But the triumph of the conservatives was more apparent than real.

Lutheranism continued to gain silently but surely.
While the Reformation was growing in strength and numbers, it was also becoming more definite and coherent.

Prior to 1530 it was almost impossible to tell where Lutheranism began and where it ended.

There was a large, but vague and chaotic public opinion of protest against the existing order.

But after 1530 it is possible to distinguish several parties, three of which at first reckoned among the supporters of the Reformation, now more or less definitely separated themselves from it.