RESTITUTION, EDIT OF. — This is the decree issued by Emperor Ferdinand II on 6 March 1629, in which it was established that Catholic princes could expel dissidents, and only adherents of the Augsburg Confession enjoyed the concessions of that peace; finally, ecclesiastical properties occupied after the normal year 1552 were to be restored, and commissioners were appointed who could use troops; appeal did not suspend execution.
Wallenstein’s victories in northern Germany allowed the restoration, already partly applied in the south, to be carried out; this involved 2 archbishoprics, 12 bishoprics, and numerous abbeys and churches. Although theoretically justified, the act proved politically very dangerous, pushing many Protestant princes, albeit reluctantly, to accept the aid of Gustavus Adolphus. By 1631, the 2 archbishoprics of Bremen and Magdeburg and 5 bishoprics and about 150 abbeys had already been recovered, but there was disagreement over the disposition of these properties, as the old abbeys were deserted, while the new religious orders, the true agents of Catholic progress, lacked means, premises, etc. Gustavus Adolphus’s action halted its implementation. In the Peace of Prague (1635) with Saxony, it was suspended for 40 years, even for princes who adhered to II. In the Peace of Münster (Westphalia) of 1648, it was practically annulled, moving the normal year to 1624.