Schmalkaldic War

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Political situation during the Schmalkaldic War, 1547

The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Charles V and the Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman Empire.

The war began when Maurice, the Duke (and later, Elector) of Albertine Saxony, invaded the lands of his rival in Ernestine Saxony, John Frederick, for political reasons (both rulers were protestant). As John Frederick was co-founder of the Schmalkaldic League, his allies joined him in a fight against the Catholics, including Charles V, who sided with Maurice.

John Frederick quickly liberated Ernestine Saxony with his army, in Württemberg at the time. He then proceeded to occupy Albertine Saxony and Bohemia. Because the protestants of Bohemia did not provide military assistance, as he had hoped for, the imperial forces of Charles V forced him into retreat. Due to disagreement in strategy, the League's defenses were routed on April 24th, 1547, at the Battle of Mühlberg, where John Frederick was taken prisoner. After the battle, which determined the result of the war, only two cities continued to resist: Bremen and Magdeburg. Both cities refused to pay the fines Charles imposed on them while avoiding takeover.

Although the imperial forces were victorious over the protestant forces of the Schmalkaldic League, the ideas of Martin Luther had spread over the empire such that they could not be suppressed with physical force. Official religious settlement arrived 8 years later in the form of the Peace of Augsburg.