The Wars of Religio7i 647 enjoy the support of his father-in-law, King James I of England.^ So Frederick and his English wife moved from Heidelberg to Prague. But their stay there was brief, for the Hapsburg Emperor (Ferdinand II) with the aid of the ruler of Bavaria put to flight the poor " winter king," as Frederick was called on account of his reign of a single season. This was regarded as a serious defeat by the Protestants, Denmark and the Protestant king of Denmark decided to intervene. He ^"^^^^"^^ remained in Germany for four years but was so badly beaten by the Emperor's able general, Wallenstein, that he retired from the conflict in 1629. The Emperor was encouraged by the successes of the Catho- The Edict of lie armies in defeating the Bohemian and Danish Protestant 16^9 '" 't"' armies to issue that same year an Edict of Restitution. In this he ordered the Protestants throughout Germany to give back all the church possessions which they had seized since the reli- gious Peace of Augsburg (1555). These included two arch- bishoprics (Magdeburg and Bremen), nine bishoprics, about one hundred and twenty monasteries, and other church foundations. Moreover, he decreed that only the Lutherans might hold re- ligious meetings ; the other " sects," including the Calvinists, were to be broken up. As Wallenstein was preparing to exe- cute this decree in his usual merciless fashion, the war took a new turn. The Catholic League, which had been formed some time be- Dismissal of fore, had become jealous of a general who threatened to become appearance" ' too powerful, and it accordingly joined in the complaints, which ^d^i"h^^"^f came from every side, of the terrible extortions and incredible Sweden, cruelty practiced by Wallenstein 's troops. The Emperor con- ^ sented, therefore, to dismiss this most competent commander. Just as the Catholics were thus weakened, a new enemy ar- rived upon the scene who proved far more dangerous than any they had yet had to face, namely Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden. 1 James VI of Scotland who succeeded Queen Elizabeth in 1603.
