Höllische Ingenieure. Kriminalitätsgeschichte der Attentate und Verschwörungen zwischen Spätmittelalter und Moderne , 2021
Politische Attentate gehören zu den brennenden Themen unserer Gegenwart, aber sie haben auch ihre... more Politische Attentate gehören zu den brennenden Themen unserer Gegenwart, aber sie haben auch ihre Geschichte. Sie werden in diesem Band dennoch nicht als überzeitliches Phänomen behandelt, sondern als politische Kriminalität in einer ›langen‹ Frühen Neuzeit. Die Beiträge zeigen auf, dass Attentate in Europa zwischen dem 15. und dem frühen 19. Jahrhundert in sehr unterschiedlicher Weise in Erscheinung traten. Ebenso vielschichtig fielen die rechtlichen und bildlich-medialen Reaktionen aus. Oft musste es allerdings gar nicht bis zu einem Akt der Gewalt kommen. Vorbereitungshandlungen erschienen aus obrigkeitlicher Sicht stets alarmierend und vielfach als Indiz für Verschwörungen, deren Konstruktionen hier ebenso und erstmals mit kriminalitätshistorischen Perspektiven untersucht werden. Die Perspektiven richten sich darüber hinaus auf die unterschiedlichen ›Landschaften des Attentats‹ im frühneuzeitlichen Europa, auf den Zusammenhang von Attentaten, Verschwörungen und Sicherheit sowie auf die materiellen und technischen Dimensionen dieser ›höllischen Taten‹. Der Band rekonstruiert somit die frühneuzeitliche Vorgeschichte sehr gegenwärtiger Phänomene politischer Gewaltkriminalität und deren Wahrnehmung.
Die Studie behandelt anhand der Beziehungen der französischen Krone zu den Höfen und Kapiteln der... more Die Studie behandelt anhand der Beziehungen der französischen Krone zu den Höfen und Kapiteln der Kurfürsten von Köln und Mainz sowie Patronageverhältnissen von deren Amtsträgern zum französischen König und seinen Ministern in den ersten Jahrzehnten nach dem Westfälischen Frieden, das Ineinandergreifen "mikro -" und "makropolitischer" Handlungslogiken in frühneuzeitlichen Außenbeziehungen. Der Autor untersucht das Wechselverhältnis zwischen formellen und informellen Beziehungen und fragt danach, wie Akteure Vertrauen zueinander herstellten. Er zeigt auch, auf welche oft widersprüchlichen Normen man sich stützte, um die Beziehungen aufrechtzuerhalten oder wie politische Konkurrenten diese als Korruption und Verrat verurteilten.
Wer die Ausgabe der ›Berliner Abendblatter‹ vom 23. Oktober des Jahres 1810 liest, stost dort auf... more Wer die Ausgabe der ›Berliner Abendblatter‹ vom 23. Oktober des Jahres 1810 liest, stost dort auf einen fingierten Leserbrief, die ›Zuschrift eines Predigers an den Herausgeber der Berliner Abendblatter‹. Der im Titel genannte Prediger beschwert sich uber neuere Tendenzen des Aberglaubens in Verbindung mit dem Lotteriespiel. Seine Zuhorer legten namlich die Worte seiner Predigt buchstablich auf die Goldwaage. Der Grund dafur war allerdings geradezu erschreckend profan. Seit es einen neuen Lotterie-Modus gebe, die sogenannte »Quinen-Lotterie«, dienten seine Predigten nicht mehr nur der geistlichen Erbauung. Vielmehr nutzten die Spieler nun seine Worte »in einer Verkettung von Gedanken, zu welchen kein Mensch die Mittelglieder errathen wurde«, als divinatorisches Beratungsangebot.
What does indexing authenticity indicate? According to concepts of authenticity predominant among... more What does indexing authenticity indicate? According to concepts of authenticity predominant among sociolinguists, we may define authenticity as marking adherence to a locally and/or socially defined community using speech acts that presumably indicate a shared set of norms and are accepted as “original in some important social or cultural matrix” (Coupland 2003: 419). But going back to earlier meanings of the term actually broadens the term beyond the sociolinguistic readings and even adds to these.
Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors af... more Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors after the Peace of Westphalia (1648–1679) French foreign relations to the Holy Roman Empire relied on the existence of local personal networks which may very well be described as “crossborder”-clientelism. Most of these ties proved to be extremely volatile and unstable due to various conflicts of interest and Hapsburg “counter patronage”. Nevertheless, French diplomats kept relying heavily on their clients. This raises the question how trust was possible in these relations. Trust here must be distinguished from notions of trust which focus either on psychological and emotional aspects or on conditions of trust provided by society at large. Departing from Georg Simmel's definition of “trust as the hypothesis for future behavior, which is certain enough thereby to ground practical action”, trust is founded on the fulfillment of normative expectations and rational predictions on behavior of the other. Other theories posit that trust is a mode of reducing social complexity (Niklas Luhmann), requiring certain modes of granting “credit” accompanied by practices of symbolic control and self-assurance. In this respect the notion of trust in question is linked to practices of communication and observation, as is extensively documented in French diplomatic correspondence for the present case. While 17th-century practices of face-to-face interaction, such as politeness and exchange of information, were supposed to instill trust in one another and could be linked to the semantics of confiance and vertrauen respectively, they often failed to convince French diplomats fully and could be regarded as interchangeable. More risky ways of granting trust and providing material resources were – as can be seen during the Imperial election of 1657/58 – often accompanied by certain types of observation, such as the perception of irreconcilable enmity, manifesting itself in violations of codes of politeness perpetrated by clients towards the representatives of the Hapsburg or vice versa. This is closely linked to the frequent invocation of an anti-Hapsburg image, describing the dynastic foe as profoundly unwilling and unable to accept liberties and the rights of electors and princes of the Empire and to act as just and generous patron towards any clients, which in turn was regarded as reassuring the stability of French relations. This adds a triadic aspect to patron-client-relations and the process of trust in a competitive environment. Of equal importance was the ascription of private interests which originally stood in sharp contrast to the norms of patronage, but effectively contributed to the perception of the stability of such ties. Trust relations could be limited and controlled by predefined “thresholds”, anticipating situations and incidents, where trust would end. Even though those can be identified in French correspondence, they rarely served their purpose. On the one hand they could provide further possibilities to ascribe unfounded trust, on the other hand relations broken by mistrust could eventually be fixed by strategically “forgetting” the circumstances that led to their breakdown in the first place and thus undermined attempts of controlling trust.
in: Christian Windler (ed.), Europäische Kongressorte der Frühen Neuzeit im Vergleich: Der Friede... more in: Christian Windler (ed.), Europäische Kongressorte der Frühen Neuzeit im Vergleich: Der Friede von Baden (1714), Köln / Weimar / Wien 2015.
in: Harriet Rudolph /Astrid von Schlachta / Christian König (eds.): Der Immerwährende Reichstag ... more in: Harriet Rudolph /Astrid von Schlachta / Christian König (eds.): Der Immerwährende Reichstag zu Regensburg. Neue Perspektiven auf eine vormoderne Ständeversammlung, Regensburg 2015.
in: Karl A.E. Enenkel / Anita Traninger (Hrsg.): Discourses of Anger in the Early Modern Period (... more in: Karl A.E. Enenkel / Anita Traninger (Hrsg.): Discourses of Anger in the Early Modern Period (Intersections. Yearbook for Early Modern Studies), Leiden / Boston 2015.
in: Véronique Lacoste / Jakob R. E. Leimgruber / Thiemo Breyer (Hrsg.): Indexing Authenticity: Pe... more in: Véronique Lacoste / Jakob R. E. Leimgruber / Thiemo Breyer (Hrsg.): Indexing Authenticity: Perspectives from linguistics and anthropology (Linguæ & Litteræ series), Berlin 2014.
Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors af... more Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors after the Peace of Westphalia (1648–1679)
French foreign relations to the Holy Roman Empire relied on the existence of local personal networks which may very well be described as “crossborder”-clientelism. Most of these ties proved to be extremely volatile and unstable due to various conflicts of interest and Hapsburg “counter patronage”. Nevertheless, French diplomats kept relying heavily on their clients. This raises the question how trust was possible in these relations. Trust here must be distinguished from notions of trust which focus either on psychological and emotional aspects or on conditions of trust provided by society at large.
