Eine Division des Papstes? Bayern und der Dreißigjährige Krieg aus Sicht der Wiener Nuntien (um 1630)

Abstract

In the aftermath of the reformation, Bavaria became the Roman Curia’s most important partner in the Holy Roman Empire, alongside the emperor. Catholicism lay at the heart of this stable network, which soon engaged all levels of exchange. A long tradition of close diplomatic ties between Munich and Rome began when duke Maximilian sent an official envoy to the Holy See for the first time in 1605. During the Thirty Years’ War, contacts intensified. The Curia associated Wittelsbach with the catholic columns in Germany. For the pope, Maximilian represented the most vigorous leader in the wars of religion against the protestants. The two strategies of subsidizing his dwindling military funds and supporting his political ambitions to preserve his newly acquired status as prince-elector on behalf of Bavaria strongly marked the Curia’s