By the Peace of Augsburg, the princes and free cities of the Empire who acknowledge the Confession of Augsburg are free to worship and introduce Lutheranism within their territories. Lutheran states are to enjoy equal rights with Catholic, including membership of the Imperial Chamber. By imperial decree, those bishops and abbots who become Protestant are to lose their positions and income; the Diet of Augsburg comes to no agreement about this 'ecclesiastical reservation', which in effect buttressed the power of the Hapsburgs and helped cause the Thirty Years War; at the Diet of Augsburg, Philip of Spain renounces his claim to the Imperial Crown in favour of Maximilian, son of the Archduke Ferdinand.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Peace of Augsburg". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 January 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=834, accessed 23 November 2024.]