1555 Peace treaty

[Franconicus]

What do you know about the "Augsburger Religionsfriede" (Augsburg Peace of Religions?) from 1555?

[Templar Knight]

The effect of the treaty was to establish official toleration for Lutherans in the Holy Roman Empire. According to the policy of cuius regio, eius religio ("he who rules, his religion", or "in the Princes land, the Princes religion"), the religion (Catholic or Lutheran) of a region's ruler determined the religion of its people. During a grace period, families could choose to move to a region where their faith was practiced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Augsburg

The Religious Peace of Augsburg, 1555
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Spar...ofAugsburg.htm

[Petrus]

What do you know about the "Augsburger Religionsfriede" (Augsburg Peace of Religions?) from 1555?

I don't remember very well, but in short, this treaty permited to lutherianism and some other non catholic christians sects from central europe to have a legal form of existence.

It was issued from a negociation between the emperor, the german princes and the different religious hierarchies.

It allowed the princes to choose between lutherianism and catholicism and to change religion as they wished it, but also to impose to their subjects the religion chosen by the prince.

The free cityes had something that was much closer to the religious tolerance we know, as they did not have to be homogenous in their religion.

Something very important is the part of the treaty that concerned monks and bishops.

Beeing noble and land lords, those ones could chose to change religion but could not impose this to their subjects or to the other monks of their community.

This was suppose to stabilize the situation and to prevent the land ownership movements and conflicts that occured when religious lords changed their minds.


The lutherians gained a legal status with this peace, but remained unsatisfied because it caused a blockade for their futur expansion.

For other protestant categories such as calvinists it did not bring anything, wich proved very problematic when this sect grew in size in central europe some times later.

The catholics gained a protection for their share of market, but had to conceed much to the lutherians for this and found themselves blocked when counter-reform became effective.

The princes gained a religious autonomy from the emperor, wich in return had a peaceful but potentialy very instable empire.

The citizen gained the right to shut their mouth, obey and be alternatively heretic or torturer.

All in one, it was an attempt to coexistence between different christian categories, but it proved to be inadapted and led to the thirty years war, the most terrible blood bath europe has ever known.


Maybe there are incorrections in the preceding text but globaly i think it reflects the reality of this peace.

[Brutus]

I don't remember very well, but in short, this treaty permited to lutherianism and some other non catholic christians sects from central europe to have a legal form of existence.

As far as I know, it only permitted Lutheranism alongside Catholicism.

It allowed the princes to choose between lutherianism and catholicism and to change religion as they wished it,

I'm not sure about this, but I believe this is not true. I thought that religious boundaries were meant to remain stable after 1555, so they wouldn't want princes (and consequently religions) changing religion again.

Well, it's all in Templar Knight's link, so I've got nothing more to say on the peace itself, suffice to say it didn't last...

[Petrus]

As far as I know, it only permitted Lutheranism alongside Catholicism.


I'm not sure about this, but I believe this is not true. I thought that religious boundaries were meant to remain stable after 1555, so they wouldn't want princes (and consequently religions) changing religion again.

Well, it's all in Templar Knight's link, so I've got nothing more to say on the peace itself, suffice to say it didn't last...

There was another religion, something very specific to some central europe regions that were concerned i think.

Or maybe those other sects were only concerned by the treaty that closed the thirty years war?

I do not remember for the prince's status, but you are probably right, this correspond better to the objectives of the treaty, that were to gain a religious stability in the empire.

Concerning the links, as long as they are not wikipedia, i think it is the best way to get reliable informations.

[Franconicus]

Thank you very much.

Here is my interpretation (please feel free to correct)

This peace tried to give the people the free choice at least between being Lutheran or Roman Catholic. And in tried to keep the counties homogeneous and make a balance in the empire. However the treaty could not prevent the 30years war, which was a desaster for Germany (Maybe even worse than WW2). In the end, however, the treaty was the fundament for the peace treaty after this war.

[Petrus]

Thank you very much.

Here is my interpretation (please feel free to correct)

This peace tried to give the people the free choice at least between being Lutheran or Roman Catholic. And in tried to keep the counties homogeneous and make a balance in the empire. However the treaty could not prevent the 30years war, which was a desaster for Germany (Maybe even worse than WW2). In the end, however, the treaty was the fundament for the peace treaty after this war.

Well, i'm not a specialist on this subject, but you can correct this, i think :

The PRINCES were free to choose between catholicism and lutherianism.

The people had to follow their prince's faith or to emmigrate.

Maybe you shall add that the religious congregations that were very important land owners in the empire and whose leaders were noblesmen were also concerned, and that this had a great importance in the keeping of balance, even if this proved later to be one of the main reasons for the thirty years war.

And the thirty years war was effectively the worse disaster in history for germany but also for the whole central europe.