Peace of Augsburg 1555
Topic: Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Peace of Augsburg (1555) was an agreement within the Holy Roman Empire, which covered the German lands. It ended a period of fighting between Lutheran and Catholic rulers there. Each prince could now choose either Lutheranism or Catholicism for his own territory. The rule was summed up in Latin as cuius regio, eius religio, meaning "whose realm, his religion". It showed that the religious split caused by the Reformation had become permanent.
Example
Under the Peace of Augsburg, a German prince who became Lutheran could make his territory Lutheran, and his subjects followed his choice. The agreement did not cover Calvinists.
Don't confuse with
- Peace of Westphalia (1648): Augsburg allowed only two choices, Lutheran or Catholic. Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War, also allowed Calvinism, and reshaped the European system of states.
Related concepts
- Christian humanism
- Thomas More
- Erasmus
- Indulgences
- Donation of Constantine
- Martin Luther
- Ninety-Five Theses
- Protestant Reformation
- John Calvin
- English Reformation