Day of the Augsburg religion (25/06)

The Augsburg Religion Day, celebrated annually on June 25, is established in memory of an important historical event. On this day, Lutheranism received the status of the official religion in Germany, and Protestantism won the right to exist in it.

The Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana) – is the earliest of the official Protestant creeds, still the doctrinal norm for Lutherans, these are the main provisions of the faith of the first Lutherans, which were compiled in 1530 by the Lutheran theologian Philipp Melanchton (1497—1560), Martin Luther's closest associate. They were presented on 25 June 1530 to the Augsburg Reichstag. However, the princes, who remained faithful to Catholicism, refused to accept the new confession. Taking advantage of this, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V suspended the Reichstag with his power and declared war on the new movement.

In response, the Protestants formed the Schmalkaldic League — as a kind of defensive alliance. After several attempts to find a compromise between Catholics and Protestants, the tragic Schmalkaldic War broke out in 1546.

Eventually, on 25 September 1555, the Augsburg Religious Peace was concluded between the head of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, Charles V, and the rulers of the Protestant lands, who sought equal rights with the Catholic princes, which legitimized Protestantism. The treaty was also confirmed by a papal decision.

Thus, Lutheranism received the status of the state religion.

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