Germany Dates and Calendars

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Germany

Dates and Calendars

Online Resources

Genealogical Feast Day Calendars

Background

Pre-standardization (Before 16th century)

Early Germanic calendars: The early Germanic peoples used lunisolar calendars, influenced by moon cycles and the solar year, with variations in month names across regions and dialects.^[1]
Adoption of Julian calendar: Around the 1st century AD, the Roman Julian calendar, based solely on the solar year, began to be adopted in Germanic regions through Roman influence.^[2]
Regional variations: As regions adopted Christianity, they also adopted the Julian calendar. The year each region adopted the Julian calendar would depend on their Christianization. The majority of Germanic tribes/regions were Christianized by about 800 CE.

Unification and the Gregorian Calendar (16th-19th centuries)

Shift to Gregorian calendar: The Catholic Church introduced the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582 to address inaccuracies in the Julian calendar.^[3]
Gradual adoption: Catholic states in Germany adopted the Gregorian calendar starting in the late 16th century, while Protestant states resisted initially.^[4]
Unification and standardization: With the unification of Germany in 1871, the Gregorian calendar became the official calendar for the entire empire, establishing a single, unified system for recording dates and tracking time across the nation.^[5]

References

↑ "Calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://britannicaschool.hu/school-life/school-calendar-timings, accessed February 29, 2024. (This is a general reference to the concept of calendars.)
↑ "Julian calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/Julian-calendar, accessed February 29, 2024.
↑ "Gregorian calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/Gregorian-calendar, accessed February 29, 2024.
↑ "Gregorian calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/Gregorian-calendar, accessed February 29, 2024.
↑ McKay, John P., et al. A History of Western Society. 12th ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2019. (This is a general textbook reference for the unification of Germany)

[1] "Calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://britannicaschool.hu/school-life/school-calendar-timings, accessed February 29, 2024. (This is a general reference to the concept of calendars.)

[2] "Julian calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/Julian-calendar, accessed February 29, 2024.

[3] "Gregorian calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/Gregorian-calendar, accessed February 29, 2024.

[4] "Gregorian calendar," Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/Gregorian-calendar, accessed February 29, 2024.

[5] McKay, John P., et al. A History of Western Society. 12th ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2019. (This is a general textbook reference for the unification of Germany)

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