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45 RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA Speyer

Thus. the situation of the Evangelical estates had come to be serious. In the imperial diet, they stood completely isolated. Yet the Evangelical leaders held firm and unanimous, even though the opposition attempted to effect their separation by utilizing the dissension between Luther and

3. With- 7.wingli. The magistrates of Evangel drawal of ical cities, especially of Nuremberg and the Evan- Strasburg, contributed not a little, by gelicals. their animating instructions, to the result that their advocates in Speyer maintained their courageous determination. After the imperial commissioners' ultimatum, Elector John, Margrave George, Landgrave Philip, and Prince Wolfgang of Anhalt, as also the chancellor of Dukes Ernst and F ranz of Liineburg, who had not yet reached Speyer, returned to the audience cham ber, whence they had withdrawn for a brief con sultation, and protested orally against the decree. stating also that they would take no part in any subsequent proceedings of the imperial diet. And when Jacob Sturm announced that the Evangelical cities adhered to the protestation, they filed in the records of the diet a writ of protest, which mean while had been hastily drawn up by the Saxon chancellor, wherein they declared that they were not bound, without their assent, to vacate the former unanimously resolved decree, and that they pro tested against the majority ruling as null and void. For the drafting of a second, more explicitly de tailed writ of protestation, they commissioned the chancellor of Brandenburg, George Vogler, who now prepared with the utmost expedition a draft, which is still extant in the district archives of Bam berg, in sixteen folio pages. This document meeting with the approbation of the Evangelical princes, a clean copy thereof was despatched to King Fer dinand on Apr. 20. At first, indeed, he accepted the same, but afterward he returned it with disapproval. At the last moment, Duke Henry of Brunswick and Margrave Philip of Baden made an attempt at medi ation that found ready response with the Evangelical princes, but was rejected by Ferdinand. The decree was signed on April 22; and. the diet, wherein the Evangelical princes no longer took part, was closed. The protesting delegates announced, however, that they meant to conduct themselves peaceably and friendly toward all estates.

For security against hostile attacks, Elector John and Landgrave Philip, on April 22, had an " understanding " with Nuremberg, Strasburg, and Ulm, as to which more particular terms were to

4. The be defined in June, at a diet in Rotach. "Protest." On Apr. 25, the formal act of protestation was vested with legal finality by an attested instrument of appeal, wherein all antecedent records were duly cited and reviewed. In this connection, the counselors of Elector John of Saxony, Margrave George of Brandenburg, Dukes Ernst and Franz of Luneburg, Landgrave Philip of Hesse, and of Prince Wolfgang of Anhalt, protested by every form of law against the decree; and at the same time appealed to the emperor, the council, the national assembly, indeed to every impartial Christian judge. The delegations of the fourteen cities made simultaneous declaration of their adherence to

this appeal. The Evangelical princes departed from Speyer on Apr. 25 and straightway arranged for the publication of the protestation. This was effected by the landgrav a on May 5, and by the elector on May 12. A deputation, whose members were deter mined at Nuremberg on May 26, was to convey the appeal to the emperor. These envoys did also set out in July, but not till Sept. 12, at Piacenza, could they deliver their message to the emperor. On Oct. 12, he then assured them that he expected the pro testing estates to obey the decree, since otherwise he must proceed against them with severe measures. Lastly he had the envoys arrested, nor were they released until Oct. 30.

It was from the protest at Speyer that the adherents of the Reformation obtained the designation of " Protestants " (see PROTESTANTISM), and this act received a worthy memorial in the commemorative " Church of the Protestation," erected by means of gifts from all Evangeaical countries, and solemnly dedicated on Aug. 31, 1904.

The " protest " from which this " Protestants " derived their name -has been charged by Roman Catholics with being a protest e,gainst tolerance as expressed with reference to the edict of Worms by the diet. But the edict bound those who maintained it to deny to Luther and his adherents all rights, even of food and shelter, and

g. Roman permitted their spo'.iation and persecu- Catholic tion; the diet's terms required the Charges. execution of these commands. The directions of the diet further did not admit the legitimacy of the Reformation where it was already deeply rooted, acid forbade further progress; had the Evangelical party signed this, they would by that fact have admitted the Refor mation to be at fault. The diet, further attempted to prohibit preaching against the Roman Catholic doctrine of the sacrament of the :Lord's Supper, even where the Lutheran position was held by the major ity; since it also required that the mass be not abol ished in Evangelical jurisdiction., even the Evangel ical clergy would have been compelled to read mass, and this involved practically the prohibition of the Evangelical celebration of the Lord's Supper. The charge which has most behind it as stated by Roman Catholics is that of intolerance by Evangelicals, in that the masses had proceeded to the length of riot in their opposition to Roman Catholic observances and institutions. The medievEd theories were in this respect still in practise. On the other hand, the Roman Catholic position was no better, but ex plicitly involved the extinction. of Protestant re ligion and practises. But the " protest "embodied a clear and concrete presentation of the principles of Protestantism, and was a courageous statement in the face of an adverse majority.

III. Diet of :tea: The purpose of this third imperial diet of Speyer, opened by King Ferdinand on Feb. 9, 1542, was to afford him aid against the Turks, who were closely pressing Austria. The Protestant estates declared themselves ready to attend on condition that the religious peace of Nuremberg (see NUREMBERG, RELIGIOUS PEACE OF), whose provisions had been renewed at :Regensburg in 1541, be maintained intact. It was not until Apr. 11, and