Peace of Augsburg Signed (1555)

The Peace of Augsburg, signed on 25 September 1555, established the principle of cuius regio, eius religio, allowing rulers to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism. Negotiated by Ferdinand on behalf of Charles V, it ended religious conflict and granted official status to Lutheranism within the Holy Roman Empire.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Following the Augsburg Interim of 1548, which attempted to regulate religious creeds, tensions persisted. The Passau document granted a temporary peace until the next imperial Diet. This context led to the 1555 treaty, which codified the legal division of Christianity within the Empire.

Treaty Terms. The treaty allowed princes to adopt either Lutheranism or Catholicism in their domains, reaffirming their sovereignty. It excluded Calvinism and other Protestant groups, who remained subject to heresy charges. Ecclesiastical principalities were governed by separate principles like the reservatum ecclesiasticum.

Signing and Negotiation. Signed in Augsburg on 25 September 1555, the treaty was negotiated by Ferdinand, brother of Emperor Charles V. It officially ended the religious struggle between the Emperor and the Schmalkaldic League, making the legal division of Christianity permanent within the Holy Roman Empire.

People involved

Sources

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