the Diets of Speyer 1526 and 1529;
First diet of Speyer 1526:
- Religious crisis was beginning to become a major issue (peasant war had been
crushed but made everyone ALARMED)
- The league of dessau (5 catholic hardline princes) and league of torgau (8 lutheran
princes) began to form.
- Charles was not present, busy in spain and dealing with French aggression in italy
therefore his brother Ferdinand was in charge
- Ferdinand proposed enforcing the edict of worms and likely assumed this would be
supported as it would eradicate lutheranism and therefore instability
- The princes did NOT agree, some had already converted and those who were
catholic doubted their ability to eradicate lutheranism peacefully but also lacked the
force necessary to do so with force (many may have also doubted their forces on
religious allegiances). Particularly after the recent peasant war people didn’t want
more conflict.
- The princes instead suggested that by reforming church abuses they would tackle
the root issue of lutheranism (naïve as it didn’t change luthers doctrinal appeal)
- The recess of speyer was enforced that dictated princes should enforce faith ‘as he
would have to answer to God and to the emperor.’
Second diet of speyer 1529:
- The diet revoked the recess of speyer and made edict of worms compulsory, also
banned zwinglianism and made adult baptism a capitol offense.
- This new hardline approach was a result of the princes being mostly catholic and
those who weren’t withdrew from the diet.
- At this decision 6 princes and 14 imperial cities published a ‘protestation’ against the
diet annulling a decision that had been made unanimously.
- Fearing an imminent catholic attack to enforce edict by force philip of hesse attmpted
to unite zwinglians and lutherans (marburg colloquy) this failed.
- However the Ottomans began to invade Vienna and diverted Hapsburg attention.
the Diet of Regensburg 1541.
-
The role of the German princes:
Luther’s protection by Frederick the Wise;
the significance of the conversion of Albrecht of Hohenzollern, Philip of Hesse and John of
Saxony;
- Princes converted for many reasons. Some out of genuine faith, others for financial
gain as confiscated church land would provide huge sums of money (albrecht of
hohenzollern gained the most as he secularised teutonic order land into duchy of
prussia), monastic lands eventually provided 1/7 of philip of hesse income. John of