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[[File: 759px-Carlos V en Mühlberg, by Titian, from Prado in Google Earth.jpg|200px300px|thumb|left|Emperor Charles V at the Battle of Mulhberg]]The Peace of Augsburg (1555) was a peace treaty that sought to end the religious struggle in the German lands and in the Holy Roman Empire in the mid-sixteenth century. The Peace of Augsburg was signed by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, who was a Catholic and the Protestant Schmalkaldic League. The treaty of Augsburg was an attempt to end the series of religious wars that had destabilized the Holy Roman Empire, which was the largest political entity in Europe at the time.  The treattreaty, also known a the Settlement of Augsburg , sought to prevent Catholics and Protestants from going to war again and to end religious tensions and violence in the Imperial lands. The treaty briefly did maintain peace in the Holy Roman Empire, but the treaty ultimately failed. Why did the Peace of Augsburg fail, and how did it lead to the Thirty Years Wars?  The settlement ultimately failed because it did not admit Calvinist to the terms of the treaty, and it was unable to define the religious status of the Episcopal states. Most importantly, it created a mutually hostile Protestant and a Catholic bloc in Central Europe. This hostility eventually led to the Thirty Years War, the most brutal conflict, according to some, in European history.  ==What conflict did the Peace of Augsburg end?==[[File: Lucas Cranach d.Ä. (Werkst.) - Porträt des Martin Luther (Lutherhaus Wittenberg).jpg|300px|thumb|left|Portrait of Martin Luther]]The Holy Roman Empire was a fragmented collection of largely independent states of various sizes. The Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Hapsburg, directly ruled some of the lands, but he was only a ‘nominal head of state in the rest of the Empire.’<ref> Hale, JR, <i>Reformation Europe</i> (Pelican, London, 1998), p 134</ref> The Hapsburg’s hereditary rulers of Austria, were elected Emperor by the major states in the Empire.  As a result, it was a very loose federation. It has often been likened to the modern European Union. In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Cathedral in Wittenberg. In these, he challenged the Pope's authority and called for the reform of the Church based on the Bible. Luther's actions initiated the Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire.  The Catholic Church attempted to suppress Luther, and he was forced to seek the protection of the ruler of Saxony. The message of Luther and his calls to reform the church was greeted enthusiastically in many parts of Germany. The elite and the urban middle class were tired of the corruption and worldliness of the Church. This led to the establishment of many break-away churches that refused to acknowledge the authority of the Pope. Many temporal rulers in Germany adopted Protestantism and secularized Church lands and established Protestant Churches in their land.  In 1531, these Protestant rulers came together to form the Schmalkaldic League, a military and a political alliance, and ‘promote and expand Protestantism.’<ref> Cameron, Euan. <i>The European Reformation</i> (Second ed.) (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 113</ref> Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor and a Catholic, and he lost control of much of Germany to the League. He tried to enter negotiations with the Protestant League, but these were unsuccessful.  The supporters of Luther knew that Charles was too preoccupied with his wars in Italy and the Ottoman’s to intervene. Only after Charles V had defeated the French king could he turn his attention to Germany affairs. He formed a League that aimed to destroy Protestantism and re-establish religious unity in the Empire. Charles and his army were victorious and captured Saxony, and won a great victory at the Battle of Milberg.  Despite these defeats, the Protestants refused to come to terms and abandon their faith. Charles became aware that it would be impossible to destroy Protestantism. One of his League members defected to the Protestants, and he helped them win a minor victory. This shift convinced the aged and infirm Charles of the futility of any further war.  By the 1550s, Protestantism had been established too firmly within the Empire Central Europe to be ended by arms. Charles V wanted to secure his son's succession to Spain's throne and his nephew to the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor, and this required peace. He decided to ‘come to terms with the Protestants, which led ‘first to an armistice and then to the Treaty of Augsburg.’ <ref>Von Friedeburg, Robert. "Cuius Regio, Eius Religio: The Ambivalent Meanings of State Building in Protestant Germany, 1555–1655." <i>In Diversity and Dissent: Negotiating Religious Difference in Central Europe, 1500-1800</i>, edited by Louthan Howard, Cohen Gary B., and Szabo Franz A. J., 73-91. Berghahn Books, 2011 </ref> ==How do you Define the Peace of Augsburg?==The Peace of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement, was signed in September 1555 by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Schmalkaldic League signed on 25 September 1555 at the imperial city Augsburg.<ref>Elliot, J.H. <i>Imperial Spain 1469–1716</i>. Penguin Books (New York: 2002), p. 208</ref> It officially ended the religious war. It attempted to establish a religious settlement in the sprawling German lands.<ref> Hale, p. 134</ref> The principle of <i>cuius regio, eius religio</i>, was the most important aspect of the treaty. This principle states that the ruler of the realm decided the faith of the people.<ref>Von Friedneburg, p 76</ref> This was to ensure the states' internal unity within the Holy Roman Empire. If a ruler was Catholic, he could determine that all those who lived in his realm had to be Catholics. Those who did not accept the situation could migrate to a jurisdiction that was Protestant.  A Lutheran ruler had the same rights about the religion of his subjects as a Catholic. There were the many Ecclesiastical States in the Holy Roman Empire, such as Cologne's city-state.<ref>Hale, p. 117</ref>. These were realms that were ruled by Catholic Bishops or Archbishops. If a prelate changed his faith to Protestantism, he was expected to resign and make way for another Catholic bishop.<ref>Holborn, Hajo. <i>A History of Modern Germany, The Reformation</i> (Princeton: Princeton University Press), p. 195</ref> Knights were also exempted from the requirement of religious uniformity, and they could still practice their faith even if it were at odds with that of their ruler. One of the most critical aspects of the Treaty was that it only applied to Lutherans and Catholics. Rulers who followed Calvinism and the teachings of the Anabaptists were not recognized.  The rights of members of these churches were also not recognized by the Peace, and they not accorded parity of esteem with Catholics and Protestants. The treaty sought to ensure a balance of power between Germanys’ Protestants and Catholics and ensure peace and end sectarian strife. It managed to end the war in the near term, but the religious conflict persisted in some parts of Germany. The Peace of Augsburg guaranteed that the House of Hapsburg would continue to be elected the Imperial ruler. However, the Emperor had little or no control of northern Germany, the heartland of Lutheranism. <dh-ad/> ==Did the Peace of Augsburg end religious tensions?==[[File: Karel Svoboda Defenestrace.jpg |300px|thumb|left|Defenestration of Prague 1618]]The Peace of Augsburg created a temporary end to hostilities; it did not resolve the underlying religious tension in Germany and central Europe. There were continued tensions between Catholics and Protestants. Despite the agreement that those who did not share the religion of the prince or ruler should conform or leave the realm, in the treaty, many did not. This meant that there were rival groups of Catholics and Protestants living near each other in an uneasy peace. There are many instances of riots and violence between the two groups.

