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Strasbourg and Humanism
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In Strasbourg, perhaps more than elsewhere, humanism was introduced via theology. As humanism constituted a return to the texts of ancient authors and their philosophies, the city with its highly developped culture offered a rich terrain in which to cultivate the movement.
The important predecessor to humanism in Strasbourg was Jean Geiler de Kaysersberg. For over thirty years, he would exercise a spiritual preeminance which would lay the groundwork for the Reformation. As a very powerful speaker, he emphasized "Narrenschiff" (Ship of Fools) from Sébastien Brant and gave critical speeches in which he would imagine the daily lives of the Strasborgeois, dotted with a scathing humour. His reputation spread quickly throughout the Empire and he would be often called to give advice to Maximilien the First. It was he the "Bossuet Alsacien" who would be responsible for attracting the following humanists : Sébastien Brant, Jacques Wimpfeling and Beatus Rhenanus to Strasbourg.
In August of 1514, Erasme de Rotterdam, the European prince of the humanists, came to Strasbourg. His visit consecrated the city's fame. He, himself, would be very impressed by Strasbourg and wrote the following: "I saw a government ruled by one, but without depotism, an aristocracy without factions, a democracy without disorder, wealth without excess, a happiness without arrogance. Can one imagine anything happier than this harmony? Oh, divine Plato, if only you had the luck to have known such a regime; here, in fact, it would have been possible to introduce your ideal state..."
At the beginning of the 16th century, the sky became overcast in Strasbourg, as it did over most of Europe. Christianity was shook by the succesive shockwaves sent by the Reformation movement which was as socio-political as it was religious. Luther's message was lucid: everything should be recentered on a Gospel which was accesible to all, on a faith which abolished distinctions between the clergy and laity, on a Church whose power was no longer elusive, and this reality should be integrated in the very heart of the city.
Strasbourg, as one of the European printing capitals, would greatly contribute to the diffusion, within the city as well as outside the country, of the writings, drafts and especially the new examples of the New Testament. Even more important than what was written was the powerful pulpit of the city. The stars of the city were the preachers. Their preachings were not more revolutionary than Jesus' gospel message, however they were almost as good. Their message focussed on the following concepts: the liberation of man from the yoke of religious and political injustices, the affirmation of the priority of love over law, the denonciation of ecclisiastical abuse, the affirmation of an ethic based on social fraternity and justice, and of a living personal faith rather than religious obligation.
Nowhere else, in all of Alsace, could one find a more fertile ground for the Reformation than Strasbourg. And nowhere else would the events under the very same Reformation change more profoundly the political situation than in this "Free city". Assuredly Strasbourg occupied, at the beginning of the 16 th century, an important place among the great cities of the Holy Empire. The period that followed would be called the "Golden Age", the culminating point in the history of the "Free City".
Until then changes took place without much trouble. The changes in the coutryside were more extreme. In the country, the radical preachers from Strasbourg preached a mixture of revolutionary social and gospel ideas, hinting that the city would support the farmers who were tempted by revolt. However, the Duke of Lorraine had already made motions to reestablish the old order and Catholicism in Alsace.
Strasbourg opened its arms wide to those fleeing the revolts in the country and welcomed Jews, priests, land owners and nobles. The city refused to give help or assistance to the farmers responsable for the massacres in Lupstein, Saverne or Scherwiller.
The Reformation made Strasbourg a city brimming with new ideas as well as a refuge for the persecuted and the exiled. Unfortunately, the second part of the century was less creative and the city faded. This was partly due to the victory of the Emperor Charles-Quintus over the league of Protestants of which the city of Strasbourg was comprised. The Cathedral and two other churches were restituted to the Catholic Church. A series of bank collapses due to the disrespect of financial commitments by other European states in conjunction with a recession destabilized the money and provoked a strong inflation. Demographically, the city regressed and by the end of the 16 th century had only 22,000 citizens. On every level, with the exception of the military fortifications, the city became more fragile and lost a good deal of its prestige in Europe. Strasbourg would soon be up for grabs...
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