egationalism or state
churches. After some hesitation, Luther was convinced by the
extravagances of Muenzer and his ilk that the latter was the only
practicable course. The governments of the various German states and
cities were now given supreme power in ecclesiastical matters. They
took over the property belonging to the old church and {113}
administered it generally for religious or educational or charitable
purposes. A system of church-visitation was started, by which the
central authority passed upon the competence of each minister. Powers
of appointment and removal were vested in the government. The title
and office of bishop were changed in most cases to that of
"superintendent," though in some German sees and generally in Sweden
the name bishop was retained.

[Sidenote: Lutheran accessions]

How genuinely popular was the Lutheran movement may be seen in the fact
that the free cities, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Strassburg, Ulm, Luebeck,
Hamburg, and many others were the first to revolt from Rome. In other
states the government led the way. Electoral Saxony evolved slowly
into complete Protestantism. Though the Elector Frederic sympathized
with almost everything advanced by his great subject, he was too
cautious to interfere with vested interests of ecclesiastical property
and endowments. On his death [Sidenote: May 5, 1525] his brother John
succeeded to the title, and came out openly for all the reforms
advocated at Wittenberg. The neighboring state of Hesse was won about
1524, [Sidenote: 1424-5] though the official ordinance promulgating the
evangelical doctrine was not issued until 1526. A very important
acquisition was Prussia. [Sidenote: 1525] Hitherto it had been
governed by the Teutonic Order, a military society like the Knights
Templars. Albert of Brandenburg became Grand Master in 1511,
[Sidenote: Albert of Brandenburg, 1490-1568] and fourteen years later
saw the opportunity of aggrandizing his personal power by renouncing
his spiritual ties. He accordingly declared the Teutonic Order
abolished and himself temporal Duke of Prussia, shortly afterwards
marrying a daughter of the king of Denmark. He swore allegiance to the
king of Poland.

The growth of Lutheranism unmolested by the imperial government was
made possible by the {114} absorption of the emperor's energies in his
rivalry with France and Turkey and by the decentralization of the
Empire. [Sidenote: Leagues] Leagues between groups