Hagenau, Conference of

HAGENAU, CONFERENCE OF: An assembly summoned by Charles V. in 1540 for the discussion of questions at issue between the Catholic and Protestant princes of Germany. The preliminary negotiations were prolonged through the efforts of the emperor to have himself recognized as arbitrator at the disputation, while the Schmalkaldic princes, through Melanchthon as their mouthpiece, demanded that the debate be prosecuted and the decision rendered only according to the Scriptures. The conference was called for the sixth of June at Speyer, whither the emperor sent his brother Ferdinand as his representative. By the latter part of May the Catholic delegates were assembled at Speyer but owing to the ravages of the plague in that city the sittings were removed to Hagenau. The papal interests were represented by the legate Cardinal Cervino, who, however, remained with the emperor in the Netherlands, and only Morone accompanied Ferdinand to Hagenau. His instructions were to enter into no binding agreements, to abstain from participating in the public disputations, and to content himself with rendering aid to the Catholic party by advice; in case the conference should arrive at the discussion of vital issues other legates would be sent, and if affairs took a turn hostile to the interests of the Curia he was to leave the city. On June 12, Ferdinand was first in a position to open negotiations with the Catholic representatives, to whom he complained of the perverse obstinacy of the Protestants and extended assurances that the outcome of the conference should leave the Catholic faith unimpaired. Of the Protestant theologians who now made their appearance the most prominent were Cruciger, Myconius, Butzer, Link, Capito, Qsiander, and Pistorius; Melanchthon was ill at Weimar and Luther, who wished to go in his place, was not permitted to attend out of regard for his safety. Cochleeus, Eck, Faber, and Nausea were the leading exponents of the Catholic position. The latter attempted to lay down as a basis for negotiations that the articles debated at Augsburg be regarded as definitely settled and that the discussion proceed with the articles not yet considered. In this sense Eck and Cochlaeus submitted a progr; m to the conference. The Protestants, how-

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ever, denied that any agreement had been reached at Augsburg, rejected the submitted program as incorrect and demanded a full and free discussion of their entire confession. It was evident that no common action was possible and on July 16 Fer dinand proposed that the negotiations be post poned to another time and place on account of the absence of the Protestant leaders, the elector John Frederick of Saxony and Philip of Hesse. On July 28 the conference dispersed after deciding upon a new conference at Worms in October. The absolute failure of the negotiations served to emphasize the fact already expressed by Cochlwus that no discus sion as to particular doctrines could be of any avail so long as the two parties were irreconcilably opposed in their ideas of the nature of the Church as a whole.

(G. Kawerau.)

Bibliography: Sources are: CR, iii.; G. Burckardk (Georg Spalatin), Annales Re/ormationis, ed. Cyprian, pp. 381 sqq., 1718. Consult: R. Moses, Die Religionsverhandlungen su Hagemu and Worms, Jena, 1889; J. Janssen, Geschichte des dautschen Volks, iii. 425 sqq., Freiburg, 1885; F. Dittrieh, Regesten and Briefs des . . Gasparo Contarini, pp. 504 sqq., Braunsberg, 1881; M. Spahn, J. CochMus, pp. 279 sqq., Berlin, 1898.