Course of the Protestant Revolt in Germany 1 1 5 possessions, real and personal property, lands, people, domin- ions, governments, honors, and rights. . . . 3. On the other hand, the estates that have accepted the Augsburg Confession shall suffer his Imperial Majesty, us, and the electors, princes, and other estates of the Holy Em- pire, adhering to the old religion, to abide in like manner by their religion, faith, church usages, ordinances, and cere- monies. They shall also leave undisturbed their possessions, real and personal property, lands, people, dominions, govern- ment, honors, and rights, rents, interest, and tithes. . . . 5. But all others who are not adherents of either of the above-mentioned religions are not included in this peace, but shall be altogether excluded. 6. And since, in the negotiation of this peace, there has been disagreement about what should be done when one or more of the spiritual estates should abandon the old religion, on account of the archbishoprics, bishoprics, prelacies, and benefices that were held by them, about which the adherents of both religions could not come to an agreement ; therefore, by the authority of the revered Roman Imperial Majesty, fully delegated to us, we have established and do hereby make known, that where an archbishop, bishop, prelate, or other spiritual incumbent shall depart from our old religion, he shall immediately abandon, without any opposition or delay, his archbishopric, bishopric, prelacy, and other bene- fices, with the fruits and incomes that he may have had from it, — nevertheless without prejudice to his honor. 7. But since certain estates or their predecessors have con- fiscated certain foundations, monasteries, and other spirit- ual possessions, and have applied the income of these to churches, schools, charitable institutions, and other pur- poses, such confiscated property, which does not belong to them, shall (if the holders are immediately subject to the empire and are estates of the empire, and if the clergy did not have possession of the said property at the time of the convention of Passau 1 or since that time) be included in this 1 A preliminary peace concluded in 1552 at the close of Charles V's last and unsuccessful war with the Protestant princes. The Luther- ans not to trouble the Catholics. All Protes- tants except Lutherans excluded from the peace. The " eccle- siastical reservation." Church property secularized before 1552 by Protestant princes to be regarded as confiscated.
