The previous note ended with Rev. Jacob Henckel accepting a pastorate in 1692 at Eschelbronn, a few miles to the southeast of Heidelberg. The situation was terrible for a Lutheran minister as Rev. Henckel was. A bit of history will help to show this.
In 1521, the Barons introduced the Lutheran faith to the Kraichgau, and in 1545 the Elector Friedrich II took Protestant Communion. The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 brought, "...he who rules determines the religion." Then, four successive Electors brought Lutheran doctrine, then Reformed doctrine, then Lutheran doctrine again, and Reformed doctrine once again. During the Thirty Years' War, the Palatinate was occupied by the Bavarian troops and no Protestant services were allowed. After the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Elector Karl Ludwig was Reformed, but he allowed all faiths. The next Elector was also Reformed, but he too allowed all faiths. A Catholic Elector, from 1685 to 1690, treated all faiths equally. But the Elector Johann Wilhelm, from 1690 to 1716, was a Catholic who oppressed all Protestants. This latter period was the approximate period of Rev. Henckel's service as a Lutheran pastor.
In 1674 and 1675, Louis XIV of France ordered his army to devastate the Palatinate. The army was very thorough in doing this. Villages were burned, clothing was taken, food was taken. The sixteenth Elector, who came in 1680, arranged for a marriage of his daughter to the Duke of Orleans in an attempt to establish friendship with the French. Unfortunately, the Elector, Karl Ludwig, died very soon and the throne went to Philip Wilhelm. But troubles developed because Louis XIV claimed the Palatinate on the basis of the Duke of Orleans' marriage. The French King sent in his army again, but this raised the ire of the northern countries, who formed an alliance to oust him. Louis withdrew, but not before he had destroyed everything that he could find in the Palatinate. Crops were plowed under, orchards were cut down, villages were burned. No vineyards remained. The towers of the Heidelberg Castle were blown up with gunpowder. Then the whole town was burned down leaving only a couple of buildings. (The year is now 1689.) After the French left, the Catholic Elector tried to help all of his people, but he died before he accomplished anything. His successor, Johann Wilhelm, was under the influence of the Jesuits, and he began a systematic oppression of the Protestant churches. By the end of 1693 hundreds of Reformed churches and a number of Lutheran churches were in the hands of the Catholic orders, to say nothing of the parsonages and schoolhouses. This is roughly the situation when Rev. Henckel started his ministry.
(A note. The word “Elector” is used because the head of the Palatinate region was one of the people who voted for or “elected” the Emperor. There were from seven to nine of these people throughout the Holy Roman Empire.)
(21 Feb 03)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.