Poor Relief and Protestantism

"This book traces the dramatic evolution of poor relief institutions in an important centre of the German and Calvinist Reformation. During the middle of the sixteenth century, Emden was hurled from sleepy obscurity into the centre of European affairs. In the face of traumatic religious developments and massive demographic, social, and economic upheaval, a more extensive and sophisticated system of poor relief was needed to keep city institutions intact. Fehler depicts the extraordinarily sophisticated system that the city developed for providing for the poor.

He also carefully examines the care of the poor of religious and ethnic minority groups in Emden, and the disciplinary methods used to ensure proper behaviour and belief among poor relief recipients."--Jacket.