Section 4: Spread and survival of Lutheranism Flashcards
Diet of Worms
1521
- Charles issued the Edict of Worms: Luther was placed under the Imperial Ban and Lutheranism was declared a heresy
- With the exception of a few territories (including Dual Saxony) the Edict was not enforced
Diet of Nuremberg
1522-23
- The princes refused collectively to enforce the Edict of Worms
- They said they would do so until the Pope called a general council to reform the church in Germany + address their 102 gravamina
colloquy of Marburg
- Leading protestant prince, Phillip of Hesse, attempted to construct a Protestant alliance between the Zwinglians and Lutherans
- The attempt failed over the issue of the Eucharist
Diet of Augsburg
1530
- Charles V returned to Germany. Anxious to form a united German front against the Ottomans, he invited Lutherans to make a statement of their faith
- Melanchton presented the Augsburg confession which was moderate
- However, Charles refused to accept it and said he would enforce the Edict of Worms. He gave the Lutherans 6 months to return to the catholic church
Schmalkaldic League
1531
Concerned, Protestants formed the Schmalkaldic League, preparing to defend themselves against Charles’ threat
Religious Truce of Nuremburg
1532
- Charles was unable to carry out his threat because of an anticipated Ottoman invasion
- Instead, in return for men and money, he offered the League peace
- He then left Germany for 8 years, dealing with the recapture of Tunis in 1525 and the Third Habsburg- Valois War with France (1536-38)
The spread of Lutheranism accelerates
1530s
- Under Philip’s leadership, the Schmalkaldic League acquired new members, money and an internal organisation
- Charles periodically denounced heresy, while in practice tolerating it
- Simultaneously, he made repeated requests for the pope to urgently call a general council
Frankfurt Interim
1539
Charles made further concessions: he promised no action would be taken against the Protestants for six months
The league revives
1541-44
With Charles absent, dealing first with Algiers and then French aggression during the Fourth Hapsburg Valois War, Phillip of Hesse used the opportunity to spread Lutehranism even further in the empire
first diet of speyer context
- Religious crisis was causing serious instability and mounting tension
- the peasants revolt had alarmed everybody and Germany was diving in two
- 5 catholic princes had formed the league of Dessau and 8 Lutherans had formed the League of Torgau
- charles was absent in spain, therefore his bro Ferdinand took over
What happened at the first diet of Speyer
1526:
- Ferdinand began with a proposal to enforce the edict of worms to restore stability
- The diet rejected his propositions.The princes said they hoped to undermine Lutheranism peacefully by tackling the issues which bought him so much support
- once again demanding a council, though this time from a general to a national one
What was the result of the first diet of Speyer
The Recess of Speyer was passed which said each prince could decide religion for themselves
- ottoman conquest of Hungary ensured imperial support
Why did the princes reject the diet in the First diet of Speyer
- some princes had already converted
- Catholic princes doubted their ability to eliminate Lutheranism peacefully (and lacked the means to apply force)
- Applying force would also cause civil war
- Given the Ottoman advance on Hungary that year, plunging into turmoil was inadvisable
second diet of speyer
1529
-They revoked the recess pf Speyer and declared the Edict of Worms compulsory (due to alarm at the successful spread of Lutheranims)
- banned Zwmingilanism and condemned death to anyone convicted of performing adult baptism
- In response, the Lutheran minority withdrew from the diet and 14 cities and 6 princes published a ‘protestation’ declaring the diet had no right to do so
- fearing an imminent catholic attack, Philip of Hesse (leading Lutheran prince) attempted negotiations at Margburgm which failed leaving Lutherans vulnerable
What happened after the second diet of Speyer
- if ferdinand had intended to impose the edict by force, his plants were thwarted, due to ottoman threats to vienna
- ferdinand spent months following Speyer anxiously monitoring it rather than paying attention to the Lutheran problem
why did the colloquy of Regensburg happen
1541:
- tried to reunite the church by negotiating with Lutherans
- given the pope’s difficulty in convening a general council, he intended to supervise his own negotiated settlement
- reconcilliation was preferable to the alternative- force as Charles was short of funds and civil war was at risk
- when Phillip of Hesse was exposed as a bigamist, Charles was in a position to demand religious concession the protestant part
What happened at the Colloquy of Regensburg
- Debated for two months
- achieved early success: agreeing on the first 5/18 points of a draft doc, the ‘Regensburg book’ and even agreed on ‘double justification’ as a view of salvation
- other issues sadly could not be agreed on and thus failed
- luther and the pope were not present and refused to accept compromise such as this
what did charles decide after the Colloquy of Regensburg
- war was necceary
- however he deffered war, pending the completing of his camp gain to take Alfier, headquarters of the Barbary Pirates
- he granted Lutherans another 18 month reprieve
Why did charles’ actions fail to eradicate Lutheranism (timing)
- he was not commitd to his vow/ miscalculated its importance
- he arrived in Germany over 18 months after his election, missing the crucial period of 1519-20
- He then left the HRE immediately after the Diet of Worms and he was largely absent in the 1520s and 1530s
- In all, he spent only about a quarter of his 36 year reign in the empire
Charles was not simply a victim of circumstance, endlessly forced to react to events outside his control, there were times when he had choice and might have decided to focus on luther instead.
