In 1556 the Turks again invested Stephen with the government of that large portion of Hungary which they held, including Transylvania.  Ferdinand still was in possession of several important fortresses, and of several of the western districts of Hungary bordering on the Austrian States.  Isabella, annoyed by her subjection to the Turks, made propositions to Ferdinand for a reconciliation, and a truce was agreed upon which gave the land rest for a few years.

While these storms were sweeping over Hungary, events of scarcely less importance were transpiring in Bohemia.  This kingdom was an elective monarchy, and usually upon the death of a king the fiercest strife ensued as to who should be his successor.  The elected monarch, on receiving the crown, was obliged to recognize the sovereignty of the people as having chosen him for their ruler, and he promised to govern according to the ancient constitution of the kingdom.  The monarch, however, generally found no difficulty in surrounding himself with such strong supporters as to secure the election of his son or heir, and frequently he had his successor chosen before his death.  Thus the monarchy, though nominally elective, was in its practical operation essentially hereditary.

The authority of the crown was quite limited.  The monarch was only intrusted with so much power as the proud nobles were willing to surrender to one of their number whom they appointed chief, whose superiority they reluctantly acknowledged, and against whom they were very frequently involved in wars.  In those days the people had hardly a recognized existence.  The nobles met in a congress called a diet, and authorized their elected chief, the king, to impose taxes, raise troops, declare war and institute laws according to their will.  These diets were differently composed under different reigns, and privileged cities were sometimes authorized to send deputies whom they selected from the most illustrious of their citizens.  The king usually convoked the diets; but in those stormy times of feuds, conspiracies and wars, there was hardly any general rule.  The nobles, displeased at some act of the king, would themselves, through some one or more of their number, summon a diet and organize resistance.  The numbers attending such an irregular body were of course very various.  There appear to have been diets of the empire composed of not more than half a dozen individuals, and others where as many hundreds were assembled.  Sometimes the meetings were peaceful, and again tumultuous with the clashing of arms.

In Bohemia the conflict between the Catholics and the reformers had raged with peculiar acrimony, and the reformers in that kingdom had become a very numerous and influential body.  Ferdinand was anxious to check the progress of the Reformation, and he exerted all the power he could command to defend and maintain Catholic supremacy.  For ten years Ferdinand was absent from Bohemia, all his energies being absorbed