Introduction
Luther's legacy and the 'German' notion of state
Meinecke's riddle : reason of state and Reformation prudence
Royal rights and princely dynasties in late medieval and early modern Germany, fourteenth to early seventeenth century
Civil order and princely rights, 1450s to 1580s : the making of the elements
The transformation of ideas on order and the rise of the 'fatherland', 1580s to 1630s : the re-ordering of the elements
The challenge of 'reason of state', 1600s to 1650s
The catastrophe of war and the collapse of relations between princes and vassals
Re-establishing of compromise and the new use of the elements : Seckendorff, Pufendorf and the dissemination of the new concept of 'state'
Readings of despotism : the attack on 'war-despotism' between Bodin and Montesquieu
Conclusion : Luther's legacy : the 'Germaness' of the modern notion of 'state'.