However this absence could be better accounted for by an inability to focus on Germany due to other issues rather than a lack of incentive to stop heresy. Charles’ huge inheritance including the Burgundian lands, Aragon and Castile, Austrian lands as well as his title of Holy Roman Emperor resulted in many preoccupations. Much of Charles's reign was taken up by conflicts with France and continual wars with the Ottoman Empire. When Charles was present in Germany he tried every means possible to try and destroy Lutheranism- he declared him an outlaw in 1521 followed by compromises and threats to his supporters, eventually going to war in 1546. Therefore although his absence made the spread of the Reformation easier, other factors are essential in explaining his lack of success on these occasions.
The lack of assistance that Charles received from his brother Ferdinand in preventing Protestantism can also be seen as an important reason for his failure. Charles delegated increasing responsibility for Germany to his brother Ferdinand whilst he concentrated on problems elsewhere in 1531. However Ferdinand was also distracted by issues which he deemed in greater need of his attention, such as the threat from the Ottomans. For this reason Ferdinand wished to resolve the problems in Germany by encouraging peace, and was arguably less concerned by heresy as his brother. The Recess of Spires was agreed to by Ferdinand in 1526, temporarily allowing the princes a choice between Catholicism and Lutheranism until a general council was called. This resulted in a further increase in Protestantism. In 1555 Ferdinand, as Charles’ representative, signed the Peace of Augsburg, a treaty which gave Lutheranism official status within the Holy Roman Empire. Despite this, the role of Ferdinand in Charles’ failure was arguably unessential as it is likely that Protestantism would have continued even without legal recognition, this was evident in the continuation of branches of Protestantism such as Calvinism and Anabaptism which were illegal by terms of the Peace of Augsburg. The lack of support and assistance Charles received elsewhere therefore needs to be considered.
It could therefore be argued that the lack of support from the territorial princes was a more significant contribution to Charles’ failure. Initially, they objected to Edict of Worms declaring Luther an outlaw until a general council had been called to reform 102 gravamena with the church. Moreover, the princes were an important source of support for Luther, especially after a great loss of peasant support after the 1524 Peasants’ Revolt. Those who converted to Lutheranism were a threat to Charles as they had various successes with the Schmalkaldic League to further the spread of Protestantism. Even those who remained Catholic were ultimately a liability rather than help to Charles, such as Frederick the Wise of Saxony who provided important protection for Luther after the Diet of Worms, without which Luther may not have survived. After Charles’ defeat of the Schmalkaldic league in 1546 he required money from the princes at the Armed Diet of Augsburg in order to crush Lutheranism but was refused by the princes. Therefore lack of support from the princes was arguably essential to Charles’ failure, as their financial assistance and agreement to Charles’ legal acts was needed to defeat Lutheranism.
However the lack of support from the princes may have been less significant if were not for the lack of help from the pope and the Catholic Church. When asked to call a general council in 1521 the Church refused therefore the princes refused to enforce the Edict of Worms passed by Charles. It could be argued that if church had agreed to a general council at the diet of spires and resolved the abuses of the church many princes would have continued to support Charles and enforce the Edict. This would have condemned Luther an outlaw far earlier and decrease his chance of survival. Those who supported him would have also been actively punished and it is likely that support for Protestantism would be unable to increase as much as it did. When the Pope eventually agreed to call a council in 1545 it was too late as Lutheranism was already thriving. In addition the Council of Trent was ineffective as it only reaffirmed traditional Catholic doctrine rather than addressing the reason for much of Luther’s support; the corruption and abuses present in the Catholic Church. Charles relied much on cooperation from the Church, and their failure to resolve problems meant that Charles’ efforts to stop Protestantism were of little use.
Alternatively, Charles may not have required support from elsewhere if he possessed greater power in Germany. Although Charles was able to propose laws, no means existed to ensure that these laws were enforced as there was no police force. In addition to this the Capitulation that he signed in 1519 upon becoming Holy Roman Emperor limited his power in that he was unable to bring foreign troops into Germany. This lack of power caused Charles to rely on the church and the princes, therefore was an important underlying cause for his lack of success in preventing the Reformation.
In conclusion, a combination of factors were necessary for Charles failure to stop the Reformation. Factors that were outside of Charles’ control were a more significant cause of this failure, as he was unable to stop the Reformation alone due to the limits of his power and existence of concerns elsewhere in his empire. It cannot fully be attributed to a lack of effort on Charles’ part as his successes in the Schmalkaldic wars proved that he would have been capable of preventing Protestantism if it were not for a lack of cooperation from elsewhere.
