The Thirty Years’ War
1618-1648
The FIRST continent-wide war in
modern history!!!!
Culmination of religious wars from the
16th century!!!!
And it ends with . . .
Peace of Westphalia: 1648
Why another War?
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Peace of Augsburg (1555, princes could choose
Catholic or Lutheran) – solved nothing
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granted rights to Lutherans, but other Protestant
religions left out
an issue for Palatinate Elector = Calvinist
Whose who of Protestantism
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majority of 300 German states = Lutheran
Bohemia = Protestant
Austria = supposed to be Catholic, but strong
Protestant influence
Swiss = Catholic & Calvinist
Hungary = Protestant
Transylvania = Calvinist
Why another War?

War between emperor and princes
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It seems the “emperor” isn’t really an emperor
(i.e. no power!), HRE too divided
Instead we have a “Protestant Union”(1608)
and a “Catholic League”(1609) determined to
hold the other at bay
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PU supported by Dutch, English & Henry IV of France
CL founded in Bavaria & backed by Spain
Austrian Habsburgs would like a strong
central government (nation-state); must
push out Protestantism
Why another War?
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Twelve Years’ Truce (Netherlands/Spain) to
expire 1621
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Spanish Army still strong although Armada KAPUTT!
Spain wants to control Scheldt River & remove Dutch
from East Indies BUT Dutch refuse to leave East Indies
& they control Antwerp
Spain wants to expand into the Rhineland & some
Swiss cantons BUT French are strongly opposed
(again they are protecting the Protestants)
consolidate Habsburgs position in Europe after
failure in Netherlands
Other Problems in
the HRE
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Cultural decline in HRE
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Lutherans distrust world outside Germany
decline in university attendance as universities
become platform for religious/political reform
debates
witch-hunts most prevalent in Eastern Europe
trade in decay due to Dutch control; serfdom alive
and well; Commercial Revolution doesn’t effect the
middle class in East as in West
What kind of war?
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not just a religious war
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German civil war of religion
German civil war of constitutional issues
International war between France & Habsburgs, Spain
& Dutch, kings of Denmark & Sweden and prince of
Transylvanian become involved
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all of these groups found allies within Germany
majority of battles fought on German soil
generals were soldiers of fortune with their own designs on
land, wealth & power
Four Phases of the
War
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Bohemian (Czechs) (1618-1625)
Danish (1625-1630)
Swedish (1630-1635)
Swedish-French (1635-1648)
Habsburg Family Tree – Part II
Maximilian I
(1493-1519)
Philip___________La Loca
Charles V (Sp/HRE)
Ferdinand I
(1516-1556)
(1556-1564) HRE
Philip II (Sp)
(1556-1598)
Maximilian II
Charles of Styria
Philip III (Sp)
(1564-1576)
(1598-1621)
Rudolf II
Matthias
Ferdinand II
(1576-1612) (1612-1619) (1619-1637)
RII & M = kings of Hungary, Bohemia/ FII = king of Bohemia
Phase I:
Bohemian Phase 1618-1625
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HRE – Matthias (Ferdinand’s grdson) dying,
successor to Empire
Logical choice: cousin, Ferdinand II
BUT electors are mainly Protestant and
Ferdinand is Catholic
Ferdinand ALSO king of Bohemia!
Bohemians (Czechs / Germans) – together with
Slovaks = mainly Protestant vs. Catholic king
Bohemia revolts
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Defenestration of Prague: Mathias’ reps thrown
out the window (land on dung)
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Mathias send in troops to restore order & is deposed
Mathias dies & Ferdinand II should reign
Bohemians elect “Frederick of the Palatinate”
So War: Ferdinand and Catholic League vs.
Frederick and Protestant Union
Ferdinand crowned as HRE and defeats Frederick
at Battle of White Mountain 1620
Outcomes of Phase I
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Spain dig-in in Rhineland; prepare to take on
French and Dutch
Ferdinand II gets elected king of Bohemia &
confiscates 50% of nobles’ estates
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Jesuits re-Catholicize Bohemia
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some goes to churches, monasteries & orders
some goes to mercenaries = new aristocracy
missions, schools, court proceedings, executions
Protestantism expunged in Austria
Protestant Union dissolved in 1621
Phase II:
Danish Phase 1625-1630
Danish Lutherans vs. Habsburg power!
 Denmark’s King Christian IV (a.k.a. Duke of
Holstein) vs. Ferdinand II
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religious as well as political agenda
some Dutch, English, French backing
Ferdinand wins under gen. Wallenstein who
plunders Germany and Danes (Spanish cousins of HRE
help)
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Wallenstein actually reaches Baltic & Danish Pen.
Results of Phase II
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Germany is completely engulfed by the
Counter Reformation
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Palatinate, northern Lutheran states, Bohemia
& Austria = re-Catholicized
1629 HRE issues “Edict of Restitution”: All
Catholic states pre Peace of Augsburg (1555)
are restored as Catholic
Results of Phase II
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Terror sweeps Germany, France, Denmark &
Sweden
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Germans fear for Protestantism
as do Danish, who are also dealing with Wallenstein
French (Richelieu) dealing with internal conflicts,
can’t take Ferdinand II alone, so...
engage Swedes, by ending their conflict with Poland
and paying them 1 million livre/year for 40,000
troops (Dutch pay 50,000 florins a month)
Phase III:
Swedish 1630-1635
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Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus: great ruler
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united Sweden
conducted overseas operations
increased land holdings bu acquiring areas of Poland
& Russia
creates Europes most modern army
1630 lands in Germany to take over fight for
Protestantism
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in the meantime...Richelieu has turned Catholic states
against FII (fear of centralization)
Phase III – Swedish
1630-1635
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Glorious Victories (military backing from
Saxony)
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Oxenstierna (GA’s Chancellor) picks up fight
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1631 Breitenfeld
1632 Lützen (GA dies in battle)
penetrates Bohemia as far south as the Danube
Internal Discord
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Wallenstein upset with power of Spanish and gives up
fight; begins private peace talks with Swedes & Saxons;
assassinated by one of his own
Phase III – Swedish
1630-1635
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Internal Discord (con’t.)
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Saxons (ind. of Swedes) enter into talks w/
Emperor
1635 Peace of Prague: annuls Edict of
Restitution, many other German states sign
treaty & pull support of Swedes
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Swedes left isolated in Germany
French/Spanish not ready to give
Phase IV: French-Swedish /
International Phase 1635-1648
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Richelieu not happy the Habsburgs won again …
so … he declares war on Spain (Habsburg –
Philip IV – helping HRE)!
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Portugal & Catalonia declare independence from Sp.
Netherlands, Savoy also enter on Swedish side!
Battles go both ways, Richelieu, Ferdinand II,
Louis XIII, Wallenstein all die early 1640’s
Germany grows to resent this foreign invasion
Exhaustion – and Peace of Westphalia 1648
And the final results???
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Germany devastated! Some areas 2/3 population dead
HRE once a leader – now stagnates
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Habsburgs weakened –
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borderlands fall away, Netherlands & Switzerland no longer
belong;
no laws may be made, taxes levied, soldiers recruited, war waged
or peace treaty signed without approval of imperial estates
Germany sinks back into “feudal chaos” – 300 independent
states (Staatensystem)
Austria losses power over HRE
Spain losses United Provinces, Portugal & Catalonia
Europe enters “Balance of Power”
Religious Wars END!!! = permanent split in Christendom
FRANCE begins to rise!