SALON LUITPOLD | Mönche und Nonnen raus! | Das Ende der bayerischen Klöster 1802/03 | Mit Katharina Weigand, Jörg Zedler und Christian Gohlke

In the organizer's words:

Monks and nuns out! The end of the Bavarian monasteries in 1802/03

With Katharina Weigand, Jörg Zedler and Christian Gohlke

Despite his assurance in 1799 that the Bavarian monasteries would be spared, Max IV Joseph gave his consent to virtually complete secularization in the electorate just a few months later. He was, of course, able to take inspiration from prominent contemporary examples: revolutionary France and the approach of Emperor Joseph II. In Bavaria, it was also believed that there were strong motives for such a radical dissolution campaign. This evening will focus on the motives, the actual implementation and the consequences of secularization in Bavaria.

The historian Dr. Katharina Weigand was a senior academic advisor at the LMU Munich, specializing in Bavarian history and the didactics of history, most recently at the university archives. She is now involved as a lecturer in the LMU's senior studies program.

The historian Prof. Dr. Jörg Zedler received his doctorate with a biography of the last Bavarian diplomat at the Holy See, Otto von Ritter, and habilitated with a thesis entitled "Nützliche Leichen. Monarch burials in Bavaria and Belgium (1825-1935). After filling in as Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at LMU Munich (2023-2025), he is currently at the Chair of Bavarian Regional History at the University of Regensburg.