The treaty did maintain peace in the Holy Roman Empire but the treaty ultimately failed. This article is concerned with the reasons for situation was made more complex by the failure spread of Calvinism in the Peace latter part of Augsburg and why it ultimately led to the Thirty Years Warssixteenth century. The settlement failed because it did not, admit Calvinist Many Germans were drawn to Calvin's teachings and his ideas on the terms of the treaty ‘elect’ and it failed to define the religious status of the Episcopal states‘predestination. Most importantly it created a mutually hostile Protestant and a Catholic bloc ’ Several German rulers, especially in Central Europe Brandenburg and this directly led to the Thirty Years WarRhineland, the most brutal conflict according to sometolerated Calvinists. The Calvinists, in European historyalthough Protestants were not Lutherans and they were distrusted and even persecuted by Lutheran rulers.

===Background===[[File: Lucas Cranach d.Ä. (Werkst.) - Porträt des Martin Luther (Lutherhaus Wittenberg)Catholics naturally saw them as just another Protestant sect.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Portrait of Martin Luther]]The Holy Roman Empire was a fragmented collection Peace of largely independent states, Augsburg did not foresee the rise of various sizesCalvinism in Germany. The Holy Roman Emperor, who was a member of At the House of Hapsburg directly ruled some time of the lands but in the rest writing of the Empiretreaty, he was only they were a ‘nominal head of state’<ref> Halesmall group. By the 1580s, JRthey were a significant minority, Reformation Europe (Pelican, London, 1998), p 134</ref>and their activities helped increase Germany's religious tensions. The Hapsburg’s By the hereditary 1600s, several rulers of Austria were elected Emperor by the major states in the Empireproclaimed themselves Calvinists, such as a result, it was a very loose federation. It has often been likened to the modern European Union. In 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and the door Elector of the Cathedral in WittenbenbergBrandenburg. In theseAs Calvinists, he challenged they were not covered by the authority principle of the Pope and called for the reform of the Church based on the Bible‘one ruler, one faith. ’ This initiated threw the Reformation in the Holy Roman Empireentire Peace of Augsburg into doubt.