Why did Charles’ actions fail to eradicate Lutheranism? (council)
- his decision to rely on a general council to resole the German situation was naive. Until the mid 1530s, the papacy was unlikely to call a council and didn’t until 1545, when it was too late and ended with protestant condementation rather than resolving abuses
- He could have bypassed rome entirely and called an early national council to resolve german issues. There were examples in history e.g. Spain’s Archbishop of Toledo’s reforms) of reform being taken without papal backing
Why did Charles’ actions fail to eradicate Lutheranism? (false belief)
- Charles continued to believe that it was possible to reconcile differences between Lutheranism and Catholicism
- he grasped neither the depth of doctrinal division between them nor the princes’ depth of faith
Why did Charles’ actions fail to eradicate Lutheranism? (war)
- failed to follow through immediately with threats of war in the early 1530s and again in 1541, speedy action might have bought victory
- on both occasions he chose to prioritise other concerns, making concessions to the protestants which strengthened their position
Why did Charles’ actions fail to eradicate Lutheranism? (power as an emperor)
- key problem = lack of power as an emperor
- he was seen as a foreigner, not from Germany
- There was little/ no desire to cooperate with Charles, even from Catholic princes
Why did Charles’ actions fail to eradicate Lutheranism?
- out of the empire a lot
- wanted a counil
- belief of reconciliation
- failed to follow through with war
- lack of power as an emperor
What other factors contributed to Charles’ failure
- structure of the empire meant his position was weak, he was forced to rely on the princes to implement his plans
- lack of support from the papacy for a general council in 1520 thwarted his attempts to win the princes’ co-op
- his inheritance meant constant outside threats
- the wars drained him of money
What did Frederick the wise do to help the survival of Luterhanism
- refused demands to send Luther to rome, instead the pope asked the Agu’s to silence him
- he secured Luther the opportunity to face the emperor at the diet of worms in 1521 + ensured he had a safe conduct
- he protect him in Wartburg castle from 1521-22 + defied the imperial ban in doing so. May well have saved his life
- he allowed for Lutheran preaching in his lands and let the Wittenberg reformer publish his ideas, did not censor his works
- he led the princes in their refusal to enforce the edict of worms until a council
Why was Frederick the wise important to the survival of Lutheranism?
