Thirty Years’ War:
1. Bohemian (1618-25)
2. Danish (1625-29)
3. Swedish (1630-35)
4. Swedish-French (1635-48)
Map Link: The Thirty Years’ War:
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/
Map_Thirty_Years_War-en.svg/462px-Map_Thirty_Years
_War-en.svg.png>
Causes:
1. Rise of Calvinism
2. Catholic ambitions
3. French-Habsburg tensions
4. Fragmented Holy Roman Empire
1617 Ferdinand of Habsburg elected King of
Bohemia
1618 Defenestration of Ferdinand’s officials
in Prague
1619 Ferdinand elected Holy Roman Emperor
(Ferdinand II, r. 1619-37)
1608 Formation of Protestant Union by
Frederick V
1609 Formation of Catholic League
1619 Rebellion in Bohemia in favour of
Frederick V, supported by Protestant Union
and Transylvanians. Opposed by Catholic
Union and Spanish under Maximilian
of Bavaria and Count Johannes von Tilly
(1559-1632)
8th Nov 1620 Battle of the White Mountain
1621 Dissolution of Protestant Union
Christian IV of Denmark (r. 1588-1648), also
Duke of Holstein
Albrecht Wallenstein (1583-1634)
1625-29 Wallenstein and Tilly defeat Christian
and invade Jutland
22nd May 1629 Christian IV renounces
ambitions in Germany
Mecklenburg lands given to Wallenstein
6th Mar 1629 Ferdinand II issues Edict of
Restitution:
Prohibits Calvinist worship
Orders return of Catholic Church’s property
1630 Diet of Regensburg demands dismissal of
Wallenstein and his army
Gustavus II Adolphus (r. 1611-31), the “Lion
of the North”
July 1630 Adolphus lands in Pomerania
17th Sep 1631 Adolphus defeats Tilly at
Breitenfeld, near Leipzig
16th Nov 1632 Battle of Lützen, near Leipzig,
between Adolphus and Wallenstein
Axel Oxenstierna leads Swedish campaign
after Adolphus’ death
25th Feb 1634 Wallenstein killed by Irish
mercenary
6th Sep 1634 Imperial and Spanish forces
defeat Swedes at Nördlingen
Ferdinand II takes most of Germany, but
annuls Edict of Restitution
Pope Urban VIII (p. 1623-44)
1640 Rebellions in Portugal and Catalonia
19th May 1643 French defeat Spanish at
Rocroi in Netherlands
Ferdinand III (r. 1637-57)
1643 Start of peace talks
1648 Peace of Westphalia
1659 Peace of the Pyrenees, between France
and Spain
1660 Peace agreements between Sweden and
Denmark, and Sweden and Poland
1667 Peace agreement between Poland and
Russia
Map Link: Europe, 1648:
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Europe_
map_1648.PNG>
Peace of Westphalia:
Ceding territory to France and Sweden
Reaffirming Peace of Augsburg, extended to
Calvinists
Halting Catholic recovery of Holy Roman
Empire
Map Link: The Holy Roman Empire, 1648:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holy_Roman_Empire_1648.svg>
German states effectively sovereign, with
right to conduct international diplomacy
Consent of Reichstag required for new
laws, taxes, wars – destroying power of
the emperor
Vacuum in Germany– to be filled by
French, English, Dutch
Political changes:
Establishing modern system of sovereign
states
Absence of religious or political unity in
Europe
Reduced influence of religion on politics
- now trumped by state interests
Human impact of war: looting, death, torture,
starvation, disease
Otto von Guericke (1602-86):
Scientist, inventor, politician from
Magdeburg
1646-76 Burgomeister (mayor) of
Magdeburg
1650 Invents air pump, investigates vacuums
and air pressure
1663 Invents first electrostatic generator