Imperial Expansion and State Rivalries
during the Military Revolution
“The Thirty Years War”
“The Thirty Years War”
A Simplified Overview
• One of the Greatest Conflicts of Early Modern European History
• Extension of the Dutch Revolt & French Wars of Religion
• Continued Religious struggles between Catholics, Lutherans, & Calvinists
• Internal Civil War between Holy Roman Empire & German Principalities
• Primary Antagonists were the ruling members of the Habsburg Dynasty
• International oppositions to Habsburgs formed by its neighbors
• Extension of the Franco-Habsburg Rivalry
• Consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars (1618-1648)
“The Thirty Years War”
Extension of the Dutch Revolt & French Wars of Religion
• The Dutch Revolt (1566 – 1609)
 Rebellion by 17 Protestant Dutch Provinces
against Roman Catholic Spain
 Religious Differences
 Unreasonably High Taxes by Spanish Crown
 Twelve Year Truce began in 1609
• French Wars of Religion (1562 – 1598)
 Conflict between French Catholics and
Protestant Huguenots
 Political disputes between French houses
of Bourbon and Guise (Lorainne)
 St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
 Edict of Nantes (Limited Protestant Rights)
“The Thirty Years War”
Continued Religious struggles between
Catholics, Lutherans, & Calvinists
Catholic
League
Protestant
Union
Formed 1609
Formed 1608
• Holy Roman Emperors
• Elector of Palatine
• King of Spain
• King of Denmark & Norway
• King of Bohemia
• King of Sweden
• King of Hungary
• King of France
• Archduke of Austria
• Prince of Orange (Dutch Rep)
• Catholic German Princes
• Protestant German Princes
“The Thirty Years War”
Internal Civil War between
Holy Roman Empire & German Principalities
• Holy Roman Emperor had
give official recognition to the
German Lutherans under the
Peace of Augsburg in 1555
• Catholics dominated many of
the provincial governments
• Protestants continued to take
over former Catholic lands
• German Princes allowed the
spread of Calvinism
• Protestant distrust for both the
Habsburgs and Catholic
Church increased
“The Thirty Years War”
Primary Antagonists were the ruling members of
The Habsburg Dynasty
“The Thirty Years War”
Primary Antagonists were the ruling members of
The Habsburg Dynasty
“The Thirty Years War”
International oppositions to Habsburgs
Formed by its neighbors
• Franco-Ottoman
Alliance (1532 - 1798)
• Protestant Union (1608)
• Catholic League (1609)
• Franco-Swedish
Alliance (1631 – 1648)
• League of Heilbronn
(1633 – 1648)
Directly against Emperor
Indirectly against Emperor
Directly for Emperor
Indirectly for Emperor
“The Thirty Years War”
Extension of the Franco-Habsburg Rivalry
• Habsburgs originally sought expansion through marriage
 Motto “Wars may be led by others – you, happy Austria, marry.”
