The ' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

, "ecclesiastical reservation"; ) was a provision of the Peace of Augsburg of 1555. It exempted ecclesiastical lands from the principle of ' (

: whose land, his religion), which the Peace established for all hereditary dynastic lands, such as those ruled by princes or dukes. Under this principle, the religion of the ruler would be the religion of the country and of its people, those being his possession by inheritance. But this same principle would have different consequences if applied in an ecclesiastical realm, such as one ruled by a prince-bishop or an

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

. Such a realm was structurally Catholic, and its ruler was elected or appointed within the Church, having no hereditary rights. The ' declared that an ecclesiastical prince who converted to Lutheranism immediately forfeited his authority (which he had received within the Church) and the realm was not converted. His office became vacant and he would be replaced by a Catholic. The measure was inserted into the Peace by Imperial authority, as it was not supported by Protestants. Nonetheless, the Protestants chose not to veto the measure and in return gained the ' that protected Protestant knights and long-established Protestant cities and communities, including those in territories where ' applied. The measure was contested in 1583, when the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, converted to Protestantism, specifically to

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

, and tried to retain his office. In the resulting

Cologne War The Cologne War (german: Kölner Krieg, Kölnischer Krieg, Truchsessischer Krieg; 1583–88) was a conflict between Protestant and Catholic factions that devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of the Holy ...

, Gebhard was supported by the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiograph ...

and the

Electorate of the Palatinate The Electoral Palatinate (german: Kurpfalz) or the Palatinate (), officially the Electorate of the Palatinate (), was a state that was part of the Holy Roman Empire. The electorate had its origins under the rulership of the Counts Palatine o ...

. But the war was eventually won by his Catholic replacement, Ernest of Bavaria, supported by his brother

William V, Duke of Bavaria William V (29 September 1548 – 7 February 1626), called ''the Pious'', (German: ''Wilhelm V., der Fromme, Herzog von Bayern'') was Duke of Bavaria from 1579 to 1597. Education and early life William V was born in Landshut, the son of Alb ...

, and by

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

. The Spanish army, commanded by the Duke of Parma, physically recovered the electoral territory. Ernest's victory upheld the principle of the ''.'' The measure continued to be a grievance of Protestants. After the ascension of

Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor Matthias (24 February 1557 – 20 March 1619) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612 to 1619, Archduke of Austria from 1608 to 1619, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 to 1618, and King of Bohemia from 1611 to 1617. His personal motto was ''Con ...

, his new chancellor, Melchior Klesl, hoped to dissolve the religious alliances of the time — the Protestant Union and the Catholic League — and bring people of all faiths back under the authority of the Emperor.Parker, p. 30. In response, the Protestant Union's Assembly at Rothenburg ob der Tauber voted in March 1613 to not disband while the Catholic League was still in existence, and to ensure certain long-standing grievances were rectified, including the ''{{lang, la, reservatum ecclesiasticum''.

References

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

1555 in the Holy Roman Empire 1583 in the Holy Roman Empire 1613 in the Holy Roman Empire 1555 treaties 1555 in Christianity

See also

References