Touching the Ark or Carrying It?: Women and 16th- and 17th-Century Polish-Lithuanian Calvinism

Abstract

The story of the Reformation in the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania has been told primarily through the actions of men who purged churches, settled ministers, expelled Catholic priests, and defended the freedom of worship at the local and national level. This article challenges that androcentric perspective, drawing on synodical acts and surviving church visitations to reexamine the religious praxis of Reformed Churches (Calvinist and Church Brethren) in Lesser Poland, Greater Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It finds that, despite the absence of women in historiography, women were involved in shaping the piety and practices of the Reformed Churches from the beginning. From Katarzyna Ostroróg to Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł women not only participated in the foundation of Protestant churches but also actively challenged patriarchal assumptions.