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[[File: Lucas Cranach d.Ä. (Werkst.) - Porträt des Martin Luther (Lutherhaus Wittenberg). jpg|200px|thumb|left|Portrait of Martin Luther]]
==The Treaty==
The Peace of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement was signed in September 1555 by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (the predecessor of Ferdinand I) and the Schmalkaldic League, signed on 25 September 1555 at the imperial city of Augsburg <ref>Elliot, J.H. Imperial Spain 1469–1716. Penguin Books (New York: 2002), p. 208</ref>. It officially ended the religious war and attempted to establish a religious settlement in the sprawling German lands<ref> Hale, p. 134</ref>. The principle of cuius regio, eius religio, was the most important aspect of the treaty. This principle states that the ruler of the realm decided the faith of the people <ref>Von Friedneburg, p 76</ref>. This was to ensure the internal unity of the states within the Holy Roman Empire. If a ruler was Catholic then he could determine that all those who lived in his realm had to be Catholics. Those who did not accept the situation could migrate to a jurisdiction that was Protestant. A Lutheran ruler had the same rights about the religion of his subjects as a Catholic. In the Holy Roman Empire, there were many Ecclesiastical States, such as the city state of Cologne<ref>Hale, p. 117</ref>. These were realms that were ruled by Catholic Bishops or Archbishops. If a prelate changed his faith to Protestantism he was expected to resign and make way for another Catholic bishop<ref>Holborn, Hajo. A History of Modern Germany, The Reformation (Princeton: Princeton University Press), p. 195</ref>. Knights were also exempted from the requirement of religious uniformity and they could still practice their faith even if it was at odds with that of their ruler. One of the most important aspects of the Treaty was that it only applied to Lutherans and Catholics. Rulers who followed Calvinism and the teachings of the Anabaptists were not recognized. The rights of members of these churches were also not recognized by the Peace and they not accorded parity of esteem with Catholics and Protestants. The treaty sought to ensure a balance of power between Germanys’ Protestant and Catholics and in doing so to ensure peace and an end to sectarian strife. In the near term, it did manage to end the war but religious conflict was to persist in many areas. The Peace of Augsburg guaranteed that the House of Hapsburg would continue to be elected the Imperial ruler. However, the Emperor had little or no control of northern Germany the heartland of Lutheranism.
== Religious tensions==
The Peace of Augsburg created a temporary end to hostilities, it did not resolve the underlying religious tension in Germany and in central Europe. There were continued tensions between Catholics and Protestants. Despite the agreement that those who did not share the religion of the prince or ruler should conform or leave the realm, in the treaty many did not. This meant that there were rival groups of Catholics and Protestants living near each other in an uneasy peace. There are many instances of riots and violence between the two groups. The situation was made more complex by the spread of Calvinism in the latter part of the sixteenth century. Many Germans were drawn to the teachings of Calvin and his ideas on the ‘elect’ and ‘predestination’. Several German rulers especially in Brandenburg and the Rhineland tolerated Calvinists. The Calvinists although Protestants were not Lutherans and they were distrusted and even persecuted by Lutheran rulers. Catholics naturally saw them as just another Protestant sect. The rise of Calvinism in Germany was not foreseen by the Peace of Augsburg. At the time of the writing of the treaty they were a small group. By the 1580s they were a significant minority and their activities helped to increase religious tensions in Germany. By the 1600s several rulers proclaimed themselves Calvinists, such as the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and the Elector of Brandenburg. As Calvinists, they were not covered by the principle of ‘one ruler, one faith’, this threw the entire Peace of Augsburg into doubt. Furthermore, Calvinists because they were recognized under the Peace of Augsburg were in effect unable to secure any tolerance for their faith in the Empire. This was to play an important part in the breakdown of the Augsburg Settlement. Indeed, the collapse of the Augsburg settlement can be attributed to actions borne out of Calvinists frustrations. The so-called ‘defenestration of Prague’ involved Calvinists attacking and throwing representatives of the Holy Roman Emperor out a window. This was to trigger the Thirty Years War that left most of central Europe a wasteland <ref> Wilson, Peter, The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy. London: Belknap Pres, 2011), p. 67</ref>.
