Historian Thomas Schmidt reveals the secrets of Schönow!

Historian Thomas Schmidt reveals the secrets of Schönow!

On May 2, 2025, the book “Schönow 1600 to 1830 – divided village, united village community: external self-assertion under the impression of three different forms of village rule” by Thomas Schmidt will be published. The work is dedicated to the complex history of a village community over around 250 years, which was characterized by challenges such as manor rule, wars and epidemics, but also experienced positive phases. Schmidt, the historian and author, created individual family profiles in his book and demonstrated that farming families could act on their own initiative, a theme that underscores the importance of the “little people.” This micro-study is also intended to provide new impulses for village history research in Brandenburg uni-potsdam.de reported.

The idea for this project came about during Schmidt's internship in the archives of the City History Museum in Spandau in 2016. While he viewed undeveloped holdings, his dissertation developed from this experience. Schmidt attaches particular importance to ensuring that research is accessible to all interested parties and publishes in the Potsdam University Press. The author particularly enjoyed writing while analyzing sources and creating family trees, while self-control was less enjoyable. For him, the doctorate is a prize for the work he has done, and he would like to see the protagonists from his study recognized.

Cultural context and power structures

In his book, Schmidt not only examined the local structures, but also created a context for the history of Livonia, today's Latvia and Estonia. This region was under the rule of German crusader orders from the 13th century, which had a profound impact on the social and political structures. The Livonian Order and the Archbishopric of Riga established polities that were nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire. The local German nobility was the ruling class during this period, a dynamic that continued into the 16th century when numerous vassals gained power. Loud cambridge.org This period is seen as crucial for the development of the region.

The ruling situation in Livonia changed dramatically over the centuries. In 1561 the Swedes conquered northern Estonia, and most of the territories were occupied by Swedish troops after 1621. Livonia remained a Swedish province until 1710 and was given subordinate status after the Russian conquest in the Northern War. Despite formal subordination, the region retained a high degree of autonomy and self-government in the 18th century. These complex developments in the Baltic region, especially with regard to German nobility, are also important for understanding Schmidt's topic, as they show temporal parallels to the social structures in Brandenburg described there.

Research and publication

Schmidt's book and other relevant publications on the history of Brandenburg and Prussia are published by the Library of Brandenburg and Prussian History, which has been running a series of publications since 1998. This cooperation with the Berlin Historical Commission focuses on source publications and monographs on the historical development of the region. Many of the publications are available in open access via the publisher's e-library, making research accessible to the general public, as on blha.brandenburg.de can be read.

With the publication of his book by the Potsdam University Press, Thomas Schmidt not only expects that the history of the Schönow village community will be honored, but also that his work will contribute to further research into the social and political structures in Brandenburg and build a bridge to the history of Livonia. The connections and contextualizations of his research could inspire and stimulate the region's scientists and historians to develop new perspectives on the past and present.