Agreement on the Matters of Religion Concluded During the Assembly of Territorial Estates in Pernau (1552) in Context of the Dispute of Riga (1549–1554)

Abstract

The article focuses on the history of the agreement text produced during the assembly of Livonian estates in Pernau in 1552, its background and connections to the dispute of Riga (1549–1554). Results indicate that the agreement was concluded between Livonian cathedral chapters and nobilities. The agreement concerning the religion was phrased under the influence of the representatives of the territorial estates of the archbishopric of Riga; its interpretation depends on the understanding of the extended “council phrase”, because the cathedral chapter of Riga used it to achieve broader opportunities in their attempts to regain the secularized property.