30 Years War (1618-1648)
Swedish, French, and Post War
Summary of the 30 Years War
The Real Cause
The direct cause was greed and political gain. The Spanish Habsburgs were in control of a lot of the territory at the time, and the French didn't want an imbalance in power. Thus, it was through their funding that the war was actually able to happen. Without the funding of the French, the Swedish wouldn't have been able to fight for the Protestants. Also, the Habsburgs wanted to increase the amount of territory they controlled.
A Course of Events (for French and Swedish period to post war)
The Swedish battlefield:
May 1631 - Siege/Sack of Magdeburg
July 1631 - Battle of Werben
Sept 1631 - Battle of Breitenfeld
Apr 1632 - Battle of Rain
Sept 1632 - Battle of Furth
Nov 1632 - Battle of Lutzen
Sept 1634 - Battle of Nordlingen
May 1635 - Peace of Prague/Demise of the Catholic League
The French Intervention:
Oct 1637 - Fall of Breda
Feb 1638 - Battle of Rheinfelden
Oct 1642 - 2nd Battle of Breitenfeld
Feb 1645 - Battle of Jankov
Aug 1648 - Battle of Lens
1648 - Siege and Battle of Prague/Battle of the Charles Bridge
Jan 30, 1648 - Peace of Westphalia (ending the war)
Note: These events were chosen as some of the most important ones in the war. Not all battles of the war in the Swedish, French and Postwar periods are shown here.
Key Figures/Groups Involved
Cardinal Richelieu (indirectly involved) : The French minister who wished to protect French interests; had a strong sway over Adolphus II.
Wallenstein (military strategist for the Holy Roman Empire) : Fighting against the Protestants, his forces killed Adolphus II in battle.
Ferdinand II (Holy Roman emperor) : He had Wallenstein assasinated. He was the driving force behind Catholicism in the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic side of the war.
The French : They backed the war effort for the Swedish
The Swedish : They did the actual fighting on the Protestant side of the war.
Final Outcome
Main Significance in History
Source Links and Primary Source Description
Primary Source:
Kagan, Donald, et al. “The Age of Religious Wars.” Preparing for the European History AP* Exam with the Western Heritage to 1300, 11th ed., Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2014, pp. 162–165.
Description:
This is simply our classroom textbook, or a version of it, written for the primary purpose of education. It contains information about the history of Europe going back as far as the 14th century. This source includes details about the changes in religion and world politics to paint an overview of medieval history, through 17th and 18th centuries to present times.d
Other Sources:
Spahn, Martin. "The Thirty Years War." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 21 Sept. 2017 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14648b.htm
Richey, Tom. “Thirty Years War.” EDpuzzle, uploaded by TomRichey.net, 21 Sept. 2017, https://edpuzzle.com/assignments/59bffdbfb44a34403cf64707/watch