Philip of Hesse summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Philip.

Philip of Hesse, (born Nov. 13, 1504, Marburg, Hesse—died March 31, 1567, Kassel, Ger.), German nobleman, landgrave of Hesse, and champion of the Reformation. His skillful management made Hesse a sovereign state. Won to the cause of Martin Luther, Philip became a Reformation leader in Germany. In 1529 he founded the first Protestant university at Marburg (1529), and in 1531 he united several princes and towns to form the Schmalkaldic League. However, his folly in contracting a bigamous second marriage damaged his reputation. After the emperor crushed the league, Philip was imprisoned (1547–52). Long imprisonment undermined his influence and his health, though he finally saw Lutheranism gain a position of legal equality with Catholicism in the Peace of Augsburg (1555). In the year of his death, he divided Hesse among his four sons.

church and state Summary

Church and state, the concept, largely Christian, that the religious and political powers in society are clearly distinct, though both claim the people’s loyalty. A brief treatment of church and state follows. For full treatment, see Christianity: Church and state. Before the advent of

Hessen Summary

Hessen, Land (state) in the west-central part of Germany. Hessen is bounded by the states of Lower Saxony to the north, Thuringia to the east, Bavaria to the southeast, Baden-Württemberg to the south, Rhineland-Palatinate to the west, and North Rhine–Westphalia to the northwest. Its capital is

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

Germany Summary

Germany, country of north-central Europe, traversing the continent’s main physical divisions, from the outer ranges of the Alps northward across the varied landscape of the Central German Uplands and then across the North German Plain. One of Europe’s largest countries, Germany encompasses a wide