Luther’s bold move launched the Protestant Reformation. Germany at the time was made up of more than one thousand independent territories, each ruled by its own prince or duke. Some of these men followed Luther and embraced Protestantism; others stayed loyal to the Church. This schism would play out for decades all over Europe, often with immense bloodshed. In 1555, a temporary settlement was reached, the Peace of Augsburg, which allowed each German prince to freely select the religion to be practiced in his territory. Moreover, if a Catholic family lived in a territory whose prince chose
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