Bohemian Brethren considered their suppression a guarantee
of their own liberty of worship.

Confessio Bohemica.

In 1575 Maximilian, who had long been absent from Bohemia, returned
there, as the estates refused to grant subsidies to an absentee monarch.
The sittings of the diet that met in 1575 were very prolonged. The king
maintained a vacillating attitude, influenced now by the threats of the
Bohemians, now by the advice of the papal nuncio, who had followed him
to Prague. The latter strongly represented to him how great would be the
difficulties that he would encounter in his other dominions, should he
make concessions to the Protestants of Bohemia. The principal demand of
the Bohemians was that the "Confession of Augsburg"--a summary of
Luther's teaching--should be recognized in Bohemia. They further renewed
the demand, which they had already expressed at the diet of 1567, that
the estates should have the right of appointing the members of the
consistory--the ecclesiastical body which ruled the Utraquist church;
for since the death of John of Rokycan that church had had no
archbishop. After long deliberations and the king's final refusal to
recognize the confession of Augsburg, the majority of the diet,
consisting of members of the Bohemian brotherhood and advanced
Utraquists, drew up a profession of faith that became known as the
_Confessio Bohemica_. It was in most points identical with the Augsburg
confession, but differed from it with regard to the doctrine of the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Here the Bohemian profession agreed with
the views of Calvin rather than with those of Luther. This is
undoubtedly due to the influence of the Bohemian Brethren. The
_Confessio Bohemica_ was presented to Maximilian, who verbally expressed
his approval, but would not consent to this being made public, and also
refused his consent to the inclusion of the _Confessio_ among the
charters of the kingdom. Maximilian rejected the demand of the Bohemian
estates, that they and not the king should in future appoint the members
of the consistory. He finally, however, consented to exempt the
Lutherans and advanced Utraquists from the jurisdiction of the
consistory, and allowed them to choose fifteen defenders--five of whom
were to belong to each of the estates--who were to have supreme control
over the Lutheran church. These defenders were to appoint for each
district a superintendent (moderator), who was to maintain order and