30 Year's War (Part 1)
Pre-War, Bohemian, and Danish Phases: 1618-1629
Summary
The 30 Years War was a European religious conflict that was developed as the cause of disputes between Catholics and Protestants. It has been said that this conflict began in 1618 when the future Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II (as King of Bohemia) imposed his strictly catholic ruling on his domain, where the Bohemian nobles were protestant. The Bohemian nobles, along with Austrian nobles, rose up in rebellion. Ferdinand eventually won, but not without struggle. Then later in 1625 the Lutheran King Christian IV of Denmark saw an opportunity to gain land in Germany, which he lost, but he led a rebellion against Ferdinand II and the Catholics. These types of mini wars and separate battles were the fuel for the fire that was the 30 Years War. The conflict of Anti-Catholicism against Anti-Protestantism was spread by the political ambitions of various European powers. Though the first couple phases of the war were based upon religious differences, eventually the war spanned into major political issues. The 30 Years War became a war that completely reshaped the geopolitical powers of Europe.
Cause
Both the Bohemian and Danish phases of the 30 Years war were largely fought due to conflict relating to Protestantism vs. Catholicism. In both phases, the battles and conflicts were based on local issues based upon differing opinions of religion. In both instances, conflict over the Peace of Augsburg and its’ meaning, relevance, and impact came into play. Catholics attempted to enforce their own desires and rules, often stemming from the larger powers of the Holy Roman Emperor. This was while Protestants rebelled against that ruling and attempted to enforce their own beliefs.
In 1619, Emperor Ferdinand II came to rule the Holy Roman Empire, which caused religious conflict. He forced Protestants to revert to Catholicism, even when the law said they could have religious freedom by the Peace of Augsburg. The Protestants of the Czech Republic were originally given a Letter of Majesty that had allowed them to practice their religion, however, Ferdinand II had revoked the letter, instigating conflict between the two parties. The angry protestants concluded to throwing Catholic messengers outside windows, during the Defenestration of Prague. This event was the direct cause of the Bohemian phase of the war.
The beginning of the Danish phase began in 1625, when King Christian IV, the Lutheran leader of Denmark and a prince of the Holy Roman Empire, started a rebellion against Ferdinand II. He had the same opinions and beliefs as the citizens who rose up against Ferdinand II during the Bohemian phase. He wanted to protect his Protestant people and his own beliefs, so he started a military conflict with Ferdinand and his army.
Course of Conflict
Pre-war:
1555- The Peace of Augsburg allowed Lutherans and Roman Catholics to practice their religion in German states, including the Czech Republic and Denmark.
1617- Ferdinand II is elected king of Bohemia, shortly after, he is promoted to the status of Holy Roman Emperor. Frederick V becomes king of Bohemia in his stead.
Bohemian War: (1618-1625)
1618- Ferdinand II imposes his Catholic ruling on Protestants; He revokes the letter of majesty that had allowed the Protestants to freely practice their religion. Protestants respond with the “Defenestration of Prague” where they tossed two council members of Prague out of a window.
1619- Ferdinand II, Maximilian I and Philip III of Spain create an alliance.
1620- Battle of White mountain occurs between Frederick V and Ferdinand II; Ferdinand II wins out with the help of Maximilian I. Ferdinand II wins back the Bohemian throne.
1625- marks the end of the Bohemian part of the 30 years war, ends with a Habsburg and Catholic victory.
Danish War: (1625-1629)
1625- King Christian IV, king of Denmark (who was Lutheran,duke of Holstein, and a prince of the Holy Roman Empire) supported the Protestants against Ferdinand II.
1626- Ferdinand II with the help of Albrecht von Wallenstein defeat Christian IV for land and occupy the Duchy of Holstein.
1629- the Treaty of Lubeck restored Holstein to Christian IV, for the promise that the Danish wouldn’t interfere with German affairs; Ferdinand issues the Edict of Restitution, ordering the return of Catholic rule back to bishoprics and monasteries that had been secularized.
1629- marks the end of the Danish part of the 30 years war, with another Habsburg an Catholic victory.
Key Figures
Ferdinand II
Frederick V
Albrecht Von Wallerstein
He was a Bohemian soldier and was tightly linked to Ferdinand II, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 30 years war, he was the commander for Ferdinand’s armies, until he rebelled against him. He remained loyal to Ferdinand II and was tightly linked to him, but eventually went against the Catholic ways.
Protestants
Catholics
Matthias
He was the Holy Roman Emperor for some time before the 30 years war. His father created an important policy, which he attempted to reverse, causing a Catholic uproar and made them become alive again. This revival eventually led to the breaking out of the 30 years war, causing the Catholics to want to be prominent again, over the Protestants.
Outcomes
Nobody won the conflict. In the end, it had been a stalemate between Catholics and Protestants. However, after the strictly Bohemian and Danish phase, it had looked as if the Catholics were winning this war, as they had a great hold and a lot of power over the Protestants that were rebelling. At this point, they had lead successive battles that crushed Protestant forces and made them come out ahead.
In 1629, Ferdinand II issued the Edict of Restitution, which tried to enforce that Protestants were not allowed to hold a substantial amount of land for their purpose in Catholic areas. This occurred directly after the end of the Danish phase of the war. Essentially, this transferred an incredible amount of power from the Protestants to the Catholics, which was extremely important to the upcoming phases of the war. This Edict of Restitution had an impact on the entirety of the Holy Roman Empire of the time, but it hit hard specifically in northeast Germany. There, Ferdinand was able to use his imperial power like he had never been able to before, through the use of administrators.
Significance
Before the 30 years war, there was a lot of religious static occuring between the varying groups. The 30 years war was the outcome of the built up static anger that Protestants and Catholics held against each other, put into a war. The conflict resulted in a change of geopolitical figures in Europe as well as a major shift in powers. The Bohemian and Danish phases were the start of the last war of the reformation. These wars were filled with battles that resulted from deep differences of opinions. These wars also resulted in creating even larger separation between the Catholics and the Protestants. Ultimately at the end of the Danish phase, these two groups were as disunited as they had ever been. The war had solved nothing, causing more fire within the Protestants and more arrogance within the Catholics. The phases of the war solved nothing, and taught the groups nothing, because they continued to fight without really trying to work out the larger issue.
Primary Source
This Edict of Restitution was the position of Ferdinand II regarding the Protestants in his land. Due to his devout Catholic beliefs, he wanted the Protestants to no longer have regions where they were allowed to practice their religion. This Edict of Restitution enforced that ideology and took back the Peace of Augsburg, sparking even more Protestant rebellion. This was a large cause for the following parts of the war, and led to a larger span of conflict between Catholics and Protestants.
Works Cited
https://www.history.com/topics/reformation/thirty-years-war
https://www.britannica.com/event/Thirty-Years-War
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2016/01/17/what-happened-in-the-thirty-years-war
http://www.thecaveonline.com/APEH/thirtyyearswar.html
https://home.wlu.edu/~patchw/His_101/timeline_wars.htmhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Matthias
Battle of White Mountain Image
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e5/cf/89/e5cf89143b21a7739959066bcf1e74e8.jpg
Ferdinand II
Frederick V
Albrecht Von Wallenstein
Edict of Restitution
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Editto_di_restituzione_%281%29.JPG
Catholic Cross
https://www.kisspng.com/png-christian-cross-symbol-catholic-church-catholicism-782647/
Protestant Bible
https://ubisafe.org/explore/transparent-clipart-bible/
Matthias
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Matthias
Map