Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

Get access

Ius reformandi (the right to reform [the Church])
(1,022 words)

1. Definition and historical origins

The ius reformandi was the right of a secular sovereign power in the Holy Roman Empire to regulate (“reform”) religious conditions in his territory. It was a typically early modern right, because it presupposed the basic concepts of territorial sovereignty and the distinction between state and religion, while simultaneously promoted both ideas (Chur…

Cite this page
Schneider, Bernd Christian, “Ius reformandi (the right to reform [the Church])”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 09 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_021565>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20190124



▲   Back to top   ▲