For the Military Orders the age of the Reformation was a period of severe crisis in which their very existence was challenged by protestant princes and reformers. Especially in the northern part of Europe the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Order faced serious losses. Religious convictions played an important role, but events were also influenced by processes of state building and the personal ambitions of the orders' leaders on all levels. These and other themes are treated in thirteen contrib...

In early modern Europe, agents were everywhere. They engaged in the transmission of political news, were employed on diplomatic missions and negotiated economic, cultural and intellectual dealings between patrons and clients. The agents' extensive networks, established in order to succeed professionally on one level, often provided them with an ideal resource for the execution of additional offices. This book presents agents from different professional groups - artists, soldiers, clergymen, d...