freedom of conscience; and all disputes that might arise were to be
referred to a commission consisting of an equal number of Protestant
and Catholic members.

Owing to the war with France it was not until the year 1555 that the
proposed Diet met at Augsburg. The Protestant party, encouraged by
their victories, were in no humour for compromise, and as it was
evident that there was no longer any hope of healing the religious
division in the Empire, it was agreed that peace could be secured only
by mutual toleration. In September 1555 the Peace of Augsburg was
concluded. According to the terms of this convention full freedom of
conscience was conceded in the Empire to Catholics and to all
Protestants who accepted the Augsburg Confession. The latter were
permitted to retain the ecclesiastical goods which they had already
acquired before the Treaty of Passau (1552). For the future each
prince was to be free to determine the religion of his subjects, but
in case a subject was not content with the religion imposed on him by
his sovereign he could claim the right to migrate into a more friendly
territory.

A great difficulty arose in regard to the disposal of the
ecclesiastical property in case a Catholic bishop or abbot should
apostatise. Notwithstanding the protests of the Protestant party, it
was decreed that if such an event should occur the seceder could claim
his own personal property, but not the property attached to his
office. This clause, known as the /Ecclesiasticum Reservatum/, gave
rise to many disputes, and was one of the principal causes of the
Thirty Years' War.

By the /Peace of Augsburg/ Protestantism was recognised as a distinct