- vital in protecting him in the early stages and allowed him to develop his ideas and practice without harm
- without him, there may not have been a lutheran reformation
Counter argument against Frederick the wise
- He did not legitimate the Lutheran movement or takes steps to establish a new church
- He remained catholic and never converted
- His role must be put into perspective, it was all very easy and Luther wasn’t of major importance
- he gained politically as it benefitted his family rival with the Hohenzollerns as well as Charles’ power
What did Albretcht of Honehzollern do to help with the survival of Lutheranism
- formally the grand master of the Teutonic knights
- They were a crusading order originally set up in the Middle East by German crusaders which then moved to the Baltic region to Christianise the pagan peoples there
- He was a preist who converted to Lutheranism in 1525. He secularised the lands of the Teutonic Knights and married a danish princess, Dorothea of Denmark in 1526 (something only lutherans and other reformed states could do)
Why was Albrecht of Hohenzollern so important to help with the survival of Lutheranism
- His conversion shocked catholic Europe
- He was Albert of Mainzs’ cousin which mae his conversion even more controversial
What did Phillip of Hesse do to help with the survival of Lutheranism
- He was a Landgrave, this title made him the empire’s third highest prince in noble status
- He converted to Lutheranism at around the same time, joined after meeting Melanchton in 1524
- Acted as a leader for Lutheran princes for the rest of his life. Instrumental in organising coalations of Lutheran states
Why was Phillip of Hesse so imprtant in the Lutheran movement
- he was an excellent soldier, had much power and influence
- From 1530, he played a crucial role in organising military defence of the new faith and negotiating with allies
However - bigamy scandal
What did John the Steadfast do to help with the survival of Lutheranism
- succeeded his bro Fred the wise as elector of Saxony in 1525
- Helped put in place a system to firmly establish a Lutheran church in Saxony
- Made sure Wittenberg reform were instituted and organised a system of visitations
Why was John the steadfast so important in the Lutheran movement
- Unlike his bro, he was a Lutheran
- He was politically the second most important man in the empire
- His conversion bought with it the whole of Saxony, became the example for other states
- His protection was crucial for Luthers continued survival
List of the princes
- Fred the wise
- Albrecht of Hohenzollern
- Phillip of Hesse
- John the Steadfast
Which other princes converted later
- Duke Ulrich of Wurtemberg 1534
- Duke Henry of Saxony 1539
Why else were the princes so important
- they were some of the most important princes in the empire, therefore could not be ignored
- gave others the confidencee to convert
- they controlled sizeable lands which meant edicts would not be enforced without them
- Charles had no army without them, so he needed their support to rule the empire, help with Turks
- Minor princes more confident about converting
What difference did the princes conversions make? - Edict of Worms
- not enforced
- impossible for the church to get Luther sent to Rome
What difference did the princes conversions make? - Representations of Lutherans at imperial diets
- meant there were representatives arguing for Lutheranism at the diets and at the highest level of society
- charles is going to need to compromise if he wants other things in his interest to be passed. The longer this happens, the more Lutheranism can spread + grow
What difference did the princes conversions make? - Adding territory
Duke Ulrich of Wurtemberg and Duke Henry of Saxony were helpful in raising Lutheran support by adding to lutheran territory
- protecting worshipers there and increasing the number of territorial rulers who would speak up for Lutheranism at an imperial level
- encourages others to convert
What was the League of Torgau
1526
protestant princes including Phillip of Hesse and John of Saxony had set up the league to oppose the edict of worms
- this was not a success due to limited military power
What was the Schmalkaldic league
- set up by Phillip of Hesse and John of Saxony, agreed in 27 Feb 1531 in Achmakalden after months of negotiation
- Made it to defend Lutheranism by force if necessary.
- This was due to the threat upon protestant powers after Charles’ rejection to the Augsburg confession, he had given them 6 months to comply
Agreement of the Schmalkaldic league
- The members would defend each other should they be attacked by the emperor, agreeing to provide 10,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry
- John of Saxony also insisted that to became a member each ruler or city had to agree to the Augsburg confession
Schmalkaldic league was not just religious
- Became a territorial political movement as well as a religious one
- offered economic advantages to its members because of the release it offered from financial obligations to the catholic church
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doctrine of Schmalkaldic league
- Luther was asked by the elector of Saxony to produce the articles of the Schmalkaldic league in 1531 to summarise Lutheran doctrine which could be adopted by the league before a proposed council
- However the league did not adopt these articles due to Melachotn’s belief that they would cause division
How did the Schmalkaldic league spread lutheranism
- found significant success
- the existence of the league gave waverers the confidence needed to convert
- by 1540 almost the whole of North Germany and large amounts of the south had converted. The league negotiated allies with Denmark,Eng ,France and Venice
- MOst ppl accepted the Augsburg confession as their statement of faith
why did charles fail to stop the league
- This success was also largely due to Chalre being unable to carry out his threat of 1531, ottoman and fence
- Charles was unable to fight the league until 1544 when he had made peace with Francis, giving it the time to grow in influence
what happened with princes in 1544
- the elector of Palatinate and the Archbishop- Elector of Cologne converted
4/7 electors were now lutheran
successes of the league
- gave confidence to states wavering about whether to adopt Lutheranism
- recovery of the lands of the Duke of Wurttemburg in 1534
- in 1542 the league defeated the Duke Brunswick and converted his territory by force
failure of the league
- it was defeated easily in the Schmalkaldic war of 1546-7 (Battle of Muhlberg) suggesting its earlier successes were due to charles’ distraction
