In the 16th century, Speyer became a central stage of the Reformation. Five of the century’s 30 imperial diets took place in medieval Speyer, and the Imperial Chamber Court had its seat here from 1527. Resolutions passed in Speyer shaped the course of the confessional conflicts across the whole Empire.
The Diets of 1526 and 1529
At the Diet of 1526, the imperial estates were granted the right to act independently in matters of faith until a future council. In practice, this was a provisional toleration of the Reformation’s teachings in Protestant territories.
At the Diet of 1529, this concession was to be revoked. Six Protestant princes and the representatives of 14 imperial cities submitted a formal protestation against the majority resolution. From this act arose the term Protestants for the followers of the Reformation. Speyer thus gave its name to the largest religious movement of the modern era.
The Memorial Church of the Protestation, consecrated in 1904, still commemorates this event with its neo-Gothic spire.
Introduction of the Lutheran faith
Reformation ideas were popular in Speyer as early as the 1520s. In 1540, Michael Diller was appointed as the first Protestant pastor, and shortly afterwards the city officially adopted the Lutheran faith. Churches were remodeled; sermons in German and congregational hymns shaped the new service.
A strong anticlerical mood among the population accelerated the Reformation. Even bishops of Speyer had previously criticized the conduct of the clergy - unintentionally preparing the way for renewal.
A tri-confessional city
Despite the Lutheran majority, Catholic life remained present: Jesuits, the cathedral chapter and the Catholic-dominated Imperial Chamber Court kept the old confession alive. A small Calvinist congregation existed as well. For a time, Speyer was thus a tri-confessional city in which three Christian confessions lived side by side - with all the tensions that entailed.
The Jewish community, traceable again from 1621, initially numbered around 60 people and had a synagogue, a mikvah and a cemetery - the Jewish Courtyard bears witness to it today as part of the ShUM World Heritage.
Speyer within the Empire
In the early modern period the city was active in imperial politics: it regularly attended imperial diets, belonged to the Rhenish bench of the imperial cities and maintained diplomatic relations with other cities. At the end of the 15th century, the registry of the Rhenish group of cities was set up in Speyer, making the city an administrative center of urban politics.
With the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the imperial cities received the right of legation, an important basis for Speyer’s diplomatic activity until the end of the Old Empire.
Confessional structure around 1600
After the Reformation, council and citizenry were predominantly Lutheran. A report of 1576 speaks of only 30 Catholic laypeople in the city. The Catholic minority was somewhat strengthened by the Counter-Reformation, above all through the Jesuits and the cathedral clergy. The guild citizenry - bakers, millers, fishermen and gardeners - made up the largest part of the population.
Long-term consequences
The Reformation shaped Speyer religiously, politically and socially. The confessional tensions became one of the driving forces of the Thirty Years’ War, which would hit the city hard. The witch trials also gained momentum in this era. With mediatization in 1803, Speyer finally lost its status as a free imperial city. But the religious diversity of the Reformation era has shaped the city’s self-image to this day.
Frequently asked questions
What was the Protestation of Speyer?
The Protestation of 1529 was the objection of six Protestant princes and 14 imperial cities against the majority resolution of the diet, which sought to revoke the concession of 1526. The term Protestants derives from this act.
Why did so many imperial diets meet in Speyer?
Speyer was a free imperial city with good transport links on the Rhine, the cathedral and sufficient infrastructure. From 1527, the Imperial Chamber Court was also seated in the city.
Which confessions lived in Speyer?
Lutherans, Catholics and a small Calvinist congregation. For a time Speyer was tri-confessional, alongside a Jewish community.
What commemorates the Protestation today?
The Memorial Church, consecrated in 1904, is the central monument. Its spire is among the tallest church towers in the Palatinate.
When did Speyer officially become Protestant?
In the middle of the 16th century. In 1540, Michael Diller became the first Protestant pastor, and shortly afterwards the city officially adopted the Lutheran faith.
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