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Old Lutherans were German Lutherans in the Kingdom of Prussia, especially in the Province of Silesia, who refused to join the Prussian Union of churches in the 1830s and 1840s. Prussia's king, Frederick William III, was determined to unify the Protestant churches, homogenize their liturgy, organization, and architecture. In a series of proclamations over several years the Church of the Prussian Union was formed, bringing together a group that was majority Lutheran and minority Reformed. As a result, the government of Prussia had full control over church affairs, with the king recognized as the leading bishop.[1][2]
Attempted suppression of the Old Lutherans led many to emigrate to Australia, Canada, and the United States, resulting in the creation of significant Lutheran denominations in those countries.
The legacy of Old Lutherans also survives in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in modern Germany.
- ^ Christopher Clark. Iron Kingdom: Of the rise and downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947. (2006) pp. 412–419.
- ^ Christopher Clark. "Confessional policy and the limits of state action: Frederick William III and the Prussian Church Union 1817–40". Historical Journal, vol. 39, no. 4 (1996) pp. 985–1004. in JSTOR