Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/437

Martin Luther and the Protestant Revolt 317 busied with a succession of wars carried on with the king of France. But in 1530 he found himself at peace for the moment, and came to Germany to hold a brilliant diet of his German sub- jects at Augsburg, in the hope of settling the religious problem, which, however, he understood very imperfectly. He ordered the Protestants to draw up a statement of exactly what they believed, which should serve as a basis for discussion. Melanchthon, Luther's most famous friend and colleague, was intrusted with this delicate task. The Augsburg Confession, as his declaration was called, is a historical document of great importance. Melanchthon's gentle disposition led him to make the differences between his belief and that of the old Church seem as few and slight as possible. He showed that both parties held the same fundamental views of Christianity. But he defended the rejection on the part of the Protestants of a number of the practices of the Roman Catho- lics, such as the celibacy of the clergy and the observance of fast days. 538. Charles V's Attempt at Pacification, Certain theologians who had been loud in their denunciations of Luther were ordered by the emperor to prepare a refutation of the Protestant views. Charles V declared the Catholic statement to be "Christian and judicious" and commanded the Protestants to accept it. They were to cease troubling the Catholics and were to give back all the monasteries and Church property which they had seized. The emperor agreed, however, to urge the Pope to call a council to meet within a year. This, he hoped, would be able to settle all differences and reform the Church according to the views of the more liberal Catholics. 539. The Peace of Augsburg (isss). For ten years after the emperor left Augsburg he was kept busy in southern Europe by new wars. In order to secure the assistance of the Protes- tants he was forced to let them go their own way. Meanwhile the number of rulers who accepted Luther's teachings gradually increased. Finally, there was a brief war between Charles and the Protestant princes, but there was little fighting.