Departing from Georg Simmel's definition of “trust as the hypothesis for future behavior, which is certain enough thereby to ground practical action”, trust is founded on the fulfillment of normative expectations and rational predictions on behavior of the other. Other theories posit that trust is a mode of reducing social complexity (Niklas Luhmann), requiring certain modes of granting “credit” accompanied by practices of symbolic control and self-assurance. In this respect the notion of trust in question is linked to practices of communication and observation, as is extensively documented in French diplomatic correspondence for the present case.
While 17th-century practices of face-to-face interaction, such as politeness and exchange of information, were supposed to instill trust in one another and could be linked to the semantics of confiance and vertrauen respectively, they often failed to convince French diplomats fully and could be regarded as interchangeable. More risky ways of granting trust and providing material resources were – as can be seen during the Imperial election of 1657/58 – often accompanied by certain types of observation, such as the perception of irreconcilable enmity, manifesting itself in violations of codes of politeness perpetrated by clients towards the representatives of the Hapsburg or vice versa. This is closely linked to the frequent invocation of an anti-Hapsburg image, describing the dynastic foe as profoundly unwilling and unable to accept liberties and the rights of electors and princes of the Empire and to act as just and generous patron towards any clients, which in turn was regarded as reassuring the stability of French relations. This adds a triadic aspect to patron-client-relations and the process of trust in a competitive environment. Of equal importance was the ascription of private interests which originally stood in sharp contrast to the norms of patronage, but effectively contributed to the perception of the stability of such ties. Trust relations could be limited and controlled by predefined “thresholds”, anticipating situations and incidents, where trust would end. Even though those can be identified in French correspondence, they rarely served their purpose. On the one hand they could provide further possibilities to ascribe unfounded trust, on the other hand relations broken by mistrust could eventually be fixed by strategically “forgetting” the circumstances that led to their breakdown in the first place and thus undermined attempts of controlling trust.
The Protected and their protectors - Political relations between cooperation and dominance (16th ... more The Protected and their protectors - Political relations between cooperation and dominance (16th - Early 20th century)
Bern, April, 3 - April, 5 2014
organized together with Christian Windler and Nadir Weber
Höllische Ingenieure. Kriminalitätsgeschichte der Attentate und Verschwörungen zwischen Spätmittelalter und Moderne , 2021
Politische Attentate gehören zu den brennenden Themen unserer Gegenwart, aber sie haben auch ihre... more Politische Attentate gehören zu den brennenden Themen unserer Gegenwart, aber sie haben auch ihre Geschichte. Sie werden in diesem Band dennoch nicht als überzeitliches Phänomen behandelt, sondern als politische Kriminalität in einer ›langen‹ Frühen Neuzeit. Die Beiträge zeigen auf, dass Attentate in Europa zwischen dem 15. und dem frühen 19. Jahrhundert in sehr unterschiedlicher Weise in Erscheinung traten. Ebenso vielschichtig fielen die rechtlichen und bildlich-medialen Reaktionen aus. Oft musste es allerdings gar nicht bis zu einem Akt der Gewalt kommen. Vorbereitungshandlungen erschienen aus obrigkeitlicher Sicht stets alarmierend und vielfach als Indiz für Verschwörungen, deren Konstruktionen hier ebenso und erstmals mit kriminalitätshistorischen Perspektiven untersucht werden. Die Perspektiven richten sich darüber hinaus auf die unterschiedlichen ›Landschaften des Attentats‹ im frühneuzeitlichen Europa, auf den Zusammenhang von Attentaten, Verschwörungen und Sicherheit sowie auf die materiellen und technischen Dimensionen dieser ›höllischen Taten‹. Der Band rekonstruiert somit die frühneuzeitliche Vorgeschichte sehr gegenwärtiger Phänomene politischer Gewaltkriminalität und deren Wahrnehmung.