The Catholic Church attempted Furthermore, Calvinists, because they were recognized under the Peace of Augsburg, were in effect unable to suppress Luther and he secure any tolerance for their faith in the Empire. This was forced to seek play an important part in the protection breakdown of the ruler of SaxonyAugsburg Settlement. The message Indeed, the collapse of Luther and his calls the Augsburg settlement can be attributed to reform the church was greeted enthusiastically in many parts actions borne out of GermanyCalvinists' frustrations. The elite and the urban middle class were tired so-called ‘defenestration of the corruption Prague’ involved Calvinists attacking and worldliness of throwing the ChurchHoly Roman Emperor's representatives out a window. This led was to trigger the establishment of many break-away churches Thirty Years War that refused to acknowledge the authority left most of the Popecentral Europe a wasteland. Many temporal rulers in Germany adopted Protestantism and secularized Church lands and established Protestant Churches in their land. In 1531<ref> Wilson, these Protestant rulers came together to form the Schmalkaldic LeaguePeter, which was a military and a political alliance and they worked together to ‘promote and expand Protestantism’<refi> Cameron, Euan. The European Reformation (Second ed.)Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy</i>. (Oxford, Oxford University London: Belknap Press, 20022011), p. 11367</ref>. Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor and a Catholic and he lost control of much of Germany to the League. He tried to enter negotiations with the Protestant League but these were unsuccessful. The supports of Luther know that Charles was too preoccupied with his wars in Italy and with the Ottoman’s to intervene. It was only after Charles V had defeated the French king could he turn his attention to affairs in Germany. He formed a League that aimed to destroy Protestantism and re-establish religious unity in the Empire. Charles and his army was successful and captured Saxony and won a great victory at the Battle of Milberg.

Despite these defeats, ==What was the Protestants refused to come to terms and abandon their faith. Charles became aware that it would be impossible to destroy Protestantism. One source of the members of his League defected to continuing tension between Catholics and Protestants?==In the Protectants and he helped them Holy Roman Empire, there were very many ecclesiastical principalities. They ranged in size from a small town to win a minor victorylarge territories, often containing significant urban centers such as Cologne. This persuaded the aged and infirm Charles of the futility of any further war. By the 1550sThe Treaty, after protracted negotiations, Protestantism had been established too firmly within the Empire Central Europe to be ended by arms. Charles V wanted to secure deal with the succession issue of his son ecclesiastics who converted to the throne of Spain and Lutheranism. The Catholic side was concerned that a bishop or another religious leader converted that his nephew to the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor and this required peacerealm would become Lutheran. He decided to ‘come to terms with This had happened during the Protestants and this led ‘first to an armistice and then to the Treaty of Augsburg’ <ref>Von Friedeburg, RobertReformation. "Cuius Regio, Eius Religio: The Ambivalent Meanings Head of State Building the Teutonic Knights in Protestant GermanyPrussia, 1555–1655." In Diversity and Dissent: Negotiating Religious Difference in Central Europe, 1500originally an order of warrior-1800monks, edited by Louthan Howard, Cohen Gary B.had converted to Protestantism, and Szabo Franz A. J.as a result, 73-91all the Prussian territories had become Protestant. Berghahn Books, 2011 </ref>The Catholics demanded that any bishop or religious leader that had converted to Lutheranism should return his realm as by rights their lands belonged to the Catholic Church.

