30 Years War (1618-1648)
Pre-War, Bohemian, and Danish Phase
Summary
Pre War
Timeline
Germany was a land of around 360 separate political entities, all run separately with different religions and local governments. Because of the divisions, the atmosphere could often be hostile.
- 1606- Riot in Donauworth, Roman Holy Empire because of Lutherans preventing Catholics from holding an annual Markus procession
- 1608- After foreign intervention against the Lutherans by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria in support of Catholics, Calvinists and Lutherans band together to create the Protestant Union
- 1609- Catholics create the Catholic League
- 1614- Treaty of Xanten, divides territory between three rulers after the previous ruler passes away. One is Catholic, one is Lutheran, one is a Calvinist
Causes of the Thirty Years War
- The Peace of Augsburg of 1555 had brought a temporary truce as far as religious matters in Germany, however the treaty only recognized Lutherans and Roman Catholics, leaving out Calvinists. Calvinists began to demand recognition
Direct Cause-
During the Bohemian Phase, the Habsburgs had a Letter of Majesty in which they granted Protestants toleration, but Ferdinand II revoked this letter. This led to the Defenestration of Prague. Ferdinand II sent messengers to speak with the Protestants about his revoking of the Letter of Majesty, but the Protestants were angered by the messengers and threw them out of a 70-foot window. Although this should have killed the messengers, they survived. Catholics believed they were saved by the intercession of the Virgin Mary/the angels and Protestants believed that there was a pile of manure on the ground that cushioned their fall. Ferdinand II was angered by the Defenestration of Prague and the Battle of White Mountain occurred.
During the Danish Phase, the King of Denmark (the Lutheran King) was a Protestant so he invaded the Holy Roman Empire to help his fellow protestants.The King gets destroyed and the Protestants are sent back to Denmark. Wallace follows them and causes trouble even within their own home country.
Bohemian Phase
Election of the Holy Roman Emperor
Saturday, Sep 21, 1619, 12:00 PM
Holy Roman Empire
Timeline
- 1618- Defenestration of Prague. A year after Ferdinand II is elected Bohemian prince and tries to force religious conformity, Calvinists throw his representatives out of a window.
- Ferninand's people depose him in Prague and declare the Calvinist elector Frederick V their true king.
- Ferdinand II gets support from both Bavaria and the Holy Roman Empire to take down the Calvinists living in his country. Both countries send over troops that fight the Calvinist troops, led by Fredreick V at the Battle of White Mountain. It's a strong Catholic victory.
Friday, Sep 21, 1618, 12:00 PM
Prague, Czechia
The Danish Period
King Christian IV
Timeline
- King Christian IV of Denmark supports the Protestants against Ferdinand II in order to gain territory
- Ferdinand raises an army (English, French, and Dutch) to fight off Christian IV, wins and takes some territory.
- A Protestant named Wallenstein saw an opportunity in joining Ferinand, became his highest military general against Protestant forces, eventually became over 100,000 men strong, Wallenstein then was so powerful that he was outside the emperor's control.
- Wallenstien had broken Protestant resistant so much that Ferinand could issue the Edict of Restitution in 1629, which made Calvinism super illegal as opposed to just illegal, ordered the return of all church lands Lutherans had acquired, and reaffirmed Catholicism as the main religion.
- Protestants and Habsburgs (French Calvinists) freak out
- Overall, another Catholic victory
Tuesday, Sep 21, 162, 12:00 PM
Holstein, Germany
Significance
The thirty years war was extremely important to the shaping of modern day Europe. Millions of people died, shaping future populations. As a result of the war, the Holy Roman Empire was weakened, eventually leading to its fall. Both Switzerland and the Netherlands gained their independence during this time. France was able to establish itself as a strong power in Europe. After this war, religions other then Roman Catholics were allowed to practice without fear of persecution for the first time, leading to more religious/cultural differences in the area. There was also an economic fall in Germany as a direct result of this war.
Works Cited
Bohemian Revolt-30 Years War, thirtyyearswar.tripod.com/revolt.html.
Trueman. “The Peace of Prague.” History Learning Site, History Learning Site, 25 Mar. 2015, www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-thirty-years-war/the-peace-of-prague/.
Boundless. “Boundless World History.” Lumen, Lumen Learning, courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-worldhistory/chapter/the-thirty-years-war/.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Thirty Years' War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 Sept. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Thirty-Years-War.