The
Diet of Regensburg was a conference held at
RegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
in 1541, which marks the culmination of attempts to restore religious unity in Germany by means of colloquys.
It was a continuation of negotiations at Hagenau (June, 1540) and at
WormsWorms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over title of "Oldest City in Germany"...
, where the deliberations began on Jan. 14, 1541, on the basis of the
Augsburg ConfessionThe Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...
and the
ApologyThe Apology of the Augsburg Confession was prepared by Philipp Melanchthon as a response to the Roman Catholic "Confutation of the Augsburg Confession" which was written to answer the Lutheran Augsburg Confession after it was presented in 1530 at the Diet of Augsburg...
, but after four days were adjourned by the emperor to the session of the diet which was soon to meet at Regensburg.
The
Diet of Regensburg was a conference held at
RegensburgRegensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
in 1541, which marks the culmination of attempts to restore religious unity in Germany by means of colloquys.
It was a continuation of negotiations at Hagenau (June, 1540) and at
WormsWorms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over title of "Oldest City in Germany"...
, where the deliberations began on Jan. 14, 1541, on the basis of the
Augsburg ConfessionThe Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...
and the
ApologyThe Apology of the Augsburg Confession was prepared by Philipp Melanchthon as a response to the Roman Catholic "Confutation of the Augsburg Confession" which was written to answer the Lutheran Augsburg Confession after it was presented in 1530 at the Diet of Augsburg...
, but after four days were adjourned by the emperor to the session of the diet which was soon to meet at Regensburg. On Dec. 15, 1540, a secret conference took place between Johann Gropper,
canonA canon is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Cologne,
and Gerhard Veltwick, the imperial secretary, on the one side and Butzer and
CapitoWolfgang Fabricius Capito German reformer, was born of humble parentage at Haguenau in Alsace.-His life and work:...
, the delegates of Strasburg, on the other. An agreement was reached on the questions of
original sinOriginal sin is, according to a doctrine proposed in Christian theology, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt,...
and
justificationJustification may refer to:*Theory of justification, a part of epistemology that attempts to understand the justification of propositions and beliefs*Justification , defense in a prosecution for a criminal offense...
, but the concession made by the Roman Catholics at Hagenau, to negotiate on the basis of the
Augsburg ConfessionThe Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...
and the
ApologyThe Apology of the Augsburg Confession was prepared by Philipp Melanchthon as a response to the Roman Catholic "Confutation of the Augsburg Confession" which was written to answer the Lutheran Augsburg Confession after it was presented in 1530 at the Diet of Augsburg...
, was withdrawn. On Jan. 5 Butzer laid a German draft of the conclusions reached before the Landgrave, who approved it as preliminary to an agreement and sent it to Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg, with the request to communicate it to
LutherMartin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could...
and the other
princes of the Protestant league. The document was essentially identical with the later so-called Regensburg Book, which formed the basis of the Regensburg Conference in place of the Augsburg Confession. It was divided
into twenty-three articles, some of which closely approached the Evangelical view; but it decided no dogmatic question and did not exclude the Roman conceptions. On Feb. 13, 1541, the book was in the hands of
LutherMartin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could...
. In spite of the apparent concessions made in regard to the doctrine of justification, he perceived that the proposed articles of agreement could be accepted by neither party. On Feb. 23 the emperor entered Regensburg. In consideration of his difficult political situation,
especially of the threatening war with the Turks and the negotiations of the French king with the Evangelicals, it was his desire to pacify Germany. The conference was opened on Apr. 5. The interlocutors were Gropper,
PflugJulius von Pflug was the last Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Naumburg from 1542 until his death. He was one of the most significant reformers involved with the Protestant Reformation....
, and
EckDr. Johann Maier von Eck was a 16th century theologian and defender of Catholicism during the Protestant Reformation...
on the one side, Butzer, the elder Johannes Pistorius, and Melanchthon on the other. Besides the presidents, Count Palatine Frederick and Cardinal
GranvellaAntoine Perrenot de Granvelle , Comte de La Baume Saint Amour, was a French statesman, made a cardinal, who followed his father as a leading minister of the Spanish Habsburgs, and was one of the most influential European politicians during the time which immediately followed the appearance of...
, six witnesses
were present, among them Burkhardt and Feige, chancellors of Saxony and Hesse, and
Jakob SturmJacob Sturm von Sturmeck , German statesman and reformer, was born at Strasbourg, where his father, Martin Sturm, was a person of some importance....
of Strasburg. The first four articles, on the condition and integrity of man before the
fall, on
free willFree will in theology is an important part of the debate on free will in general. This article discusses the doctrine of free will as it has been, and is, interpreted within the various branches of Christianity, Judaism, Islam,Hinduism & Zoroastrianism....
