What was the Augsburg Interim?

The Augsburg Interim was a temporary doctrinal agreement proclaimed in May 1548 at the Diet of Augsburg and enacted as imperial law on June 30, 1548.1

Initiated by Holy Roman emperor Charles V, the Interim was intended to establish temporary religious unity in Germany until a general council of the Catholic Church could resolve the ongoing religious divide. Although it consisted of 26 articles that primarily reflected a Catholic viewpoint, it made concessions by allowing clerical marriage and communion in both kinds (bread and wine) for the laity.1

For Philip, landgrave of Hesse, the Interim was a point of significant personal and political pressure. After his defeat and imprisonment by the emperor, Philip accepted the terms of the Interim in a failed attempt to secure his freedom. The agreement was widely rejected by many Protestant electors and ultimately proved ineffective, as it was neither fully accepted nor able to resolve the religious conflict. The Interim was eventually overthrown by a revolt led by Maurice of Saxony in 1552, leading to the Peace of Augsburg in 1555.213