===The Treaty===The Peace However, those bishops and others who had converted refused to return their lands and became the secular ruler of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement former ecclesiastical principalities. This was signed in September 1555 by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, a source of continuing tension between the Protestants and the Schmalkaldic League, signed on 25 September 1555 at Catholics. Many of the latter believed that the imperial city of Protestant side had not respected or fully implemented Augsburg <ref>Elliot, J's treaty.HThis led to frequent clashes between both members of both confessions over the future of Episcopal principalities. Imperial Spain 1469–1716. Penguin Books For example, in the Cologne War (New York: 20021583-1588), p. 208</ref>. It officially ended when the religious prince-archbishop became a Protestant, it led to a brutal sectarian war between Catholics and attempted to establish a religious settlement in the sprawling German lands<ref> Hale, pLutherans. 134</ref>. The principle One of cuius regio, eius religio, the Thirty Years War principal causes was the most important aspect ‘lack of clarity over the treatystatus of these episcopal princedoms. This principle states that the ruler of the realm decided the faith of the people ’<ref>Von Friedneburg, Wilson. p 7667</ref>. This was to ensure the internal unity of the states within the Holy Roman Empire. If a ruler was Catholic then he could determine that all those who lived in his realm had to be Catholics. Those who did not accept the situation could migrate to a jurisdiction that was Protestant.

A Lutheran ruler had ==What did the same rights about the religion of his subjects as a Catholic. In the Holy Roman Empire, there were many Ecclesiastical States, such as the city state Peace of CologneAugsburg accomplish?==<ref>Hale, p. 117</ref>. These were realms that were ruled by Catholic Bishops or Archbishops. If a prelate changed his faith to Protestantism he was expected to resign and make way for another Catholic bishop<ref>Holborn, Hajo. A History of Modern Germany, The Reformation (Princetondiv class="portal" style='float:right; width: Princeton University Press), p. 195</ref35%'>. Knights were also exempted from the requirement of religious uniformity and they could still practice their faith even if it was at odds with that of their ruler. One of the most important aspects of the Treaty was that it only applied to Lutherans and Catholics. Rulers who followed Calvinism and the teachings of the Anabaptists were not recognized.

====Related Articles===={{#dpl:category=German History|ordermethod=firstedit|order=descending|count=6}}</div>The rights Peace of members Augsburg led to the partition of these churches were also not recognized by Germany into two separate confessional blocs, one Catholic and the Peace and other Protestant, even though they not accorded parity of esteem with Catholics and Protestantsall inhabited the Holy Roman Empire. The treaty It sought to ensure establish a balance of power between Germanys’ Protestant and Catholics and in doing so them to ensure peace and an end to sectarian strifein the Empire. In the near termThe settlement did succeed in establishing a balance of power in Germany. Still, it was never a stable one, and it did manage to end only lasted so long because the war but the religious conflict was to persist in many areasHapsburgs were distracted elsewhere. The Peace of Augsburg guaranteed that Treaty had effectively partitioned not only the House of Hapsburg would continue to be elected the Imperial rulerHoly Roman Empire but also Christendom. However<ref> Hale, the Emperor had little or no control of northern Germany the heartland of Lutheranismp.118</ref>

===Religious tensions===[[File: Karel Svoboda Defenestrace.jpg |200px|thumb|left|Defenestration of Prague 1618]]The After Augsburg's Peace of Augsburg created a temporary end to hostilities, it did not resolve the underlying religious tension in Germany and in central Europe. There were continued tensions between Catholics and Protestants. Despite the agreement was composed of two separate confessions that those who did not share the religion of the prince or ruler should conform or leave the realm, in the treaty many did not. This meant that there were rival groups of Catholics trust each other and Protestants living near saw each other in as heretics. They both sought to gain an uneasy peace. There are many instances of riots advantage over the other and violence between increase their territory at the two groupsother's expense. The situation was made more complex by Augsburg's settlement did end a war, but it also copper-fastened the spread division of Calvinism in the latter part of the sixteenth centuryEmpire into a Catholic and a Protestant bloc. Many Germans were drawn to When the teachings balance of Calvin and his ideas on the ‘elect’ and ‘predestination’. Several German rulers especially power broke down in 1618, these two mutually hostile religions began a war that was unprecedented in Brandenburg its loss of life and the Rhineland tolerated Calvinistsdestruction. The Calvinists although Protestants were not Lutherans and they were distrusted and even persecuted by Lutheran rulers<ref>Wilson, p. 656</ref>

