1. Cultural, Political, & Religious Effects of the Division Between Protestantism & Catholicism

2. The Thirty Years War was one of the most destructive & longest continuous war in European history. It’s true cause is debated among historians, however, on a broader level, the war was: A conflict between Protestants and Catholics A conflict between two powerful ruling families in Europe, the Bourbon (France) and Hapsburgs (Spain & Austria) To truly understand what helped cause the war, we have to look back into an event that occurred in Germany, during the Protestant Reformation…

3. As Lutheranism spread throughout Germany, the Catholic Church struggled to accept rise of Protestantism. The Holy Roman Emperor threatened to invade the already fragmented German states. Attempting to force the still-loyal Catholic German states into his armies, he attempted to attack the Northern German states & force them back to Catholicism. Result? The Catholic states refused the Holy Roman Emperor & threatened war against his forces by joining forces with their Protestant, German brothers in the north.

4. The Holy Roman Emperor was forced to sign the Peace of Augsburg, which stated: German states had the right to freedom of religion as dictated by the German prince in power over the state. The Holy Roman Emperor no longer held the authority to interfere in the independence of sovereign kingdoms. Underlying effects? Allowed the unencumbered spread of Protestantism France realized it was surrounded by lands controlled by the powerful family, the Hapsburgs (Spain & Holy Roman Empire) Religious tensions remained high in Europe

5. Ferdinand II inherited the throne as king of Bohemia, but he was also to be the Holy Roman Emperor by default, as he was born into the Hapsburg family. He believed in ruling with absolute authority. He was a devout Catholic and was determined to reclaim its power over the Protestant kingdoms of Central Europe Ferdinand II’s power led to revolts across Bohemia and other Protestant kingdoms. These revolts led to clashes between armies of Protestant forces & those loyal to Ferdinand II.

6. The 30 Years War is the 1 st war to encompass most lands in Europe. Most of the fighting occurred in German lands as Germany sought to help the Bohemians. Sweden joined the war to help the Protestant cause. They sent their superior general, Gustavus Adolphus to help lead the Protestant forces. France, though Catholic, joined to help the Protestants due to their fear/hatred of growing Hapsburg power. Once France joined the war, the Catholic forces under Ferdinand II crumbled.

7. Treaty of Westphalia is a significant document for several reasons: 1 st peace treaty among multiple kingdoms of Europe Ended religious wars in Europe permanently Holy Roman Emperor (& the Hapsburg family) no longer held political power over other sovereign nations. Geographically, there were winners & losers: Western European kingdoms established their fixed borders Central Europe remained a cluster of feudal states German attempts to unite into a country were ruined as the German states were weakened by the war

9. Casualties: Germany suffered the most: (depending on the German state) anywhere between 25%-40% of the population declined. Czech lands also suffered from population declines: Roughly 1/3 of Bohemian population died during the war. Swedish armies wreaked havoc: they destroyed 18,000 villages and up to 2,000 castles in total.

10. Disease: Typhus & bubonic plague re-emerged: It is believed they were spread as armies moved across European lands Many peasants moved to the villages/towns to escape the war. The overcrowding led to increased famine & disease Political Issues: German unification was halted Hapsburg-Bourbon tensions continued as Spain & France remained at war after the Treaty of Westphalia The Spanish were forever forced to accept the independence of their former colony: the Dutch.