524 GERMANY. 
What is implied in the term <‘ban of the empire,” 
rs, a cenfure pronounced in the diet, againft a German 
prince, who is confidered as having violated the obliga¬ 
tions he lies under, as a member of the Germanic body. 
The confequences arifing to any prince, who is put un¬ 
der the ban of the empire, are, his being excluded, fo 
long as fuch interdiction continues, from all the privi¬ 
leges which he potTeflTes by the conftitution of the em- 
pire; and the imperial troops may be marched into his 
territories, quartered there, and exaCt contributions for 
their fupport. In the reign of the emperor Charles V. 
Frederic eleClor of Saxony, having been put under the 
ban of the empire, was taken priloner ; and, in order to 
obtain the furrender of Wittenbcrgh, then the capital 
of Saxony, the eleClor was tried by a court-martial, 
convicted of treafon and rebellion, and condemned to 
lofe his head. Tliis proceeding was in fuclt open defi¬ 
ance of every principle of juftice, that the accufed was 
not brought before the court, and was ignorant of its 
fitting until its fentence was announced to him : liow- 
ever, the fentence fo pronounced by a court to which 
he was not amenable, was never executed, becaufe it 
was a flagrant violation of the conftitution. 
At prefent, however, (March 1807,) this conftitution 
and form of government appears wholly or in part an¬ 
nihilated, inafmuchas Francis II. formally religned the 
empire of Germany, with its title, crow-n, and regalia, 
on the 6th of Auguft, 1806 ; and he now bears only 
the title of Francis I. emperor of Aullria, which he 
holds in his own right, it being hereditary in his fa¬ 
mily. This abdication was occalioned by the Confede¬ 
ration of the Rhine, which drew' many of the Germanic 
Itates from their allegiance; and becaufe of the ad¬ 
vancement of the electors of Bavaria and Wirtemberg 
to the dignity of kings, over whom, and the elector of 
Baden, Francis was reitrained from exercifing any fpecies 
of authority, as well as over their refpeftive dominions, 
or the circles of Bavaria, Franconia, and Swabia.—See 
particulars of the treaty of Prefburg, vol. vii. p. 884.— 
So that at prefent there is no fupreme government over 
the empire of Germany; but every feparate ftate ap¬ 
pears at prefent to be governed by its own laws, witli- 
out being amenable to any fuperior, though the em¬ 
peror Napoleon muft be confidered as lord paramount 
of thefe ftates w'hich compofe tlie Confederation of the 
Rhine. 
RELIGION, LAWS, LITERATURE, fire. 
The Germans firft became acquainted with fome faint 
principles of the C'hriltian religion toward the clofe of 
the feventh century, by means of the Irifti biftiop Ki- 
lian, alfo by Suidbert and Ewald, who were Englilh- 
Tiien, and Rupretcht, of Worms, who fettled at Saltz- 
burgh; and in the eighth centirt y, Winifred, of Eng¬ 
land, preaching among the Thuringians, Flellians, and 
Saxons, was ordained biftiop of the Germans beyond 
the Rhine, by the name of Bonifacius ; he was after, 
ward made archbiftiop of Germany, when, under the 
fpecious pretence of propagating the doftrines of Chrif- 
tianity, he exerted himfelf with great zeal in promoting 
obedience to the church of Rome, and even employed 
the fecular power againft fuch bilhops and priefts as re¬ 
filled to fubmit to the Romifh yoke and ceremonies of 
worftiip. Charlemagne propagated Chriftianity among 
the Saxons ; and fome time after, the Bohemians and 
Moravians were alfo brought to embrace the Chrillian 
religion, by Henry I. 