, on the cause of sin, and on
original sinOriginal sin is, according to a doctrine proposed in Christian theology, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt,...
, passed without difficulty. The article on
justificationJustification may refer to:*Theory of justification, a part of epistemology that attempts to understand the justification of propositions and beliefs*Justification , defense in a prosecution for a criminal offense...
encountered great opposition, especially from
EckDr. Johann Maier von Eck was a 16th century theologian and defender of Catholicism during the Protestant Reformation...
, but an agreement was finally arrived at; neither
Elector John FrederickJohn Frederick I, Elector of Saxony , called John the Magnanimous, was Elector of Saxony and Head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany , "Champion of the Reformation"....
nor Luther was satisfied with this article. With respect to the articles on the doctrinal authority of the Church, the hierarchy, discipline, sacraments, etc., no agreement was possible, and they were all passed over without result. On May 31 the book with the changes agreed upon and nine counter-propositions of the Protestants was returned to the emperor. In spite of the opposition of Mainz, Bavaria, and the imperial legate,
Charles VCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556...
still hoped for an agreement on the basis of the articles which had been accepted by both parties, those in which they differed being postponed to a later time. As it was perceived that all negotiations would be in vain if the consent of Luther were not obtained, a
deputation headed by John of Anhalt arrived at Wittenberg on June 9. Luther answered in a polite and almost diplomatic way. He expressed satisfaction in reference to the agreement on some of the articles, but did not believe in the sincerity of his opponents and made his consent dependent upon conditions which he knew could not be accepted by the Roman Catholics. Before the deputation had returned, the Roman party had entirely destroyed all hope of union. The formula of justification, which
Contarinithumb|240px|Gasparo Contarini.Gasparo Contarini was an Italian diplomat and cardinal.-Biography:He was born in Venice, the eldest son of Alvise Contarini, of the ancient noble House of Contarini, and his wife Polissena Malpiero...
had sent
to Rome, was rejected by a papal consistory. Rome declared that the matter could be settled only at a council, and this opinion was shared by the stricter party among the estates.
Albert of MainzCardinal Albert of Hohenzollern was Elector and Archbishop of Mainz from 1514 to 1545, and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1513 to 1545.-Biography:...
urged the emperor to take up arms against the Protestants.
Charles VCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556...
tried in vain to induce the
Protestants to accept the disputed articles, while Joachim of Brandenburg made new attempts to bring about an agreement. With every day the gulf between the opposing parties became wider, and both of them, even the Roman
Catholics, showed a disposition to ally themselves with France against the emperor.
Outcome of the Conference
Thus the fate of the Regensburg Book was no longer doubtful. After Elector John Frederick and Luther had become fully acquainted with its contents, their disinclination was confirmed, and Luther demanded most decidedly that even the articles agreed upon should be rejected. On July 5 the estates rejected the emperor's efforts for union. They demanded an investigation of the articles agreed upon, and that in case of necessity they should be emendated and explained by the papal legate. Moreover, the Protestants were to be compelled to accept the disputed articles; in case of their refusal a general or national council was to be convoked.
Contarinithumb|240px|Gasparo Contarini.Gasparo Contarini was an Italian diplomat and cardinal.-Biography:He was born in Venice, the eldest son of Alvise Contarini, of the ancient noble House of Contarini, and his wife Polissena Malpiero...
received instructions to announce to the emperor that all settlement of religious and ecclesiastical questions should be left to the pope. Thus the whole effort for union was already frustrated, even before the Protestant estates declared that they insisted upon their counterpropositions in regard to the disputed articles.
The supposed results of the religious conference were to be laid before a general or national council or before an assembly of the empire which was to be convoked within eighteen months. In the mean time the Protestants were bound to adhere to the articles agreed upon, not to publish anything on them, and not to abolish any churches or monasteries, while the prelates were requested to reform their clergy at the order of the legate. The peace of Nuremberg was to extend until the time of the future council, but the Augsburg Recess was to be maintained. These decisions might have become very dangerous to the Protestants, and in order not to force them into an alliance with his foreign opponents, the emperor decided to change some of
the resolutions in their favor; but the Roman Catholics did not acknowledge his declaration. As he was not willing to expose himself to an interprellation on their part, he left Regensburg on June 29, without
having obtained an agreement or a humiliation of the Protestants, and the Roman party looked upon him with greater mistrust than the Protestants.
External links
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc09.html?term=Regensburg,%20Conference%20of