Die Studie behandelt anhand der Beziehungen der französischen Krone zu den Höfen und Kapiteln der... more Die Studie behandelt anhand der Beziehungen der französischen Krone zu den Höfen und Kapiteln der Kurfürsten von Köln und Mainz sowie Patronageverhältnissen von deren Amtsträgern zum französischen König und seinen Ministern in den ersten Jahrzehnten nach dem Westfälischen Frieden, das Ineinandergreifen "mikro -" und "makropolitischer" Handlungslogiken in frühneuzeitlichen Außenbeziehungen. Der Autor untersucht das Wechselverhältnis zwischen formellen und informellen Beziehungen und fragt danach, wie Akteure Vertrauen zueinander herstellten. Er zeigt auch, auf welche oft widersprüchlichen Normen man sich stützte, um die Beziehungen aufrechtzuerhalten oder wie politische Konkurrenten diese als Korruption und Verrat verurteilten.
Wer die Ausgabe der ›Berliner Abendblatter‹ vom 23. Oktober des Jahres 1810 liest, stost dort auf... more Wer die Ausgabe der ›Berliner Abendblatter‹ vom 23. Oktober des Jahres 1810 liest, stost dort auf einen fingierten Leserbrief, die ›Zuschrift eines Predigers an den Herausgeber der Berliner Abendblatter‹. Der im Titel genannte Prediger beschwert sich uber neuere Tendenzen des Aberglaubens in Verbindung mit dem Lotteriespiel. Seine Zuhorer legten namlich die Worte seiner Predigt buchstablich auf die Goldwaage. Der Grund dafur war allerdings geradezu erschreckend profan. Seit es einen neuen Lotterie-Modus gebe, die sogenannte »Quinen-Lotterie«, dienten seine Predigten nicht mehr nur der geistlichen Erbauung. Vielmehr nutzten die Spieler nun seine Worte »in einer Verkettung von Gedanken, zu welchen kein Mensch die Mittelglieder errathen wurde«, als divinatorisches Beratungsangebot.
What does indexing authenticity indicate? According to concepts of authenticity predominant among... more What does indexing authenticity indicate? According to concepts of authenticity predominant among sociolinguists, we may define authenticity as marking adherence to a locally and/or socially defined community using speech acts that presumably indicate a shared set of norms and are accepted as “original in some important social or cultural matrix” (Coupland 2003: 419). But going back to earlier meanings of the term actually broadens the term beyond the sociolinguistic readings and even adds to these.
Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors af... more Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors after the Peace of Westphalia (1648–1679) French foreign relations to the Holy Roman Empire relied on the existence of local personal networks which may very well be described as “crossborder”-clientelism. Most of these ties proved to be extremely volatile and unstable due to various conflicts of interest and Hapsburg “counter patronage”. Nevertheless, French diplomats kept relying heavily on their clients. This raises the question how trust was possible in these relations. Trust here must be distinguished from notions of trust which focus either on psychological and emotional aspects or on conditions of trust provided by society at large. Departing from Georg Simmel's definition of “trust as the hypothesis for future behavior, which is certain enough thereby to ground practical action”, trust is founded on the fulfillment of normative expectations and rational predictions on behavior of the other. Other theories posit that trust is a mode of reducing social complexity (Niklas Luhmann), requiring certain modes of granting “credit” accompanied by practices of symbolic control and self-assurance. In this respect the notion of trust in question is linked to practices of communication and observation, as is extensively documented in French diplomatic correspondence for the present case. While 17th-century practices of face-to-face interaction, such as politeness and exchange of information, were supposed to instill trust in one another and could be linked to the semantics of confiance and vertrauen respectively, they often failed to convince French diplomats fully and could be regarded as interchangeable. More risky ways of granting trust and providing material resources were – as can be seen during the Imperial election of 1657/58 – often accompanied by certain types of observation, such as the perception of irreconcilable enmity, manifesting itself in violations of codes of politeness perpetrated by clients towards the representatives of the Hapsburg or vice versa. This is closely linked to the frequent invocation of an anti-Hapsburg image, describing the dynastic foe as profoundly unwilling and unable to accept liberties and the rights of electors and princes of the Empire and to act as just and generous patron towards any clients, which in turn was regarded as reassuring the stability of French relations. This adds a triadic aspect to patron-client-relations and the process of trust in a competitive environment. Of equal importance was the ascription of private interests which originally stood in sharp contrast to the norms of patronage, but effectively contributed to the perception of the stability of such ties. Trust relations could be limited and controlled by predefined “thresholds”, anticipating situations and incidents, where trust would end. Even though those can be identified in French correspondence, they rarely served their purpose. On the one hand they could provide further possibilities to ascribe unfounded trust, on the other hand relations broken by mistrust could eventually be fixed by strategically “forgetting” the circumstances that led to their breakdown in the first place and thus undermined attempts of controlling trust.
