Der Moment der Entscheidung? Die Einführung der Reformation in Nürnberg als Ergebnis von Minimalentscheidungen

The starting point for more recent questions concerning the Reformation in the cities is a cultural historical approach which investigates the decision-making process of municipal authorities in the early phases of the Reformation. This article uses the imperial city of Nuremberg as a case study in order to explore the complexity of decision-making processes during the Reformation and draw attention to the fact that the outcomes of these processes were far from predetermined. Several decision-making situations will be analyzed to show that questions of faith did not stand at the center of these decisions. Rather, each decision was concerned also with the political consequences of specific religious practices, as well as with the preservation of the political agency of the municipal council. 70. Lazarus Spengler, „Der letzte und rechte begrif eine e. raths gemeinen ausschreibens in religionssachen“ (1527). Ediert und kommentiert durch Gottfried Seebaß, „Apologia Reformationis: Eine bisher unbekannte Verteidigungsschrift Nürnbergs aus dem Jahre 1528“, in: Zeitschrift für bayerische Kirchengeschichte 39 (1970), 20–74, hier 55. Goyer ARG_109_Inhalt_DD.indd 350 10.09.2018 12:50:16