 Maximilian I (Holy Roman Emperor) married Mary of Valois (1477)
 Philip of Austria married Joanna of Castile and became King of Castile
 Charles I (son of Philip & Joanna) became King of Spain (1516)
 He also became Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1519)
 Philip II, King of Spain, also gained control of Portugal through marriage
• Habsburgs managed to gain control of Europe’s largest empire
 Kingdom of Spain and Portugal
 The Spanish (later Austrian) Netherlands
 Kingdoms of Bohemia, Hungary, and Austria
 Independent German Provinces or the Holy Roman Empire
• France regarded the encirclement by the Habsburgs as a threat
“The Thirty Years War”
Consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars
(1618-1648)
Ferdinand II
Holy Roman Emperor
The Bohemian Phase (1618-1621)
• Austrian Archduke Ferdinand was appointed
King of Bohemia by Holy Roman Emperor
• Bohemian’s deposed the Habsburg King &
elected Frederick V as the Palatine King
• Ferdinand II (Holy Roman Emperor) struck
back with support from the Catholic League
• Catholic forces under the Count of Tilly met
Protestants under Count von Mansfield
• Bohemians were defeated at Prague and
the Spanish secured the lower Netherlands
Frederick V
Elector of Palatinate
“The Thirty Years War”
Consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars
(1618-1648)
The Ottoman Phase (1620-1621)
Sigismund III
King of Poland
• King of Poland sent an elite and ruthless
unit of mercenaries to help the Habsburgs
with their fight in Bohemia
• Gabriel Brethlen, Prince of Transylvania,
asked Sultan Osman II of the Ottomans
for assistance
• A large Ottoman army crushed the Polish
at the Battle of Tutora in 1620
• Osman II personally led his army against
the Polish at the Battle of Khotyn in 1621
• Peace Treaty forced the Polish to stay out
of the conflict to the west
Gabriel Brethlen
Prince of
Transylvania
(Bohemian)
Osman II
Ottoman Sultan
“The Thirty Years War”
Consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars
(1618-1648)
Ernst von Mansfield
(Protestant General)
Johann Tserclaes
Count of Tilly
(Imperial General)
The Palatinate Phase (1621-1624)
• Frederick V rallied with other Protestant
Rulers to reclaim the Palatinate from Spain
• The Dutch Republic joined the effort in
hopes of gaining additional territories from
the Spanish
• Protestant Forces under Count von Mansfield
were unable to defeat the unified Imperial
forces of Count Tilly & Gonzalo of Cordoba
• Imperial dominance of the Catholic Union
gained momentum throughout the German
Territories
Gonzalo de Cordoba
(Spanish General)
“The Thirty Years War”
Consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars
(1618-1648)
Christian IV
King of Denmark
The Danish Phase (1625-1630)
• Concerns over increased success of
the Habsburgs grew
• France, England and the Dutch Republic
formed an alliance with Denmark
• Christian IV (King of Denmark) led troops
against General Albrecht von Wallenstein’s
new army of Imperial (Catholic) Troops
• Continued Catholic victories influenced the
Emperor to issue the Edict of Resitution
• Fearing Wallenstein’s power, the Catholic
League ordered him to disband his forces
Albrecht
von Wallerstein
(Catholic General)
“The Thirty Years War”
Consisted of a series of declared & undeclared wars (1618-1648)
The Swedish Phase (1630-1634)
Gustavus Adolphus
King of Sweden
• Concerns over continued success of
the Habsburgs threatened the Baltic Region
• Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden invaded
Northern Germany supported by France
• Protestant concerns within the region
caused them to join Gustavus’ army
Albrecht
von Wallerstein
(Catholic General)
• The Protestant forces annihilated the
Catholic League at 1st Battle of Breitenfield
• The Holy Roman Emperor recalled the
army under Albrecht von Wallerstein
• Gustavus and Wallerstein’s troops met at
at the Battle of Lutzen (Gustavus was killed)
• Spanish troops joined the fight and inflicted
crushing defeat on Swedes at Nordlingen
Don Ambrosia
Spanish General
“The Thirty Years War”
Consisted of a series of declared & undeclared wars (1618-1648)
The French Phase (1634-1648)
• Gustavus Adolphus died in 1633
• Albrect von Wallerstein was assassinated
under orders from the Catholic League
• German Lutheran Princes signed the Peace
of Prague with the Holy Roman Emperor
• Protestants were allowed to keep all lands
in their possession since 1627
• France continued to provide support to the
Swedish forces under Field Marshal
Lennart Torstensson
• France declared war on the Spain
• Imperial forces weakened as France took
the Rhineland & Sweden took N. Germany
Louis XIII
King of France
Cardinal Richelieu
Minister of France
“The Thirty Years War”
Effects of the War and the Peace of Westphalia
Effects of the War
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German region was decimated by warfare
Population fell from 21 million to 13 million
German strategic position was greatly weakened
German people suffered destitution, humiliation and despair
Results of the Peace of Westphalia
•
•
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Weakened the power and influence of the Habsburg states of Spain & Austria
German Principalities were made independent from the Holy Roman Empire
France became dominant land military power in Western Europe
Poland and Ottoman Empire became major military powers in Eastern Europe
Brought an end to Religious Wars in Europe
Introduced a new method of Peace Negotiations (still used today)
“The Thirty Years War”