in: Christian Windler (ed.), Europäische Kongressorte der Frühen Neuzeit im Vergleich: Der Friede... more in: Christian Windler (ed.), Europäische Kongressorte der Frühen Neuzeit im Vergleich: Der Friede von Baden (1714), Köln / Weimar / Wien 2015.
in: Harriet Rudolph /Astrid von Schlachta / Christian König (eds.): Der Immerwährende Reichstag ... more in: Harriet Rudolph /Astrid von Schlachta / Christian König (eds.): Der Immerwährende Reichstag zu Regensburg. Neue Perspektiven auf eine vormoderne Ständeversammlung, Regensburg 2015.
in: Karl A.E. Enenkel / Anita Traninger (Hrsg.): Discourses of Anger in the Early Modern Period (... more in: Karl A.E. Enenkel / Anita Traninger (Hrsg.): Discourses of Anger in the Early Modern Period (Intersections. Yearbook for Early Modern Studies), Leiden / Boston 2015.
in: Véronique Lacoste / Jakob R. E. Leimgruber / Thiemo Breyer (Hrsg.): Indexing Authenticity: Pe... more in: Véronique Lacoste / Jakob R. E. Leimgruber / Thiemo Breyer (Hrsg.): Indexing Authenticity: Perspectives from linguistics and anthropology (Linguæ & Litteræ series), Berlin 2014.
Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors af... more Trust and Patronage in the Diplomatic Relations between France and the Ecclesiastical Electors after the Peace of Westphalia (1648–1679)
French foreign relations to the Holy Roman Empire relied on the existence of local personal networks which may very well be described as “crossborder”-clientelism. Most of these ties proved to be extremely volatile and unstable due to various conflicts of interest and Hapsburg “counter patronage”. Nevertheless, French diplomats kept relying heavily on their clients. This raises the question how trust was possible in these relations. Trust here must be distinguished from notions of trust which focus either on psychological and emotional aspects or on conditions of trust provided by society at large.
Departing from Georg Simmel's definition of “trust as the hypothesis for future behavior, which is certain enough thereby to ground practical action”, trust is founded on the fulfillment of normative expectations and rational predictions on behavior of the other. Other theories posit that trust is a mode of reducing social complexity (Niklas Luhmann), requiring certain modes of granting “credit” accompanied by practices of symbolic control and self-assurance. In this respect the notion of trust in question is linked to practices of communication and observation, as is extensively documented in French diplomatic correspondence for the present case.
While 17th-century practices of face-to-face interaction, such as politeness and exchange of information, were supposed to instill trust in one another and could be linked to the semantics of confiance and vertrauen respectively, they often failed to convince French diplomats fully and could be regarded as interchangeable. More risky ways of granting trust and providing material resources were – as can be seen during the Imperial election of 1657/58 – often accompanied by certain types of observation, such as the perception of irreconcilable enmity, manifesting itself in violations of codes of politeness perpetrated by clients towards the representatives of the Hapsburg or vice versa. This is closely linked to the frequent invocation of an anti-Hapsburg image, describing the dynastic foe as profoundly unwilling and unable to accept liberties and the rights of electors and princes of the Empire and to act as just and generous patron towards any clients, which in turn was regarded as reassuring the stability of French relations. This adds a triadic aspect to patron-client-relations and the process of trust in a competitive environment. Of equal importance was the ascription of private interests which originally stood in sharp contrast to the norms of patronage, but effectively contributed to the perception of the stability of such ties. Trust relations could be limited and controlled by predefined “thresholds”, anticipating situations and incidents, where trust would end. Even though those can be identified in French correspondence, they rarely served their purpose. On the one hand they could provide further possibilities to ascribe unfounded trust, on the other hand relations broken by mistrust could eventually be fixed by strategically “forgetting” the circumstances that led to their breakdown in the first place and thus undermined attempts of controlling trust.
