How did the Peace of Augsburg attempt to settle religious conflict in Germany?

The Peace of Augsburg, signed in 1555, established the first permanent legal basis for the coexistence of Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism within the Holy Roman Empire.12

To resolve religious strife, the Diet of Augsburg implemented the principle of cuius regio, eius religio ("whose realm, his religion"), which granted state princes the authority to choose either Lutheranism or Catholicism as the official religion of their territory. While this mandate made the ruler's chosen faith obligatory for subjects, the agreement attempted to mitigate conflict by permitting dissenting residents to sell their property and emigrate to a territory where their preferred denomination was practiced.12

The settlement also included specific provisions for free imperial cities, where both faiths were permitted to coexist. Despite its goal of peace, the treaty was limited in scope: it excluded Calvinism and other Protestant denominations, and it left unresolved tensions regarding ecclesiastical lands. Nevertheless, it successfully prevented major internal religious warfare in Germany for over 50 years.21