Catholics naturally saw them as just another Protestant sect. The rise of Calvinism in Germany was not foreseen by ==Was the Peace of Augsburg. At the time successful?==The Peace of the writing of the treaty they were Augsburg was intended to give Germany a small grouplasting peace that would prevent future religious wars. By the 1580s they were The settlement was successful because it did prevent a significant minority and their activities helped to increase general religious tensions war in Germanyand Central Europe until 1618. By the 1600s several rulers proclaimed themselves CalvinistsHowever, Augsburg's settlement in 1555 was fundamentally unstable, such as the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and the Elector of Brandenburgits eventual failure was almost guaranteed. As Calvinists, they were not covered by Those who drafted the principle of ‘one ruler, one faith’, this threw treaty failed to recognize that the entire Peace growth of Augsburg into doubt. Furthermore, Calvinists because they were recognized under Calvinism would destabilize the Peace of Augsburg were in effect unable to secure any tolerance for their faith agreement and increase sectarian tensions in the Empire. This was to play an important part in Because the breakdown terms of the Augsburg Settlement. Indeedtreaty did not cover them, they often worked against it, the collapse of the Augsburg settlement can be attributed which led to actions borne out of Calvinists frustrations. The so-called ‘defenestration of Prague’ involved Calvinists attacking and throwing representatives of Bohemia's conflict that triggered the Holy Roman Emperor out a window. This was to trigger the Thirty Years War that left most of central Europe a wasteland.<ref> Wilson, Peter, <i>The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy</i>. London: Belknap Pres, 2011), p. 67</ref>

===Bishops and Rulers===In The settlement failed to resolve the Holy Roman Empire, there were very many ecclesiastical episcopal principalities and they ranged in size from a small town to large territories, often containing significant urban centers such as Cologne. The Treaty after protracted negotiations ' status whose bishops had to deal with the issue of ecclesiastics who converted to Lutheranism. The Catholic side , which was concerned that if a bishop or another religious leader converted that his realm would become Lutheran. This had happened during the Reformationto poison relations between both sides for decades. The Head of Perhaps the Teutonic Knights in Prussia, originally an order most significant failure of warrior-monks had converted to Protestantism and as a result all the Prussian territories had become Protestantsettlement was that it created two mutually hostile blocs. The Catholics demanded that any bishop or religious leader that had converted to Lutheranism should return his realm as There was no mechanism designed by rights their lands belonged to the Catholic Church. However, those bishops and others who had converted refused settlement to return their lands and became the secular ruler of the former ecclesiastical principalities. This was a source of continuing tension between the Protestants and the Catholics and many of the latter believed that the Protestant side had not respected defuse tensions or fully implemented the treaty of Augsburgresolve conflicts. This led to frequent clashes between both members the collapse of both confessions over the future Peace of Episcopal principalities. For example, in the Cologne War (1583-1588), when the prince-archbishop became a Protestant it led to a brutal sectarian war between Catholics Augsburg and Lutherans. One of the principal causes of the Thirty Years War was the ‘lack , one of clarity over the status of these episcopal princedoms.’<ref> Wilsongreatest tragedies in Europe’s long history. p 67</ref>

===Dividing Christendom=References====The Settlement of Augsburg effectively led to the partition of Germany into two separate confessional blocs, one Catholic and the other Protestant, even though they all inhabited the Holy Roman Empire. It wanted to establish a balance of power between them to ensure peace in the Empire. The settlement did succeed in establishing a balance of power in Germany but it was never a stable one and it only lasted so long because the Hapsburgs were distracted elsewhere. The Augsburg Treaty had effectively partitioned not only the Holy Roman Empire but also Christendom<ref> Hale, p. 118</ref>. This was the old concept of a common realm that was Christian. After the Peace of Augsburg Germany was composed of two separate confessions who did not trust each other and thought each other heretics. They both sought to gain an advantage over the other and to increase their territory at the expense of the other. The settlement of Augsburg did end a war but it also copper-fastened the division on the Empire into a Catholic and a Protestant bloc. When the balance of power broke down in 1618, these two mutually hostile religions began a war that was unprecedented in its loss of life and destruction.<ref>Wilson, p. 656<references/ref>