On April 19, 1529 six Fürsten (princes) and 14 Imperial Free Cities, representing the Protestant minority in the Holy Roman Empire, petitioned the Imperial Diet (Reichstag) at Speyer against the Reichsacht (Imperial Ban) against Martin Luther, as well as the proscription of his works and teachings, and called for the unhindered spread of the "evangelical" (i.e. Protestant) faith.