Konfesijní specifika na stránkách raně novověkých památníků - se zvláštním zřetelem k albům příslušníků Jednoty bratrské

The study concentrates on the confessional character of the Early Modern Age memory books (so called "štambuchy", alba amicorum) which is closely linked to the fact that they originated in the Protestant environment of Wittenberg where the first memory entries were created in an effort to preserve a memory of the leading representatives of the Reformation and to show mutual friendship and solidarity within the given community. However, this narrowly confessional character of the memory books disappeared relatively quickly, because the memory books soon became popular and expanded beyond purely student or rather university environment as well as beyond Protestant environment and they started to fulfill integrating function across the society, among members of different confessions. However, the possible use of this source with respect to exploring confessional specifics has various limits the most prominent ones being the unknown or unclear confessional orientation of both the owners of the memory books and of the individual contributors, especially with respect to potential conversions (and their dating which was not always clear) or to not completely clear confessional opinion of followers of certain directions. A certain role is also played by the fact that the not very extensive entries have only limited reporting value; moreover, the entries oftentimes have a religious character, yet they are confessionally neutral and some of them are even of completely non-religious nature. This holds true also for albums owned directly by members of the Unity of Brethren.