The Protected and their protectors - Political relations between cooperation and dominance (16th ... more The Protected and their protectors - Political relations between cooperation and dominance (16th - Early 20th century)
Bern, April, 3 - April, 5 2014
organized together with Christian Windler and Nadir Weber
International conference at Sciences Po, April 7-8, organized by David Do Paço
Sponsored by: Cen... more International conference at Sciences Po, April 7-8, organized by David Do Paço
Sponsored by: Centre d'Histoire de Sciences Po, CIERA, CMMC, FMSH, CEU-IAS, IHMC.
II. Kongress für Wirtschafts-und Sozialgeschichte, Bonn 2017 Doppelsektion: Organisation mit Tilm... more II. Kongress für Wirtschafts-und Sozialgeschichte, Bonn 2017 Doppelsektion: Organisation mit Tilman Haug; Senta Herkle, Philip Hoffman-Rehnitz und Gabi Schopf
Uploads
Books by Tilman Haug
Die Beiträge zeigen auf, dass Attentate in Europa zwischen dem 15. und dem frühen 19. Jahrhundert in sehr unterschiedlicher Weise in Erscheinung traten. Ebenso vielschichtig fielen die rechtlichen und bildlich-medialen Reaktionen aus. Oft musste es allerdings gar nicht
bis zu einem Akt der Gewalt kommen. Vorbereitungshandlungen erschienen aus obrigkeitlicher Sicht stets alarmierend und vielfach als Indiz für Verschwörungen, deren Konstruktionen hier ebenso und erstmals mit kriminalitätshistorischen Perspektiven untersucht werden. Die Perspektiven richten sich darüber hinaus auf die unterschiedlichen ›Landschaften des Attentats‹ im frühneuzeitlichen Europa, auf den Zusammenhang von Attentaten, Verschwörungen und Sicherheit sowie auf die materiellen und technischen Dimensionen dieser ›höllischen Taten‹. Der Band rekonstruiert somit die frühneuzeitliche Vorgeschichte sehr gegenwärtiger Phänomene politischer
Gewaltkriminalität und deren Wahrnehmung.
Papers by Tilman Haug
French foreign relations to the Holy Roman Empire relied on the existence of local personal networks which may very well be described as “crossborder”-clientelism. Most of these ties proved to be extremely volatile and unstable due to various conflicts of interest and Hapsburg “counter patronage”. Nevertheless, French diplomats kept relying heavily on their clients. This raises the question how trust was possible in these relations. Trust here must be distinguished from notions of trust which focus either on psychological and emotional aspects or on conditions of trust provided by society at large.
Departing from Georg Simmel's definition of “trust as the hypothesis for future behavior, which is certain enough thereby to ground practical action”, trust is founded on the fulfillment of normative expectations and rational predictions on behavior of the other. Other theories posit that trust is a mode of reducing social complexity (Niklas Luhmann), requiring certain modes of granting “credit” accompanied by practices of symbolic control and self-assurance. In this respect the notion of trust in question is linked to practices of communication and observation, as is extensively documented in French diplomatic correspondence for the present case.
While 17th-century practices of face-to-face interaction, such as politeness and exchange of information, were supposed to instill trust in one another and could be linked to the semantics of confiance and vertrauen respectively, they often failed to convince French diplomats fully and could be regarded as interchangeable. More risky ways of granting trust and providing material resources were – as can be seen during the Imperial election of 1657/58 – often accompanied by certain types of observation, such as the perception of irreconcilable enmity, manifesting itself in violations of codes of politeness perpetrated by clients towards the representatives of the Hapsburg or vice versa. This is closely linked to the frequent invocation of an anti-Hapsburg image, describing the dynastic foe as profoundly unwilling and unable to accept liberties and the rights of electors and princes of the Empire and to act as just and generous patron towards any clients, which in turn was regarded as reassuring the stability of French relations. This adds a triadic aspect to patron-client-relations and the process of trust in a competitive environment. Of equal importance was the ascription of private interests which originally stood in sharp contrast to the norms of patronage, but effectively contributed to the perception of the stability of such ties. Trust relations could be limited and controlled by predefined “thresholds”, anticipating situations and incidents, where trust would end. Even though those can be identified in French correspondence, they rarely served their purpose. On the one hand they could provide further possibilities to ascribe unfounded trust, on the other hand relations broken by mistrust could eventually be fixed by strategically “forgetting” the circumstances that led to their breakdown in the first place and thus undermined attempts of controlling trust.
