Charitable catholic orders in Central Europe 1605-1783

The research project proposed would be an extension of the FWF-project "charitable religious orders in early modern Central Europe" (Nr. P18128-G08). Its objectives shall be pursued further, and by an exemplary examination of the activities of two clerical communities, the Charitable Brethren (Brothers of St. John of God, OH) and the Discalced Trinitarians (OSST), within the Habsburg Monarchy and the Holy Roman Empire new discoveries about the little known relevance of charitably oriented catholic orders for the social and cultural history of early modern Central Europe could be made. The time-schedule of the previous project, for which two years of research were planned, should be extended by the new project particularly because of the fact, that during the inquiries in archives - especially in some archives in possession of the orders themselves - during the years 2006 and 2007 relevant historical sources of much larger scale were "discovered", than one was able to expect, according to the previous information given by the responsible collaborators of the orders. In the archive of the Austrian Province of the Charitable Brethren in Vienna, for example, several dozens of cardboard boxes with materials concerning only or mainly the 17th and 18th century were "found" and investigated, and in the archive of the Discalced Trinitarians in Rome the same was the case for a very detailed documentation of contemporary communication between the head administration of the order and the Austrian Province. The applicants intend a systematic evaluation of the sources gathered until now to give substantial insights into the following themes of research: How did both monastic organisations actually pursue their objectives, the treatment of ill persons in the case of the OH, and the liberation of Christian captives in Muslim countries in the case of the OSST? Which, if any, was an "unofficial" agenda, the clergymen had, too? How were the organisations structured, and how did the interaction between particular parts of the order work? What was the compound of the orders in terms of their members, which professional qualifications were they obliged to dispose of, and which specific norms were they supposed to obey? How did these religious communities interact with other - secular and ecclesiastic - institutions? Above all: How did they treat their respective "target groups", that is the ill to be medicated and the captives to be liberated? Which professional techniques were used in these activities? Which kind of persons typically belonged to the "target groups" of the orders? Were there any preferred or excluded categories of people? What were the consequences of the operations of the orders for these persons, and which consequences can be found on a societal level, for example in regard to the question of "social discipline"? How much did the monastic communities succeed in respect to their organisational objectives, and what was the significance of social innovations - in the medical or diplomatic sphere, but also in the field of administrative competence - and related cultural transfers between Southern and Central Europe? The questions outlined here shall be elaborated by analyses of a comprehensive stock of hand-written and published sources, and, as far as possible and useful, also by means of quantitative methods. This especially regards analyses of the social compositions of "target groups" and the orders themselves, the financing systems and specific target-oriented organisational processes, the stationary treatment of patients in hospitals on the one hand, the travelling and ransoming activities on the other hand. Results of the research project would be published in journals - partly in non-German language -, and particularly in the shape of a concluding monograph. Additionally, an internet homepage shall be run to extend the communication concerning the research activities.

The FWF-financed research project "Charitable catholic orders in Central Europe 1605-1783", which was conducted in the years 2008 to 2011 by Carlos Watzka and Elisabeth Pauli at the Center for Social Research of the University Graz, was dedicated to the study of the practical activities of two ecclesiastical orders within the Habsburg monarchy in early modern time, the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God (in Austria called "Barmherzige Brueder", which means "Charitable Brethren") on the one hand, and the Discalced Order of the Most Holy Trinity of the redemption of captives (usually called "Trinitarians") on the other hand. These monastic congregations have some important attributes in common: Both first persisted in the Romanic sphere (Spain, France, Italy) and extended their settlements and actions to Central Europe as a kind of cultural transfer during the so called `counterreformation` in 17th and 18th century. In contrast to other catholic `reform orders`, that engaged primarily in theology, pastoral care and education, which in contemporary Habsburg monarchy with its strong, confessional coined social and political tensions, often were repudiated massively and enduring by large parts of the population, these two clerical communities at most places fitted themselves into regional social order without very severe problems. Supported massively by the Habsburg dynasty and `postridentine` catholic elites in nobility and clergy, practical help, which the Charitable Brethren and the Trinitarians were able to offer in such threatening situations like heavy illness, injuries or capture by Non-Christians, was available to everybody regarding hospitals at least to every male person -, regardless of social status and even confession. Moreover, they were free for the persons directly concerned, and thus enabled members of the lower and middle strata to get professional medical help or personal freedom otherwise not reachable to them. The actual structures of the institutes of both orders, too, represented considerable innovations within the Central European region. The `hospitals` of the "Barmherzige Brueder" in many areas were the first ones, which served according to the principles of modern medical hospitals, focussing on the medical treatment of persons suffering from acute diseases rather than on the long-term nursing of chronically ill and disabled people, as it was the main task of traditional, medieval hospitals. The network of the Trinitarians, which, apart from Vienna, established settlements primarily within the Kingdom of Hungary, in turn was the first extent organisation, which took the complex task of redeeming and exchanging prisoners of war and violently displaced persons at a superregional level, in a systematic, lasting manner and in close cooperation with state authorities, which led to enormous successes.