Diet of Regensburg (1630)
Encyclopedia
The Diet of Regensburg was a meeting of the prince-elector
s of the Holy Roman Empire
(or Kurfürstentag) which occurred at Regensburg
from July to November 1630. It resulted in a major loss of power for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II
.
had prevented any imperial diet or reichstag
from occurring for thirty years - the last one before the war had been that in 1613. In 1623 the emperor had summoned and dominated a Fürstentag at Regensburg
. The rest of the states' corporate representation had been done on occasional days at the Imperial Circle
and at the Kurfürstentags of 1619, 1627, 1630, 1636 and 1640.
The Diet of 1630 was preceded by Ferdinand's Edict of Restitution
and the Peace of Lübeck after Wallenstein
's defeat of Denmark. These both put the emperor in a favourable position to successfully achieve his goals.
was one of those invited to the Diet, as Imperial Chancellor (Reichserzkanzler) and Bishop-Elector of Mainz. The meeting opened on 3 July 1630 by Ferdinand himself. The Catholic electors were present in person, whilst those of Saxony
and Brandenburg were represented by ambassadors.
Ferdinand's chief aim was to have his son Ferdinand the Younger
elected King of the Romans
and to gain the Empire's military support against the Dutch Republic
in the Thirty Years' War, as well as against France in the War of the Mantuan Succession
. He also needed to deal with the imminent Swedish threat - on 6 July, shortly after the Diet opened, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
landed in Pomerania
Maximilian I of Bavaria
feared the rising power of the empire and the strength of Wallenstein's Imperial Army
. The Catholic electors therefore opposed rather than supported Ferdinand, requiring that the imperial army be downsized, the war-taxes reduced and Wallenstein dismissed from command. Ferdinand largely had to concede these demands so as not to lose his political underpinning in the empire. Wallenstein was dismissed and Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly put in supreme command of imperial forces, which was shrunk despite the Swedish threat. The debate on Mantua forced Ferdinand into a peace treaty which France soon broke. The electors blocked Ferdinand the Younger's election as King of the Romans and in the name of their own freedom revoked the Edict of Restitution.
The Diet thus saw Ferdinand - previously at the height of his power - suffer his first defeat by the Imperial States, a defeat that was near-complete.
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
s of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
(or Kurfürstentag) which occurred at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
from July to November 1630. It resulted in a major loss of power for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
.
Context
The Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
had prevented any imperial diet or reichstag
Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)
The Imperial Diet was the Diet, or general assembly, of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire.During the period of the Empire, which lasted formally until 1806, the Diet was not a parliament in today's sense; instead, it was an assembly of the various estates of the realm...
from occurring for thirty years - the last one before the war had been that in 1613. In 1623 the emperor had summoned and dominated a Fürstentag at Regensburg
Diet of Regensburg (1623)
The Diet of Regensburg was a meeting of the Imperial States of the Holy Roman Empire convened by Ferdinand II in 1623. At it the Electoral Palatinate was transferred to Maximilian I. The meeting marked the high-watermark of imperial power during the Thirty Years' War.-Bibliography: Gerhard Taddey:...
. The rest of the states' corporate representation had been done on occasional days at the Imperial Circle
Imperial Circle
An Imperial Circle comprised a regional grouping of territories of the Holy Roman Empire, primarily for the purpose of organizing a common defensive structure and of collecting the imperial taxes, but also as a means of organization within the Imperial Diet and the Imperial Chamber Court.Each...
and at the Kurfürstentags of 1619, 1627, 1630, 1636 and 1640.
The Diet of 1630 was preceded by Ferdinand's Edict of Restitution
Edict of Restitution
The Edict of Restitution, passed eleven years into the Thirty Years' Wars on March 6, 1629 following Catholic successes at arms, was a belated attempt by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor to impose and restore the religious and territorial situations reached in the Peace of Augsburg...
and the Peace of Lübeck after Wallenstein
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
's defeat of Denmark. These both put the emperor in a favourable position to successfully achieve his goals.
Course and results
Anselm Casimir Wambold von UmstadtAnselm Casimir Wambold von Umstadt
Anselm Casimir Wambold von Umstadt was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz from 1629 to 1647.-Biography:Anselm Casimir Wambold von Umstadt was the son of Eberhard Wambolt Umstadt and Anna von Reiffenberg . He was born on November 30, 1582, most likely in Speyer, where his father was an official in...
was one of those invited to the Diet, as Imperial Chancellor (Reichserzkanzler) and Bishop-Elector of Mainz. The meeting opened on 3 July 1630 by Ferdinand himself. The Catholic electors were present in person, whilst those of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
and Brandenburg were represented by ambassadors.
Ferdinand's chief aim was to have his son Ferdinand the Younger
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand III was Holy Roman Emperor from 15 February 1637 until his death, as well as King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria.-Life:...
elected King of the Romans
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...
and to gain the Empire's military support against the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
in the Thirty Years' War, as well as against France in the War of the Mantuan Succession
War of the Mantuan Succession
The War of the Mantuan Succession was a peripheral part of the Thirty Years' War. Its casus belli was the extinction of the direct male line of the House of Gonzaga in December 1627. Brothers Francesco IV , Ferdinando and Vincenzo II , the last three dukes of Gonzaga, had all died leaving no...
. He also needed to deal with the imminent Swedish threat - on 6 July, shortly after the Diet opened, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
landed in Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
Maximilian I of Bavaria
Maximilian I of Bavaria
Maximilian I was duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria from 1799 to 1805, king of Bavaria from 1806 to 1825...
feared the rising power of the empire and the strength of Wallenstein's Imperial Army
Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire
The Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire was the army of the Holy Roman Empire...
. The Catholic electors therefore opposed rather than supported Ferdinand, requiring that the imperial army be downsized, the war-taxes reduced and Wallenstein dismissed from command. Ferdinand largely had to concede these demands so as not to lose his political underpinning in the empire. Wallenstein was dismissed and Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly put in supreme command of imperial forces, which was shrunk despite the Swedish threat. The debate on Mantua forced Ferdinand into a peace treaty which France soon broke. The electors blocked Ferdinand the Younger's election as King of the Romans and in the name of their own freedom revoked the Edict of Restitution.
The Diet thus saw Ferdinand - previously at the height of his power - suffer his first defeat by the Imperial States, a defeat that was near-complete.