essions with his
conscience, but he won Lutheran aid for his campaign. The peace of Crepy
gave all the conditions required for the employment of force. He had
peace with French and Turk, he won the active support of the pope, he
had deeply divided the Lutherans and reconciled Bavaria. Finding that
the Lutherans would not accept the council summoned by the pope to
Trent, he resorted to force, and force succeeded. At the Armed Diet of
1548 reunion seemed within reach. But Paul III. in direct opposition to
Charles's wish had withdrawn the council from Trent to Bologna. Charles
could not force Lutherans to submit to a council which he did not
himself recognize, and he could not bring himself to national schism.
Thus, falling back upon his old palliatives, he issued the Interim and
the accompanying Reform of the Clergy, pending a final settlement by a
satisfactory general council. These measures pleased neither party, and
Charles at the very height of his power had failed. He was conscious of
failure, and made few attempts even to enforce the Interim. Henceforward
political complications gathered round him anew. The only remedy was
toleration in some form, independent of the papacy and limitless in
time. To this Charles could never assent. His ideal was shattered, but
it was a great ideal, and the patience, the moderation, even at times
the adroitness with which he had striven towards it, proved him to be no
bigot.

The idea of abdication had long been present with Charles. After his
failure to eject the French from Metz he had not shrunk from a wearisome
campaign against Henry II., and he was now tired out. His mother's death
removed an obstacle, for there could now be no question as to his son's
succession to the Spanish kingdoms. Religious settlement in Germany
could no longer be postponed, and he shrank from the responsibility; the
hand that should rend the seamless raiment of God's church must not be
his. To Ferdinand he gave his full authority as emperor, although at his
brother's earnest request formal abdication was delayed until 1558. In
the Hall of the Golden Fleece at Brussels on the 25th of October 1555 he
formally resigned to Philip the sovereignty of his beloved Netherlands.
Turning from his son to the representatives of the estates he said,
"Gentlemen, you must not be astonished if, old and feeble as I am in all
my members, and also from the love I bear you, I shed some tears." In
the Netherlands at least the