He surveys the emergence of religious communities within a clearly delineated geographical, political, and cultural space during a specific historical period that begins with the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, which ended the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, and ends with the Hermannstadt Declaration in 1688 and the Leopoldine Diploma in 1691, which together marked the loss of the Principality's autonomy.

With mounting apprehension, Smith, with the imperial army and Sherban, passed through Hermannstadt (Sibiu) and entered Wallachia over the dark and wild Transylvanian Alps at a narrow gorge named the Red Tower Pass (Rottenton).