The city of Speyer (Spires), located at the confluence of the Speyerbach and the Rhine in Bavaria, Germany, holds a significant place in ecclesiastical history. Once a residence of German emperors, Speyer played host to several important meetings concerning the Reformation. These gatherings, known as the Diets of Speyer, were crucial in shaping the religious landscape of Europe.
The First Diet of Speyer (1526)
The initial Diet of Speyer was scheduled for February 1, 1526, in Esslingen but was later moved to Speyer on May 1, commencing deliberations on June 26. Several factors created a favorable environment for the evangelical cause at the time. The peace of Madrid, agreed upon by Emperor Charles V and King Francis I of France in January 1526, had been broken by Francis with papal consent. Western Europe united against the imperial house, the Ottoman Empire threatened Germany, and the Torgau alliance solidified Protestant states into a formidable power.
The Protestant princes adopted a bold stance, with their preachers holding daily services attended by thousands. The religious question dominated the diet from the outset. Imperial commissioners declared the emperor's intent to maintain the existing religious order until a council could establish a new one. They demanded adherence to the Edict of Worms and forbade new Lutheran teachings.
Debates ensued, with lay estates highlighting Church abuses and imperial cities calling for the abrogation of erroneous customs. They argued about the uncertainty of when a general Christian council might convene. These arguments were persuasive. A committee suggested recognizing only baptism and the Lord's Supper as sacraments, allowing the laity to partake of the cup, and using the vernacular in administering sacraments. Another committee advised liberty on these points, advocating for the abrogation of celibacy and intelligent preaching of the Word of God.
The commissioners then presented instructions dated March 23, prohibiting any action conflicting with traditional doctrines and usages and demanding enforcement of the Edict of Worms. The elector of Saxony and the landgrave of Hesse promptly departed Spires. The emperor's difficulties, combined with his advisors' counsel, led him to adopt a more conciliatory approach. He aimed to win over the Evangelicals with kindness and submit their doctrines to a council. The Diet's recess, dated August 27, decreed that a universal or national council should be called within a year and that each state should behave in accordance with the Edict of Worms to be accountable to God and the emperor.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Thus, the Evangelical cause experienced a period of calm, allowing its adherents to consolidate the Church.
The Second Diet of Speyer (1529)
The second Diet of Speyer was convened due to the emperor's improved political position, which emboldened him to enforce the repression of the Evangelical movement. With Francis I seeking peace and the Pope renewing amicable relations, the council promised in the first Diet's recess was abandoned. The emperor declared his intolerance for disobedience to the Edict of Worms, asserting that religious differences caused the empire's troubles.
He appointed commissaries led by his brother Ferdinand and ordered a diet in Speyer, initially set for February 1, 1529, but later changed to February 21, with the opening delayed until March 15. The Romish party held a strong majority, intensified by the fraud of Pack, determined to execute the emperor's instructions to undermine Evangelical teachings and Church order.
Similar to the first Diet, Evangelicals were denied a church and had to worship in their lodgings. Despite the prohibition of attendance, over 8000 people attended their services. Imperial commissaries attempted to sow discord among the Evangelicals but, failing that, excluded delegates from Strasburg and Memmingen, where the mass had been prohibited.
The commissaries opened the diet in line with the emperor's instructions, revoking the previous diet's recess on the grounds of arbitrary interpretation. The commissaries' address was referred to a committee dominated by the Romish majority and was, predictably, approved. The report advocated for holding a council in a German city, retaining the mass everywhere, restoring it where it had been abolished, implementing strict book censorship, and prohibiting any teaching that did not recognize the real body and blood of Christ in the sacrament. The final item aimed to prevent the union of Lutherans and Reformed into a single powerful party, as proposed by the landgrave of Hesse.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Ferdinand worked to promote the report's adoption, while Eck and Faber sought to divide the minority. However, the landgrave, with Melancthon's assistance, successfully united the Evangelicals in opposing the report. This declaration was submitted to the diet on April 12 but was immediately rejected by the Romish majority. On April 19, Ferdinand elevated the committee's report into a recess of the diet, commanding the Evangelicals to submit to its provisions.
