Kloster Eberbach im Krieg – Bedeutende Verluste der Abtei w hrend des Bauernkriegs und des Drei igj hrigen Kriegs

The seminar paper KlosterEberbach im Krieg. Bedeutende Verluste der Abtei w hrend des Bauernkriegs und des Drei igj hrigen Kriegs“ (Eberbach Abbey at War: Significant losses during the Peasant’s War and the Thirty-Year War) by Markus Studer deals with the history of Eberbach Abbey in the Rheingau area and focusses on the role of the abbey within the religious order of the Cistercians.After the abbey was founded in 1136 near to the River Kisselbach, it managed to build up a productive economic network and could acquire many estates. With an extensive group of donorsand a close relationship with the archbishop of Mainz, the abbey could establish a worldy position of power,which in turn favoured the expansion of the Cistercians.A peasant revolt struck the monastery in 1525 and its legendary big barrel“ was plundered. This act was considered a grave humiliation and led to an identity crisis. Traces of this crisis can actually be found in the historical sources. After this event, the economy of Eberbach was badly damaged and in the course of the Thirty Years War it became utterly shattered. Positioned on the bottom of a valley and protected by only one defensive wall, the abbey was easy prey for the Swedish and Hessian troops. As a consequence, many monks fled into exile. Not only were precious works of art and religious items stolen, but also the vast library (numbering 754 works) was plundered. The location of the majority of the stolen books remains uncertain to this day.