 Meanwhile, Charles V had come to an agreement with Pope Paul III for the organisation of the Council of Trent (1545).The refusal of the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League to recognize the Council's validity led to a war, won by Charles V with the imprisonment of the Protestant princes.However, Henry II of France offered new support to the Lutheran cause and strengthened a close alliance with the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire since 1520.