Essen

Essen grew around an imperial foundation governed by a prince-abbess. Its church and the adjoining town developed a close but often contested relationship: the abbess claimed authority over both the territory and the appointment of parish clergy, while the town council sought a greater voice in the conduct of its own affairs.

The Reformation sharpened this dispute. In 1560 townspeople sang German hymns in the church despite the opposition of the abbess. The council invited the preacher Heinrich Barenbroich, and in 1563 introduced Protestant worship at the market church. The abbess challenged the city's actions before the imperial court. The town embraced the Reformation while the religious foundation remained Catholic, leaving neighbouring churches to serve different confessions within the same small imperial territory.