Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

Get access

Refugees of conscience
(1,873 words)

1. Definition

There are various reasons why people may be forced to emigrate or flee against their will (Emigration): because of their faith or ideological position, for political reasons, or for economic reasons (Slave abduction). In the early modern period, confessional loyalty led to forced emigration from places where people refused to convert to the religion desired or prescribed by the state, or where they did not trust the success of such a mandatory conversion between faiths, so t…

Cite this page
Lucassen, Jan and Lucassen, Leo, “Refugees of conscience”, 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 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_020269>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107



▲   Back to top   ▲