Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/438

 318 General History of Europe In 1555 the religious Peace of Augsburg was arranged. Its provisions are memorable. Each German prince and each town and knight directly under the emperor was to be at liberty to make a choice between the beliefs of the venerable Catholic Church and those embodied in the Augsburg Confession. If, however, an ecclesiastical prince an archbishop, bishop, or ab- bot declared himself a Protestant, he must surrender his pos- sessions to the Church. Every German was either to conform to the religious practices of his particular state or emigrate from it. Everyone was supposed to be either a Catholic or a Lutheran, and no provision was made for any other belief. 540. No Freedom of Conscience. It is noteworthy that this religious peace in no way established freedom of conscience in religious matters, except for the rulers. The arrangement which permitted the various princes to determine the religion of their subjects was far more natural in those days than it would be in ours, for the Church and the State had been closely associated since the last centuries of the Roman Empire. No one as yet dreamed that it was possible to leave people to make up their own minds on religious matters without interference on the part of the government. QUESTIONS I. What dissatisfactions with the Church grew up among the German Catholics? Contrast Erasmus's ideas of reform with those of Luther. II. Tell something of Luther's early life. How did Luther's theory of salvation differ from the orthodox view? What were the famous theses of Luther ? How did they differ in their appeal from his Address to the German Nobility ? On what grounds was Luther excommuni- cated ? What was Luther's defense at Worms ? III. Describe some of the ways in which the revolt began. What was the Peasant War? How was it put down? IV. What is the origin of the term "Protestants"? How was Ger- many divided on the religious question ? What was the Augsburg Con- fession? What were the provisions of the Peace of Augsburg? What were its limitations?