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Protestation at Speyer

Type Event Region Europe Time 1529

In March–April 1529, the Second Imperial Diet at Speyer revoked the 1526 decision allowing each estate to handle the Luther case, prompting six princ…

Timeline

  1. 1529Speyer · GermanyCharles V, unable to attend in person due to the war against France, was represented by his brother Ferdinand. The Diet addressed both the Ottoman advance and the religious division. With the Catholic majority dominant, Ferdinand, in the emperor's name, declared the 1526 Speyer resolution null, banned further religious innovations, and demanded the restoration of episcopal jurisdiction and enforcement of the Edict of Worms.
  2. 1529Speyer · GermanyAfter the majority passed the revocation on April 19, John, Elector of Saxony, George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt, and representatives of fourteen imperial free cities read their protest: a majority decision could not bind those who did not consent; if forced to choose between obeying God and obeying Caesar, they chose to obey God. Ferdinand refused to accept it and demanded obedience to the majority.
  3. 1529Speyer · GermanyThe Diet issued its final resolution on April 22, and when it was read on the 24th the protest was not mentioned at all. The next day the evangelical princes and city representatives drafted an Appeal to the Emperor and a General Council. Their opponents called them 'Protestanten' (Protestants), a term that soon expanded to name the entire reform movement, known in Chinese as 'Xinjiao' (Protestantism).

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