The Reijirmation began firft in Germany, about the 
year 1517 ; Virough the means of Martin Luther, an 
Auguftine monk, and then a profellbr in the newly- 
founded univerftty of Wittemberg in Saxony. What 
greatly tended to fpread the reformation in Germany 
was, the long contention which had fublifted between 
she popes of Rome, and the emperors. Charles V. 
although he could not brook the fuperiority alTumed 
by the pope, and made ufe of every means which fecrct 
intrigue and open force could fupply to humble the 
Roman pontiff, yet confidered the fpread of the refor¬ 
mation in his dominions, as no lefs injurious to that 
overweening power which he fo ardently coveted, and 
to obtain which he was ever plunged into a ftate of reft- 
leflTnefs and difquietude. He therefore appointed a diet 
of the empire to be held at Spire in 1529 ; but all the 
proteftant electors and princes protefting againft its de¬ 
crees, the year following another diet was convened at 
Auglburg, W'hen the proteftants delivered in their creed, 
as digefted and drawn up by the learned Melanffhon, 
which became known by the title of “ the Augfburg 
confeflion.” As nothing conciliatory took place at this 
diet, the emperor determined upon making the fword 
the didlator of opinions: a decree was iffued condemn¬ 
ing the tenets of the proteftants, and forbidding them 
to be taught ; which caufed the proteftant princes to 
alfemble at Smaikald in Thuringia, and enter into their 
defenfive league. The perfecutions which at that time 
threatened the German proteftants was, however, pre¬ 
vented by the dangers to which Charles found himfelf 
expofed from Solyman II. emperor of the Turks ; there¬ 
fore, to gain over his proteftant fubjefts, he confented 
to their exercifing liberty of confcicnce until a general 
council Ihould be alfembled to difeufs the points of re¬ 
ligion. This conceflion of the emperor caufed the pro¬ 
teftant princes to engage to render him their utmoft af- 
fiftance againft the Turks. But at length Charles con¬ 
cluded a truce with Solyman II. and entered into an 
alliance with pope Paul III. by w'hich he engaged to 
fupprefs herefy, and to maintain the authority of tlie 
holy fee. The pope then convened a general council to 
aflemble in 1546, at Trent, in the Tyrolean Alps; but 
as the proteftants faw no probability that juftice would 
be done to their caufe, in an affembly evidently con¬ 
vened for the purpofe of condemning them by a partial 
inveftigation, and the whole weight of ecclefiaftical au¬ 
thority ; to avert, if poftible, the deftruction w'hich was 
preparing for them, the princes who had entered into 
the league at Smaikald, took up arms, and appeared in 
the field with a force exceeding feventy thoufand men; 
but this confederacy was foon broken, by the artful 
management of the emperor, which caufed the treache. 
rous defetfion of a principal fupporter in their caufe ; 
this man was Maurice marquis of Mifnia and Thuringia, 
who, as a principal leader among tlie confederatino- 
powers, had gained the entire confidence of all. The 
price paid for this breach of honour was the eleiftorate 
of Saxony, of which the eletlor Frederic was deprived. 
On the fuppreftion of this confederacy, heavy penalties 
and fevere puniihments were inflidled on all the pro¬ 
teftants who had entered into the league of Smaikald ; 
and Charles flattered himfelf that he had eftecfually 
fupprefted all oppofition to his will. The emperor, in 
1547, fummoned a diet to meet at Auglburg, at which 
he prefided, and opened the bufinefs with a fpeech ; 
but the pope, not liking fuch a proceeding, convoked 
an aflTembly at Bologna, Charles not choofing to fuft'er 
the difgrace of having the Auglburgh aftembly ren¬ 
dered nugatory, caufed the bufinefs of religion to be 
proceeded upon there ; and even granted to the pro¬ 
teftants fome kind of indulgence with refpedl to the 
marriage of ecclefiaftics, and to the laity receiving the 
cup at the eucharift. Thefe concejjiont, as they were 
then deemed, were to continue in force until a council 
Ihould be called, and the alfembly was therefore ftyled 
” the interim.” On the death of Paul III. Julius III, 
who fucceeded him in 1550, that fame year re-alfcmbled 
the council of Trent. 
But the jarring interefts of the pope and emperor 
prevented their afting with unanimity in the general 
caufe; and the council of Trent continued to fubfift 
until 
