Daniel T. Kaplan Livres

How a popular religious war erupted on the Dutch-German border, despite the ideals of religious tolerance proclaimed by the EnlightenmentIn a remote village on the Dutch-German border, a young Catholic woman named Cunegonde tries to kidnap a baby to prevent it from being baptized in a Protestant church. When she is arrested, fellow Catholics stage an armed raid to free her from detention. These dramatic events of 1762 triggered a cycle of violence, starting a kind of religious war in the village and its surrounding region. Contradicting our current understanding, this war erupted at the height of the Age of Enlightenment, famous for its religious toleration. Cunegonde’s Kidnapping  tells in vivid detail the story of this hitherto unknown conflict. Drawing characters, scenes, and dialogue straight from a body of exceptional primary sources, it is the first microhistorical study of religious conflict and toleration in early modern Europe. In it, award-winning historian Benjamin J. Kaplan explores the dilemmas of interfaith marriage and the special character of religious life in a borderland, where religious dissenters enjoy unique freedoms. He also challenges assumptions about the impact of Enlightenment thought and suggests that, on a popular level, some parts of eighteenth-century Europe may not have witnessed a “rise of toleration.”

As religious violence flares around the world, we are confronted with an acute dilemma: can people coexist in peace when their basic beliefs are irreconcilable? This title responds to this question by taking us back to early modern Europe, when the issue of religious toleration was no less pressing than it is today.

Mathematics is increasingly vital in the physical and biological sciences, leading to a convergence of scientific disciplines and a renewed interest in both modern and classical applied mathematics techniques. This revival has prompted the creation of the Texts in Applied Mathematics (TAM) series, designed to respond to the excitement surrounding cutting-edge research and the development of new courses. As innovative methods like numerical and symbolic computer systems, dynamical systems, and chaos theory integrate with traditional applied mathematics, TAM aims to address the evolving educational needs. The series will publish textbooks appropriate for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses, complementing the Applied Mathematical Sciences (AMS) series, which focuses on advanced textbooks and research-level monographs. Daniel Kaplan, one of the authors, specializes in data analysis using techniques inspired by nonlinear dynamics. His main interest lies in interpreting irregular physiological rhythms, although his methods have applications in geophysics, economics, marine ecology, and more. Kaplan joined McGill University in 1991 after earning his Ph.D. from Harvard and working at MIT, having completed his undergraduate studies at Swarthmore College. He has collaborated with various instrumentation companies to create innovative medical monitoring devices.