Organization of Events by Tilman Haug
Bern, April, 3 - April, 5 2014
organized together with Christian Windler and Nadir Weber
Talks by Tilman Haug
Die Beiträge zeigen auf, dass Attentate in Europa zwischen dem 15. und dem frühen 19. Jahrhundert in sehr unterschiedlicher Weise in Erscheinung traten. Ebenso vielschichtig fielen die rechtlichen und bildlich-medialen Reaktionen aus. Oft musste es allerdings gar nicht
bis zu einem Akt der Gewalt kommen. Vorbereitungshandlungen erschienen aus obrigkeitlicher Sicht stets alarmierend und vielfach als Indiz für Verschwörungen, deren Konstruktionen hier ebenso und erstmals mit kriminalitätshistorischen Perspektiven untersucht werden. Die Perspektiven richten sich darüber hinaus auf die unterschiedlichen ›Landschaften des Attentats‹ im frühneuzeitlichen Europa, auf den Zusammenhang von Attentaten, Verschwörungen und Sicherheit sowie auf die materiellen und technischen Dimensionen dieser ›höllischen Taten‹. Der Band rekonstruiert somit die frühneuzeitliche Vorgeschichte sehr gegenwärtiger Phänomene politischer
Gewaltkriminalität und deren Wahrnehmung.
French foreign relations to the Holy Roman Empire relied on the existence of local personal networks which may very well be described as “crossborder”-clientelism. Most of these ties proved to be extremely volatile and unstable due to various conflicts of interest and Hapsburg “counter patronage”. Nevertheless, French diplomats kept relying heavily on their clients. This raises the question how trust was possible in these relations. Trust here must be distinguished from notions of trust which focus either on psychological and emotional aspects or on conditions of trust provided by society at large.
Departing from Georg Simmel's definition of “trust as the hypothesis for future behavior, which is certain enough thereby to ground practical action”, trust is founded on the fulfillment of normative expectations and rational predictions on behavior of the other. Other theories posit that trust is a mode of reducing social complexity (Niklas Luhmann), requiring certain modes of granting “credit” accompanied by practices of symbolic control and self-assurance. In this respect the notion of trust in question is linked to practices of communication and observation, as is extensively documented in French diplomatic correspondence for the present case.
While 17th-century practices of face-to-face interaction, such as politeness and exchange of information, were supposed to instill trust in one another and could be linked to the semantics of confiance and vertrauen respectively, they often failed to convince French diplomats fully and could be regarded as interchangeable. More risky ways of granting trust and providing material resources were – as can be seen during the Imperial election of 1657/58 – often accompanied by certain types of observation, such as the perception of irreconcilable enmity, manifesting itself in violations of codes of politeness perpetrated by clients towards the representatives of the Hapsburg or vice versa. This is closely linked to the frequent invocation of an anti-Hapsburg image, describing the dynastic foe as profoundly unwilling and unable to accept liberties and the rights of electors and princes of the Empire and to act as just and generous patron towards any clients, which in turn was regarded as reassuring the stability of French relations. This adds a triadic aspect to patron-client-relations and the process of trust in a competitive environment. Of equal importance was the ascription of private interests which originally stood in sharp contrast to the norms of patronage, but effectively contributed to the perception of the stability of such ties. Trust relations could be limited and controlled by predefined “thresholds”, anticipating situations and incidents, where trust would end. Even though those can be identified in French correspondence, they rarely served their purpose. On the one hand they could provide further possibilities to ascribe unfounded trust, on the other hand relations broken by mistrust could eventually be fixed by strategically “forgetting” the circumstances that led to their breakdown in the first place and thus undermined attempts of controlling trust.
Bern, April, 3 - April, 5 2014
organized together with Christian Windler and Nadir Weber
Sponsored by: Centre d'Histoire de Sciences Po, CIERA, CMMC, FMSH, CEU-IAS, IHMC.