As the minority refused to yield, Ferdinand and his associate commissaries left the diet. The Evangelical princes then drafted a protest against Ferdinand's actions, aligning with their previous declaration, and had it read publicly. The following day, they sent a more detailed copy of their protest to the imperial commissaries, which Ferdinand returned. This event led to them being called Protestants.
The protest asserted that the Evangelical princes and estates could not accept the revocation of the previous diet's unanimous recess by a party vote. They argued that their opponents had acknowledged the correctness of Evangelical teaching in many aspects and could not, therefore, demand its rejection by those who now embraced it. They noted that the papal legate had admitted to the Church's many problems, attributing the existing differences to Rome, as shown by the unaddressed complaints of the German nation.
In the event that the recess of the former diet was recalled by the partisan majority, the signers protested before God that they would neither consent nor adhere to the proposed decree in anything contrary to God, His holy Word, their conscience, and the salvation of their souls, and the last decree of Spires. They requested that the matter be reported to the emperor and declared their intention to act in a manner that would allow them to render account thereof to God and the emperor.
The recess of the diet was issued on April 22 in the described form. Three days later, the Protestant princes and delegates convened in the house of Peter Muderstatt to draft an appeal to the emperor and a free and universal council on behalf of themselves, their subjects, and all future recipients of the Word of God. They included a review of the diet's actions, accompanied by relevant documents, and demanded immunity from all past, present, and future vexatious measures.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
They then resolved to send an embassy to the emperor to truthfully report their reasons and to seek reconciliation. The envoys, selected at a convention in Nuremberg in May 1529, reached the emperor on September 7. However, the emperor had already concluded a treaty with the Pope at Barcelona on June 29 and made peace with Francis I at Cambray on August 5, committing himself to suppress the Reformation in Germany.
The envoys presented the protest but had to wait until October 12 for the emperor's reply, which insisted on the Protestants' submission to the diet's decree. They then read the appeal of Spires, which was given to the emperor, who placed them under arrest. Meanwhile, in Germany, the landgrave of Hesse had published the protest of Spires on May 5, 1529, and the elector of Saxony on May 12.
The Third Diet of Speyer (1542)
The third Diet of Speyer was convened to address the empire's needs against the Turks. It was opened on February 9, 1542, by King Ferdinand, who emphasized the importance of providing aid against the threat. However, the Evangelical estates declared that they would only vote for assistance if the peace of Ratisbon (1541) was confirmed. They argued that many rulers were not complying with the agreement and that Evangelical contestants could not expect justice in chamber suits due to the tribunal's composition, demanding the appointment of unbiased individuals.
Ferdinand initially opposed these sentiments but yielded to the Protestant party's demands due to fear of the Turks. The Pope sent Cardinal Moroni to advocate for a reform restoring the Church to its ancient condition and to propose holding a council in an Italian city. The estates rejected the latter proposition, and the Evangelical party stated that they would never recognize a council convened and opened by the Pope, even though he offered Trent or Cambray as alternative meeting places.
The Evangelicals also demanded that their protest against the proposed council be included in the diet's recess. A compromise was reached and published as a recess on April 11, 1542, recognizing the Evangelical claims and granting them a five-year armistice after the war in exchange for liberal aid for the Turkish campaign. However, the recess did not provide any new guarantees that the Romanists would respect its provisions any better than those of the Ratisbon Interim.
The Fourth Diet of Speyer (1544)
The aid voted at the third Diet of Speyer failed to halt the Turkish conquest in Hungary. Complications arose in Germany due to the introduction of Protestantism into new territories and the Roman Catholic estates' opposition to the Ratisbon declaration's execution. Additionally, the war with France had become a burden.
Consequently, the emperor convened a fourth diet at Speyer on February 20, 1544, and sought the personal attendance of the elector of Saxony and the landgrave of Hesse, aiming to ally Germany with himself against France and eliminate the possibility of assistance from Francis I in the event of religious and political issues. However, the elector was required to restrict Evangelical preaching to his lodgings and not use a church. The Protestant princes strongly protested this demand.
The emperor opened the diet in person, outlining the empire's needs concerning foreign enemies and promising to strengthen the chamber as a pillar of public order. The Protestants insisted on resolving their grievances before discussing the Turkish and French wars, but they were eventually persuaded to discuss both issues concurrently. The outcome was unsatisfactory.