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came part of the archdiocese of Mainz, the larger portion of the see being on the right bank of the Rhine, and the smaller portion on the left bank. The northern and southern limits respectively were Altrip and Lauterburg, while in the east the diocese extended to the present W iirttemberg circle of Jagat, and in the west to the vicinity of Pirmasenz. (A. HAUCK.)

For a long time after the rise of Lutheranism the diocese of Speyer, although almost invariably administered by faithful and able prelates, was exposed to many vicissitudes. In 1546 the deanery of Weissenburg was incorporated in the diocese, but a few years later the troops of Margrave Albert of Brandenburg-Cuhnbach plundered and desecrated the cathedral. The majority of the old monasteries came into the possession of adherents of the new faith, although sturdy resistance was made to Protestantism both in its religious and its political aspects. In 1621 Ernest of Mansfeld again sacked Speyer, and in 1632 the victorious advance of Gustavus Adolphus led the bishop to make alliance with the French. This union, even though aided by Swedish neutrality, could not protect the diocese against the horrors of the Thirty-Years' War, and for ten years (1635-45) the bishop was a prisoner at Vienna. The years following were devoted to the restoration of the almost mined diocese, but the War of the Palatinate and of the Orleans and Spanish successions brought new distress upon

I. Diet of 1526: When Archduke Ferdinand opened the imperial diet in Speyer June 15, 1526, the political situation was unfavorable to the friends of the Reformation. Through the peace of Madrid, Jan. 14, 1526, the Emperor Charles V. had gained a free hand, and could hope to enforce within the German empire the provisions of the edict of Worms. The South German Roman

z. The Catholic princes had formed a compact Political alliance at Regensburg in July, 1524;

Accordingly, the imperial instructions to the estates at Speyer demanded no more than advisement over the ways and means whereby the ordinances of the Church might be administered as usual. But although the chiefs of the Evangelical party, Elector John of Saxony and Landgrave Philip of Hesse, had not yet arrived, the two princely colleges, on June 30, demanded some action in the matter of terminating abuses. The cities declared

Speyer, while occasional conflicts between city and diocese still further complicated the situation. The wars of the Polish and Austrian successions also worked to the disadvantage of the see. In 1801 that portion of the diocese to the left of the Rhine, which had been permanently occupied by the French, was divided between the sees of Kai= and Strasburg, while the district to the right of the river was later shared by Freiburg and Rottenburg. In 1817 the Bavarian concordat created a new diocese of Speyer, which is identical in limits 'with the Bavarian Rhenish Palatinate and forms part of the archdiocese of Bamberg.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Annalea Spirenaea, ecl. G. H. Peru, in MCH, Script., avii (1861), 80-85; Fonder rerum Germanicarum, ed. J. F. Bohmer and A. Huber, iv. 315-355, Stuttgart, 1868; F. X. Remling, Urkundlicho Geachichte der ehemaligen Abteien and Kloster im jetzigen Rheinbayern, 2 vols., Neustadt. 1538; idem, Daq Reform ationaurerk in der PJalz, Mannheim, 1846; idem, Geschichte der BischsJe zu Speller. 2 vole., Mainz, 1852-54; idem, Urkundenbuch zur Ge· achichte der Bisch6Je zu Speyer, 2 vole., ib. 1852-53; idem, Der Speyerer Dom, ib. 1861; idem, Die Rheinpjalz in der Revolution 179,x-98, 2 vole.. Speyer, 1865; idem, Neuere Geschichte der BischoJe zu Speyer, ib. 1867; W. Molitor, Die Immunittit des Domes zu Speyer, ib. 1859; Urkunden zur Geachichte der Stadt Speyer, ed. A. Hilgard, Strasburg, 1885; N. Meyer-Schwartau. Der Dom zu Speyer. Berlin, 1893; J. Zimmern, Der Kaiaerdom zu Speyer, Ludwigshafen, 1897; Urkunden zur pjalzischen Kirchengeachichte im Mittetalter, ed. F. X. Glasschr5der, Munich, 1903; KL, mi. 58914. For list of the bishops consult Gams, Series epiacoporum, pp. 113-315; and HauekHerzog, RE, zviii. 589.

the execution of the edict of Worms to be impossi

ble. At the same time they demanded that such

practises as opposed the word of God

z. Demands be abolished. On.fuly 4, this memorial

of the of the cities was communicated to the

Estates. princely colleges, and it was accepted

unaltered. At this juncture, each of

the three tribunals, electoral, princely, municipal,

elected a separate committee, whose office was to

decide between abuses to be abolished and the good

practises to be retained. The anti-Roman temper

of the major part of the German nation again came

openly to the front, and powerful reenforcement was

received by the arrival in Speyer of Landgrave

Philip on July 12, and of Elec>;or John on July 20.

By an agreement subscribed a :t Torgau May 2, ap

proved by other Evangelical princes on June 12, the

leaders pledged themselves to open confession of the

Evangelical truth. The committee for the princes

endorsed the marriage of priests and the cup for

the laity as articles worthy of resolute endeavor,

but the municipal committee proposed to leave to a

free vote with every estate of the realm how it would

deal with ceremonial affairs ul.til convention of the

council. Subsequently, on July 30, a " great com

mittee" was appointed for further consideration of

the whole matter; but on Aug. 3, Archduke Ferdi-