Livonian Canons and Challenge of the Reformation

Abstract

The article examines five Livonian cathedral chapters — Riga, Dorpat, Osilia, Curonia and Reval — during the Reformation era (1522–1566): from the beginning of Livonian Reformation to the dissolution of the Chapter of Riga. The main aim is to identify the most important changes in the chapters, and to examine reactions to the Reformation and to the religious alterations amongst the canons. Although there are obvious gaps in the statistical data, it is possible to present an overall picture of the situation. If one compares the beginning and the end of the period, the numbers of the canons seem to have remained almost the same. The number of local canons that came from burgher families drops which could be connected with the success of the Reformation in Livonian towns, while the increase in the number of canons from Germany might be connected to the intensifying relations of Livonia with the Holy Roman Empire. The falling number of cumulations (i. e., cases when a canon held multiple chapter seats simultaneously) might indicate pursuit to enhance internal discipline in the chapters and attempt to face the challenge of the Reformation. The data about religious affiliations shows that the chapter of Riga was dominantly Catholic at the end of the 1540s, but mainly Protestant by the end of the 1550s. Generally, it appears that there were no serious confessional conflicts in Livonian chapters, and as there is no information about them elsewhere, it can be concluded that confessional conflicts reached Livonia only during and after the Livonian War.