What were the provisions of the Peace of Augsburg of 1555? How was it a religious compromise? What issues were left unresolved?

The Peace of Augsburg of 1555 was the agreement between the Roman Empire and Protestant princes. This agreement allowed German princes to choose a religion, either Lutheranism or Catholicism. It was also established that the religion that the ruler of a region follows is the religion that the people must follow. That is, if the prince is Lutheran then all the people in that region must be the followers of this religion. Therefore, it connected church and state. During a “grace period” families were allowed to move around and choose one of the two religions and settle in that area.

It was a religious compromise in a way that the two religions agree to co-exist together. Moreover, there was no one religion that dominated the region. It also gave people a right to choose one religion that they prefer (between the two). The agreement also stopped the religious (Protestant) war between the Roman Empire and France and brought some peace to the people.

The main problem with the Peace of Augsburg is that it excluded other religions other than Lutheranism and Catholicism. Anabaptists and Calvinists were not protected under the peace so, they became victims of harassment. This led to the Thirty Year’s war and conflicts between Catholics and Protestants.