Augsburg Vogz-borgV League of Coalition formed in 1686 by Emperor Leopold I, the kings of Sweden and Spain, and the electors of Bavaria, Saxony, and the Palatinate. The league was formed to oppose the expansionist plans of Louis XIV of France prior to the War of the Grand Alliance. It proved ineffective because of the reluctance of some princes to oppose France and the absence of provisions for combined military action.
Augsburg, Peace of Convention promulgated in 1555 by the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire, which provided the first permanent legal basis for the existence of Lutheranism in addition to Catholicism in Germany. The Diet determined that no member of the empire would make war against another on religious grounds. It recognized just two denomina¬ tions, the Roman Catholics and the Lutherans, and it stipulated that in each territory of the empire, only one denomination was allowed. How¬ ever, people were allowed to move to states where their faith was adopted. Despite numerous shortcomings, the accord saved the empire from seri¬ ous internal conflicts for over 50 years. See also Reformation.
Augsburg \'auks-,burk\ Confession Basic doctrinal statement of Lutheranism. Its principal author was Philipp Melanchthon, and it was pre¬ sented to Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg on June 25, 1530. Its purpose was to defend the Lutherans against misrepresentations of their teachings and to provide a statement of theology that Roman Catho¬ lics might accept. It consisted of 28 articles that outlined Lutheran doc¬ trine and listed abuses that had crept into Western Christendom over the centuries. The unaltered document has remained authoritative for Luth¬ erans, and a heavily revised version by Melanchthon is accepted by some Reformed churches. Translated into English in 1536, it had a major influ¬ ence on the Anglican Church’s Thirty-nine Articles and the Methodists’ Twenty-five Articles of Religion.
Augusta City (pop., 2000: 18,560), capital of Maine, U.S. It was estab¬ lished in 1628 by traders from Plymouth colony as a post at the head of navigation on the Kennebec River. Fort Western was built there in 1754 (restored 1922), attracting settlers. Incorporated in 1797, the town was renamed the next year for the daughter of an American Revolutionary general. It became the state capital in 1832. It is one of Maine’s leading vacation centres.
Augustan Age ( c. 43 bc-ad 18) Illustrious period in Latin literary history. Along with the preceding period, which was dominated by Cicero, it forms the Golden Age of Latin literature. Marked by civil peace and prosperity, the age reached its highest expression in poetry, with polished, sophisticated verse on themes of patriotism, love, and nature, generally addressed to a patron or to the emperor Augustus. Writers active in the period include Virgil, Horace, Livy, and Ovid. The term is also applied to “classical” periods in the literature of other nations, especially to late 17th- and 18th-century England.
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Augustine ► Aurangzeb I 131
Augustine (of Hippo), Saint (b. Nov. 13,354, Tagaste, Numidia—d. Aug. 28, 430, Hippo Regius; feast day August 28) Christian theologian and one of the Latin Fathers of the Church. Born in Roman North Africa, he adopted Manichaeism, taught rhetoric in Carthage, and fathered a son. After moving to Milan he converted to Christianity under the influence of St. Ambrose, who baptized him in 387. He returned to Africa to pursue a contemplative life, and in 396 he became bishop of Hippo (now Annaba, Alg.), a post he held until his death while the city was under siege by a Vandal army. His best-known works include the Confessions, an autobio¬ graphical meditation on God’s grace, and The City of God, on the nature of human society and the place of Christianity in history. His theological works On Christian Doctrine and On the Trinity are also widely read. His sermons and letters show the influence of Neoplatonism and carry on debates with the proponents of Manichaeism, Donatism, and Pelagianism. His views on predestination influenced later theologians, notably John Calvin. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in the early Middle Ages.
Augustine \o-'g9s-t9n\ of Canterbury, Saint (b. Rome?—d. May 26, 604/605, Canterbury, Kent, Eng.; feast day May 26 in England and Wales, May 28 elsewhere) First archbishop of Canterbury. A Benedictine prior in Rome, he was chosen by Pope Gregory I to lead 40 monks as missionaries to England. They arrived in 597 and were welcomed by King Ethelbert of Kent, at the behest of his queen, and he gave them a church in Canterbury. Augustine converted the king and thousands of his sub¬ jects and was made bishop of the English. On the pope’s instructions he purified pagan temples and consecrated 12 other bishops. He founded Christ Church, Canterbury, as his cathedral and made Canterbury the pri¬ mary see in England. He tried unsuccessfully to unify his churches with the Celtic churches of northern Wales.
Augustinian In the Roman Catholic church, a member of any of the religious orders and congregations whose constitutions are based on the Rule of St. Augustine, including the Hospitallers (Knights of Malta) and the Dominicans. The two main branches of the Augustinians, however, are the Augustinian Hermits and the Augustinian Canons. The former was one of the four great mendicant orders of the Middle Ages, and its mem¬ bers (including Martin Luther) were active in European university life and ecclesiastical affairs. The latter became in the 11th century the first Roman Catholic order to combine clerical status with full common life. The order declined after the Reformation, but it continues missionary, educational, and hospital work. Other notable orders are the Augustinian Recollects (founded in the 16th century) and the Second Order of St. Augustine (1264) for nuns, both still active today.
Augustus., Caesar or Octavian orig. Gaius Octavius later Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (b. Sept. 23, 63 bc —d. Aug. 19, ad 14, Nola, near Naples) First Roman emperor. Bom to a wealthy fam¬ ily, at age 18 he was named adoptive son and heir of his great-uncle Julius Caesar. After Caesar’s assassination (44 bc) a power struggle ensued, and several battles later Octavian formed the Second Triumvirate with his chief rivals, Lepidus and Mark Antony. Octavian disposed of Lepidus in 32 and Antony (then allied with Cleopatra) at the Battle of Actium in 31 to become sole ruler. He was anointed princeps; the Roman Empire is said to begin with his accession. At first he ruled as consul, maintaining republican administration, but in 27 he accepted the title Augustus and in 23 he received imperial power. His rule (31 bc-ad 14) brought changes to every aspect of Roman life and lasting peace and prosperity to the Greco-Roman world. He secured outlying imperial provinces, built roads and public works, established the Pax Romana, and fostered the arts. He took steps to rectify Roman morality, even exiling his daughter Julia for adultery. When he died, the empire stretched from Iberia to Cappadocia and from Gaul to Egypt. He was deified after his death.
Augustus II Polish August Fryderyk (b. May 12, 1670, Dresden, Saxony—d. Feb. 1, 1733, Warsaw) King of Poland and elector of Sax¬ ony (as Frederick Augustus I). He ascended to the Polish throne in 1697, having converted to Catholicism to better his chances. Also called Augus¬ tus the Strong, he invaded Livonia in 1700, beginning the Second North¬ ern War. Charles XII of Sweden defeated Augustus’s army and forced him to abdicate in 1706, but he was restored as king in 1710. Poland declined during Augustus’s reign from a major European power to a pro¬ tectorate of Russia.
Augustus III Polish August Fryderyk (b. Oct. 17, 1696, Dresden, Saxony—d. Oct. 5, 1763, Dresden) King of Poland and elector of Sax¬ ony (as Frederick Augustus II), whose reign (1733-63) marked a great