THE RELIGIOUS WARS: The Thirty Years War 1618-1648

Origins of the Conflict Peace of Augsburg of 1555 brought truce to warring religious factions in the Holy Roman Empire. The agreement only recognized Catholics and Lutherans (leaving out Calvinists). Calvinists began to make gains in a number or states and began demanding rights. Direct cause of the fighting was a conflict in Bohemia.

Bohemian Phase, 1618-1625 In 1617, The Bohemian Diet elected Ferdinand of Styria (a Hapsburg) king. Two years later he elected HRE Ferdinand II. His election alarmed Calvinists in Bohemia since Ferdinand was a strong supporter of the Catholic cause. Roman Catholic officials ordered the end of construction of some Protestant chapels on land which the Catholic clergy claimed belonged to them. Protestants, who claimed it was royal They interpreted this as a violation of the right of freedom of religious expression as granted in the Letter of Majesty issued by Emperor Rudolf II in 1609.

The Defenestration of Prague On May 23, 1618, an assembly of Protestants tried two Imperial governors for violating the Letter of Majesty. They were found guilty, and thrown out of the high windows of the Bohemian Chancellery.

The Defenestration of Prague They fell some 50 ft, and they landed on a large pile of manure. They all survived. Roman Catholic Imperial officials claimed that they survived due to the mercy of the benevolent angels assisting the righteousness of the Catholic cause. Protestant pamphleteers asserted that their survival had more to do with the horse excrement in which they landed than the benevolent acts of the angels.

Bohemian Phase, 1618-1625 Taking control of Prague, the Calvinists deposed Ferdinand and elected a new king, Frederick V. Emperor Ferdinand II won the support of Maximilian I of Bavaria. Under the leadership of Baron Tilly, the Catholic forces defeated the Protestants in Bohemia at the Battle of White Mountain in Nov. 1620., ending the Bohemian phase

Danish Phase, 1625-1629 King Christian IV intervened on the side of the Protestants against Ferdinand II. Albrecht von Wallenstein and Tilly defeated the Danes in 1626 with a independent army of 50,000 men. The Treaty of Lubeck in 1629 restored Holstein to Christian IV while he pledged to stay out of the war. Albrecht von Wallenstein

Swedish Phase, 1630-1635 Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus became the new defender of the Protestant cause. In 1630, the Swedes invaded Germany. Later that year, Catholic France signed a alliance with Protestant Sweden, entering the war against the Hapsburgs. What had begun as a religious war now took political overtones. Gustavus Adolphus

Swedish Phase, 1630-1635 During the early stages the Swedes won several victories Tilly fell in battle in 1632 and Wallenstein formed a new army. In Nov. 1632, Wallenstein was defeated at the Battle of Lutzen, but Gustavus Adolphus was killed. Wallenstein entered into secret negotiations with the French and Swedes, Ferdinand had him relieved in 1634, he was assassinated a few days later.

Swedish Phase, 1630-1635 In the autumn of 1634, Ferdinand II’s army defeated the Swedes at the Battle of Nordlingen. Each side in the conflict was exhausted from years of fighting. In 1635, the Treaty of Prague brought an end to the Swedish phase of the war and strengthened the position of the emperor compared to that of the princes.

French Phase, 1635-1648 Settlement reached in the Treaty of Prague was wrecked by the French decision to directly intervene. Cardinal Richelieu, Chief Minister of Louis XIII wanted to weaken Hapsburg power and gain territory. Cardinal Richelieu

French Phase, 1635-1648 The French relied on the German princes and Swedes to lead the fight in Germany, while France moved against the Hapsburg Philip IV of Spain. The war continued to ravage Germany, with no side gaining the upper hand until the French defeated the Spanish and became more directly involved. Ferdinand II died in 1637 and was succeeded by his son, Ferdinand III (r. 1637-1657). Peace negotiations began in 1641, but made little progress until the death of Richelieu in 1642 and the French occupation of Bavaria in 1646.

Peace of Westphalia, 1648 Treaty of Westphalia ended the 30 yrs. War. France, Sweden, and Brandenburg gained territory. Settlement formally recognized the independence of Switzerland and Dutch Rep. Granted German states the right to make treaties and alliances, further weakening the HRE. 300+ German states became sovereign. Religious rights guaranteed in Peace of Augsburg expanded to Calvinists.

Effects of the Conflict Germany physically devastated (as much as 1/2 of pop. in certain areas perished). Religious wars come to an end. France becomes the predominant power in Europe. New rules of international affairs established (modern nation-state becomes supreme).