The recess of the diet was issued April 22 in the form already described: and three days later the Prot- estant ])rinces and delegates assembled in the house of Peter ^luderstatt, deacon of St. .John's, to draw up — in behalf of themselves, their subjects, and all who should thereafter receive the Word of God — an .ipjieal addressed to his imperial majesty and to a free and universal coun- cil of holy Christendom. They incorjiorated in it a re- view of the action taken by the diet, accompanied with the principal documents belonging to the case, and de- manded immunity from all past, present, and future vex- ations measures. They next resolved to send an eml)as- sy to the emperor, in order that the reasons from which they acted might be truthfidly reported to him, and that he might be conciliated; and then they quitted Sj)ires.
The envoys were selected at a convention held in Nuremberg May, 1529, and reached the emperor Sept. 7. They were, Alexis Fraiientraut, secretary to the mar- grave of Hrandenburg; IMichael von Kaden, syndic of Nuremberg; and John Ehinger, the burgomaster of j\leminingen. The emiieror had in the meanlime con- cluded a treaty with the ])o])e at Barcelona. .Tune 29, ancl had conchulcd peace with Francis I at Cambray, .\ug. 5, in each instance binding himself to put down the Keformation in Germany. The envoys innnediate- ly presented the protest, but were obliged to wait until Oct. 12 for the emperor's reply, insisting on the sub- mission of the IVotestants to the decree of the diet; on receiving wliich they at once read the appeal of S|iires, and caused it to bi^ taken to the emperor, who thereupon placed them under arrest. In Gcrmanv, the landgrave
SPIRES
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of Hesse had given the protest of Spires to the world in print, Miiy 5, 15"29, and the elector of Saxony "May I'i. See Miiller, IJis/, vim </. ecuw/. SIdnde Protest it. Ap- pellation . . . dann der duraiij' erfolglen Legation in Spanien an k. Mojesf. Karl F, etc. (Jena, 1705); Jnng', Ge.ich. des Rnchstags zu Sjiei/er, 1529 (Strasb. and Leips. 1830).
III. The third Diet of Spires was convened to take action with reference to the necessities of the empire as against the Turks. It was opened Feb. 9, 15-1 ■2, by king Ferdinand, who urged the imjiortance of providing aid against the threatening enemy, but was met by the Evaiigelical estates with a declaration that they would vote no assistance save under the condition that tlie jieace of Katisbon (1541) should be confirmed. They asserted that many rulers did not act conformably to that agreement, and also that in suits at law before the chamber Evangelical contestants could not expect jus- tice because of the composition of that tribuiial, and they demanded that unobjectionable men should be ap- pointed to its bench, Ferdinand could not receive such sentiments with favor, but was obliged to yield to the demands of the Protestant partv through fear of the Turks.
The pope had sent cardinal IMoroni to the diet to ad- vocate the inauguration of a reform which should re- store the Churcli to its ancient condition, and to pro- pose, in furtherance of that purpose, the holding of a council in some Italian city. The estates rejected the latter proposition ; and the Evangelical party went so far as to declare that they wotdd never recognise a coun- cil convened and opened by the pope, though the latter had offered to substitute Trent or Cambray as the place of meeting, and the estates had decided in favor of Trent. The Evangelicals also demanded that their protest against the proposed council should be admitted into the recess of the diet. A compromise was finally adopted, and published as a recess on A])ril 11, 1542, bv which the Evangelical claims were recognised, and an armistice for five years after the war was accorded them in return for the vote of liberal aid for the prosecution of the Turkish campaign. The recess, however, pro- vided no new guarantee tliat the unwilling Komanists would respect its provisions any better than those of the Ratisbon fnterim (q. v.). See Sleidani iJe Statu Reli- gionis et Reipuhl. Comment, a Chr. Car. etc. (Frcf. ad jM. 1786), p. 248 sq. ; Seckeiidorf, Ilistoria Lutheranismi, bk. iii, § 25, p. 382 sq. ; Walch, Litther's sdmmtliche Schrifien (Halle, 1745), xvii, 1002 sq. ; Schmidt, Ge- .schiclite der Deutschen (Ulm, 1783), v, 436 sq.
IV. The aid voted at the third Diet of Spires did not enable the imperial armies to retard the progress of the Turkish conipiest in Hungary; in Germany various complications had arisen through the introduction of the Protestant faith into new territories, and the opi)o- sition of the Roman Catholic estates to the execution of the Ratisbon declaration ; and, finally, the war with France had become very burdensome. The emperor accordingly convened a fourth diet at Spires, on Feb. 20, 1544, and displayed unusual anxiety to secure the personal attendance of the elector of Saxony and the landgrave of Hesse — the object being to ally Germany with himself in the war against France if possible, and thus to destroy the hope of assistance from Francis I upon which the Germans counted in the event of re- ligious and political complications. The elector was, however, required to confine the Evangelical preaching to his lodgings, and not to use a church for that purpose. Against this demand the Protestant princes raised an emphatic proteet.