Matthias’s first endeavor was to recover Transylvania.  This province had fallen into the hands of Gabriel Bethlehem, who was under the protection of the Turks.  Matthias, thinking that a war with the infidel would be popular, summoned a diet and solicited succors to drive the Turks from Moldavia and Wallachia, where they had recently established themselves.  The Protestants, however, presented a list of grievances which they wished to have redressed before they listened to his request.  The Catholics, on the other hand, presented a list of their grievances, which consisted, mainly, in privileges granted the Protestants, which they also demanded to have redressed before they could vote any supplies to the emperor.  These demands were so diametrically hostile to each other, that there could be no reconciliation.  After an angry debate the diet broke up in confusion, having accomplished nothing.

Matthias, disappointed in this endeavor, now applied to the several States of his widely extended Austrian domains—­to his own subjects.  A general assembly was convened at Lintz.  Matthias proposed his plans, urging the impolicy of allowing the Turks to retain the conquered provinces, and to remain in the ascendency in Transylvania.  But here again Matthias was disappointed.  The Bohemian Protestants were indignant in view of some restrictions upon their worship, imposed by the emperor to please the Catholics.  The Hungarians, weary of the miseries of war, were disposed on any terms to seek peace with the Turks.  The Austrians had already expended an immense amount of blood and money on the battle-fields of Hungary, and urged the emperor to send an ambassador to treat for peace.  Matthias was excessively annoyed in being thus thwarted in all his plans.

Just at this time a Turkish envoy arrived at Vienna, proposing a truce for twenty years.  The Turks had never before condescended to send an embassage to a Christian power.  This afforded Matthias an honorable pretext for abandoning his warlike plan, and the truce was agreed to.

The incessant conflict between the Catholics and Protestants allowed Germany no repose.  A sincere toleration, such as existed during the reign of Maximilian I., established fraternal feelings between the contending parties.  But it required ages of suffering and peculiar combination of circumstances, to lead the king and the nobles to a cordial consent to that toleration.  But the bigotry of Rhodolph and the trickery of Matthias, had so exasperated the parties, and rendered them so suspicious of each other, that the emperor, even had he been so disposed, could not, but by very slow and gradual steps, have secured reconciliation.  Rhodolph had put what was called the ban of the empire upon the Protestant city of Aix-la-Chapelle, removing the Protestants from the magistracy, and banishing their chiefs from the city.  When Rhodolph was sinking into disgrace and had lost his power, the Protestants, being in the majority, took up arms, reflected their magistracy, and expelled the Jesuits from the city.  The Catholics now appealed to Matthias, and he insanely revived the ban against the Protestants, and commissioned Albert, Archduke of Cologne, a bigoted Catholic, to march with an army to Aix-la-Chapelle and enforce its execution.