First Bavarian Religious Mandate, 1522 (Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Kurbayern Mandatensammlung 1522 III 5)

The first Bavarian religious mandate is the result of the decision of Dukes William IV (1493–1550, duke 1508–1550) and Louis X (1495–1545, duke 1514–1545). On 5 March 1522, the dukes had it copied by the Munich printer Hans Schobser (d. around 1530) as a single-sheet print and published in the following days.

The dukes decided to keep the old doctrine and to reject Luther’s teachings. The drafts of the text were drawn up by Leonhard von Eck (1480–1550) but were probably co-authored by scholars from Ingolstadt. The text is addressed to the ducal officials (governors, treasurers, burgraves etc.), to the nobility and to the municipal councils and mayors. They were supposed to make it available to the public.

The mandate refers to the teachings of Martin Luther (1483–1546) and their condemnation both by the papal bull of 1520 and by the Worms Edict of 1521 by which Luther was punished with the imperial ban. In the duchy of Bavaria, all Christian customs and teachings should continue to follow the old doctrine. The dissemination of the new doctrine and the offering of the chalice at the Lord’s Supper should be punished.

With this mandate, the dukes set the course for Bavaria to remain true to the old faith. Despite the rejection of the new teachings, the penalties for the violation were not yet categorical, but had to be determined by the duke himself in individual cases.

To the digitised copy