11. East Germany

In today’s East Germany, there appear to have been two different courses of events.
The course of events in the Principality of Anhalt resembles some of the types of Reformed confessionalisation which have been described up to now. The Reformation was introduced in several small stages up to 1545. Within the Lutheran doctrinal disputes after Luther’s death, Anhalt tended towards the orientation of Melanchthon. And from 1580, the princely house, which was connected to the Palatinate and the House of Orange, carried through the gradual transition to the Reformed Church. The most important theologian was Wolfgang Amling, who drew up the “Anhalt Confession” (of 1579). In 1603 the principality was divided up. From 1644 on the princely house of Anhalt-Zerbst carried through a re-Lutheranisation of this part-region. In Brandenburg, however, the Reformed confessionalisation progressed differently. The Elector of Brandenburg John Sigismund accomplished his conversion to the Reformed confession at Christmas in 1613. However, unlike in almost all other regions, this conversion did not affect the whole of the territory, but only the ruling house and its nearby surroundings. The principality itself remained Lutheran. Thus, the principle “cuius regio eius religio” was broken. The reasons for why the Elector did not demand his land to become Reformed are not wholly clear. One the one hand, John Sigismund’s tolerance is emphasised, but on the other stands the suspicion of political calculation.

Kurfürst Sigismund

In 1614 the “Confessio Sigismundi”, which brought out several Reformed emphases, appeared, and became Brandenburg’s binding confession for the Reformed. About twenty Reformed so-called court congregations and court chaplains arose before the death of Sigismund (e.g. in Crossen, Koepenick, Landsberg and Kolberg). The existence of these congregations and of the Reformed ruling house led to numerous refugees coming to Brandenburg after 1648 (above all Huguenots).
Some of the formerly Reformed court congregations continue to exist as Reformed congregations and others have merged with Lutheran congregations to form Protestant congregations in the “Protestant Church of Berlin-Brandenburg.”