Ewangelicy na Śląsku Cieszyńskim od XVI wieku do 1918 roku

The Protestants of Silesian Cieszyn, from the 16th Century to 1918

Summary: In this region the beginnings of the Reformation go back to the first half of the 16th century, when, in 1539, Lutheran worship was first introduced thanks to the endeavours of Jan of Pernsztein. Protestantism spread to cover the whole of the area except for its north-western corner with Frydekand a few neighbouring villages under the dominion of the von Logau family in the local castle as an enclave of Catholicism. Religious persecution only began after the death of Elisabeth Lucretia (1625-1653), last member of the Cieszyn line of the Piast dynasty, when the area came under direct Habsburg rule. In spite of the repression, Protestantism survived. Notwithstanding the injunctions, Lutherans continued to worship clandestinely in the woods and forests, until in 1781 they were granted an edict of toleration - the only such act in the entire Habsburg Empire - by the Emperor Joseph II. This Edict guaranteed the Protestants and Orthodox Christians of the region the freedom to practise their religion, and to hold their services without hindrance but not publicly. There was a continuous increase in the number of Protestants throughout the period under Habsburg rule. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards the cause of Polish independence gradually came to be a more and more important issue in the public and church affairs of Silesian Cieszyn.

Peregrinus Cracoviensis, 1996, z.4, s. 225-232.

Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UJ

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