This volume contains the correspondence (reports, directives) from the German Apostolic Nunciature sent between September 1578 and December 1581. These key documents from the Confessional Age reveal important personal information concerning the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, his family and advisors, the imperial court in Prague, and about Rudolf II’s domestic and imperial policies. In addition, the documents discuss the crisis in the Netherlands, the imperial court’s international relationships, and the strategies used by the papacy with regard to the post-Tridentine reforms and war against Protestantism.