September 25: Today is the anniversary of the Peace of Augsburg, also known as "Peace of religions", signed by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the princes of the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League on September 25th, 1555, where today is Bayern, Germany.

Representatives of the German estates at the Augsburg conference discuss the possibilities of a religious peace.

The disputes began to arise when some Catholic bishops converted to Lutheranism and the property of the diocese became on behalf of them, as new followers of the new Lutheran confession. Of course, the Catholic Church opposed, expressing that the assets and goods (temples, buildings, parcels, territories, artwork, furniture and fixtures) were not owned by the bishops but of the Church.

We are the precious chosen few, let all the rest be damned …The essential determination of Augsburg was cuius regio, eius religion — each local bossman, secular or religious, would determine whether his fief was Catholic or Lutheran.

These inconsistencies began to escalate the conflict to skirmishes between Catholics and new Lutherans, in order to to defend the assets that were being usurped. Peace gave official recognition to the worship of Lutheranism by the Holy Roman Empire, based in Vienna, Austria.

Charles V making peace with the German Protestant princes at Augsburg, 1530.

The Peace of Augsburg ended, temporarily; however, both parties agreed to four key points as follows:

1. The Lutherans who had captured territories of the Catholic Church before the Treaty of Passau in 1552, could retain them on their favor.

2. Church leaders of the Catholic Church, archbishops and bishops, who converted to Lutheranism after the Peace of Passau, had to give up their lands and leave them in the hands of the Catholic Church.

3. All those Lutherans who lived in ecclesiastical state, but under the control of a Catholic bishop, will serve as Lutherans: ecclesiastical reservation.

4. The Germanic princes would be free to choose the religion that was professed in their territories according to their consciences: "Whose realm, his religion".