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The Thirty Years’ War

The Thirty Years’ War. Cultural, Political, & Religious Effects of the Division Between Protestantism & Catholicism. Origins and Causes?. The Thirty Years War was one of the most destructive & longest continuous war in European history.

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The Thirty Years’ War

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  1. The Thirty Years’ War Cultural, Political, & Religious Effects of the Division Between Protestantism & Catholicism

  2. Origins and Causes? • The Thirty Years War was one of the most destructive & longest continuous war in European history. • It’s true cause is debated among historians, however, on a broader level, the war was: • A conflict between Protestants and Catholics • A conflict between two powerful ruling families in Europe, the Bourbon (France) and Hapsburgs (Spain & Austria) • To truly understand what helped cause the war, we have to look back into an event that occurred in Germany, during the Protestant Reformation…

  3. Consequences of Lutheranism…. • As Lutheranism spread throughout Germany, the Catholic Church struggled to accept rise of Protestantism. • The Holy Roman Emperor threatened to invade the already fragmented German states. • Attempting to force the still-loyal Catholic German states into his armies, he attempted to attack the Northern German states & force them back to Catholicism. • Result? The Catholic states refused the Holy Roman Emperor & threatened war against his forces by joining forces with their Protestant, German brothers in the north.

  4. Peace of Augsburg • The Holy Roman Emperor was forced to sign the Peace of Augsburg, which stated: • German states had the right to freedom of religion as dictated by the German prince in power over the state. • The Holy Roman Emperor no longer held the authority to interfere in the independence of sovereign kingdoms. • Underlying effects? • Allowed the unencumbered spread of Protestantism • France realized it was surrounded by lands controlled by the powerful family, the Hapsburgs (Spain & Holy Roman Empire) • Religious tensions remained high in Europe

  5. Cause of 30 Years War? • Ferdinand II inherited the throne as king of Bohemia, but he was also to be the Holy Roman Emperor by default, as he was born into the Hapsburg family. • He believed in ruling with absolute authority. • He was a devout Catholic and was determined to reclaim its power over the Protestant kingdoms of Central Europe • Ferdinand II’s power led to revolts across Bohemia and other Protestant kingdoms. • These revolts led to clashes between armies of Protestant forces & those loyal to Ferdinand II.

  6. France & Sweden Join… • The 30 Years War is the 1st war to encompass most lands in Europe. • Most of the fighting occurred in German lands as Germany sought to help the Bohemians. • Sweden joined the war to help the Protestant cause. They sent their superior general, GustavusAdolphus to help lead the Protestant forces. • France, though Catholic, joined to help the Protestants due to their fear/hatred of growing Hapsburg power. • Once France joined the war, the Catholic forces under Ferdinand II crumbled.

  7. Treaty of Westphalia Ends the War • Treaty of Westphalia is a significant document for several reasons: • 1st peace treaty among multiple kingdoms of Europe • Ended religious wars in Europe permanently • Holy Roman Emperor (& the Hapsburg family) no longer held political power over other sovereign nations. • Geographically, there were winners & losers: • Western European kingdoms established their fixed borders • Central Europe remained a cluster of feudal states • German attempts to unite into a country were ruined as the German states were weakened by the war

  8. Consequences of the War: • Casualties: • Germany suffered the most: (depending on the German state) anywhere between 25%-40% of the population declined. • Czech lands also suffered from population declines: Roughly 1/3 of Bohemian population died during the war. • Swedish armies wreaked havoc: they destroyed 18,000 villages and up to 2,000 castles in total.

  9. Consequences of the War Cont’d: • Disease: • Typhus & bubonic plague re-emerged: • It is believed they were spread as armies moved across European lands • Many peasants moved to the villages/towns to escape the war. The overcrowding led to increased famine & disease • Political Issues: • German unification was halted • Hapsburg-Bourbon tensions continued as Spain & France remained at war after the Treaty of Westphalia • The Spanish were forever forced to accept the independence of their former colony: the Dutch.

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