The Heidenmauer (The heathens' wall); or the Benedictines

Set in sixteenth-century crossing of the Rhine during the early years of the Reformation, this narrative centers on the destruction of the Limburg Abbey. Count Emich of Leiningen and the citizens of Duerckheim lead an assault on the Benedictine monks to settle a dispute over vineyard boundaries and feudal rights. Amidst the religious upheaval, the plot follows the interactions between Abbot Bonifacius and his secular rivals inside the ruins of an ancient Roman fortification known as the Heidenmauer. The story details the transition from Catholic tradition to Lutheran principles through the lens of local political power struggles.

Practical historical fiction readers will find value in this study of how shifting religious tides impacted the European social hierarchy. It attracts those interested in the decline of monastic authority and the dawn of the middle class in Germany. The reader finishes the book with a specific understanding of how localized greed and doctrinal changes combined to dismantle long-standing ecclesiastical institutions. It provides a detailed look at the physical and cultural landscape of the Palatinate during a period of violent institutional transition.