethnic communities of Vilnius in the 17th century. In early modern period Vilnius had a very heterogeneous population: Lutherans, Calvinists, Catholics, Uniates, Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The author raises the question how a relatively peaceful coexistence of diverse religious communities was maintained in the era of conflicts and wars. Through the analysis of certain social practices (marriage, settlement, baptism, etc.), and comparison with other European cities (the German imperial cities, Lviv), the author maps the place of Vilnius on the scale of tolerance of European cities of early modern era.

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 22-23
  • Page Range: 16-34
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: Belarusian