AUGSBURG CONFESSION, a docu ment adopted by the. Protestants in 1530 as a declaration of faith. Charles V, on his acces sion to the throne of Germany (1520), found his new dominion the theatre of religious dis sensions. The insurrection in Castile, and the war with France and Italy, called Charles into Spain, diverting his attention from the Lutheran schism. The Diet of Spires (1529) had issued a decree for the purpose of conciliating the Lutherans to the proposed Roman Catholic re: form, and uniting them against the Sacra mentarians and Anabaptists. At this juncture, Charles returned, and the German princes and estates were summoned to convene in Diet at Augsburg in June. The summons was con ciliatory, and called for aid against the Turks, making no reference to the religious difficulties of the kingdom, further than to promise at no distinct time a speedy adjustment of them. On the 25th of the month, a confession, pre pared by Melanchthon, and approved by Luther, was presented and read by Dr. Christian Bayer in the Diet. This confession is said to have been prepared on the basis of the Swabach and Torgau articles, although these had been drawn up (1528-29) in the attempt to unite with the Zwinglians, and the object of the present confession was to become reconciled to the Roman Catholic reform party. A copy of
the confession, in German and Latin, was de livered to Charles. Two days after the reading of the confession, it was delivered to the Roman Catholic theologians for a reply. The reply was read in the Diet on 3 August following, and called forth from Melanchthon a defense (Apo logia Confessionis), which was afterward en larged and published in Latin, and then in German. The object of the Augsburg Confes sion was not attained, and the edict of the Emperor (22 September) gave the Lutherans until the following April to bring themselves into conformity with the requirements of the Church, and required their co-operation with the throne against the Zwinglians and Anabaptists. The Augsburg confession and Melanchthon's defense were generally cir culated in western Europe, and became a sort of rallying point among the reformers. Con sult Jacobs, Book of Concord> (Phila delphia 1882 )and Schaff 'Creeds of Christen dom' (New York 1884).