History: Peace of Augsburg

1555- The Protestant Reformation instigated a spate of religious turmoil and warfare throughout Europe, since few states and officials could agree on the fate of the two intertwined yet conflicting ecclesiastical disciplines. Wars between Italy, Spain, Germany and the Turks marked the period until the Peace of Augsburg. The Peace of Augsburg granted Lutherans the same legal rights as Catholics and settled the disputes between the Lutheran Germans and other non-Lutherans. The Peace of Augsburg also cemented the independence of the German Princes who had eschewed the will of the Holy Roman Emperor and triumphed.