Religion and Politics in the Age of the Counterreformation: Emperor Ferdinand II, William Lamormaini, S.J., and the Formation of Imperial Policy

Confirming what historians have long suspected — that the influence of a court confessor could be crucial for the formation of policy — Bireley explores the relationship between Ferdinand and Lamormaini during the Thirty Years War. The author shows how Lamormaini planned for the restoration of Catholicism in Germany and documents in detail his influence on Ferdinand, his conflict with Ferdinand’s first minister, and his relationships with other important figures in Vienna and Rome.

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