Diet of Augsburg
description: Protestantism had taken Germany by storm in the early 1500s. The Edict of Worms decreed in 1521 at the behest of Charles V declared Martin Luther a heretic and forbade anyone from supporting him, yet this did little to stop the rampant spread of Protestantism through Germany. Nine years later the already loosely united Germany was becoming more and more fractured as protestant political authorities were beginning to form military alliances throughout the nation. In an effort to bring some unity and consolidation into his empire, Charles the V summoned protestant princes to the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 with hopes to end the religious divide. At this diet, the princes produced the Augsburg Confession, a statement of faith drafted by Luther’s associate Melanchthon that contained the defining principles of Protestant faith (Wiesner-Hanks 181). These principles, like the belief that all should take part in the drinking of the blood of Christ during Eucharist and that salvation is achieved through faith alone, were irreconcilable with the Catholic faith (Wiesner-Hanks 170). Charles refused this text outright and demanded that all protestant princes return to Catholicism by a set deadline. However, instead of quelling the Lutheran princes, Charles's response further escalated the conflict. The threats of Charles V prompted the Protestant German princes to form a defensive military alliance known as the Schmalkaldic League (Wiesner-Hanks 181). At the core of this alliance was the Augsburg Confession, as entry into the league was based on one’s assent of this document. Thus Germany, on the verge of civil conflict, was left more splintered than ever.
creator: Christian Bayer
date: 1530
contributor: Andrew Fitch
rights: Public Domain