The

Thirty Years

War

(1618-1648)

The

Thirty Years

War

(1618-1648)

1618-16481618-1648

The Holy Roman Empire was the battleground.

At beginning Catholics vs. the Protestants.

At end Habsburg power was threatened.

Resolved by the Treaty of Westphalia

Characteristics of the Thirty Years War

Characteristics of the Thirty Years War

Background

• Execution of Jan Hus = Bohemia hotbed of contention b/w Protestants and Catholics.

• Protestants outnumbered Catholics in Bohemia – but Protestants fragmented into sects

• Catholics forbade Protestants to build churches in towns where churches did not already exist

• Ferdinand II was to be the new King of Bohemia and Protestants feared for the worst

Ferdinand II inherited Bohemia. The Bohemians hated him. Ferdinand refused to tolerate

Protestants. Defenestration of Prague May, 1618

Bohemia named a new king, Frederick II.

The Bohemian Phase: 1618-1622

The Bohemian Phase: 1618-1622

The Defenestration of Prague• Protestants mtg w/Catholics in Prague.

• Mtg went badly, Protestants seized 2 Catholic officials & tossed them out the window – for kicks: tossed a secretary, too.– Defenestrate: Latin for “window” & means “out the window”

• Survived fall b/c landed in dung-heap; Catholics claimed angels saved them

• Spark that ignited 30 Years’ War

The Protestants: deposed Ferdinand, King of Bohemia; chose Frederick V to take place

The Catholic forces crushed the Protestants

The defeat and the propaganda had a different effect than intended

Ferdinand II becomes HRE. Frederick lost lands in the fighting.

The rebellion in Bohemia inspired others.

The Bohemian Phase: 1618-1622

The Bohemian Phase: 1618-1622

Bohemian Phase

Bohemian Phase

Ferdinand II tried to end all resistance. Tried to crush Protestant northern

HREmpire.

Edict of Restitution: Restored to Catholics all lands lost. Deprived all Protestants, except Lutherans,

of religious & political rights.

The Danish Phase: 1625-1629The Danish Phase: 1625-1629

Danish Phase

France & Sweden now get involved. Both want to stop Habsburg power. Sweden led the charge. Fr provided support.

Gustavus Adolphus invaded the HREmpire.

Swedish advance was stopped.

German princes still feared Ferdinand II.

The Swedish Phase: 1630-1635The Swedish Phase: 1630-1635

Swedish Phase

GustavusAdolphus

France & Sweden switched roles.

All countries in Europe now participated.

This phase was most destructive! German towns decimated. Agriculture collapsed famine resulted. 8 mil dead 1/3 of the population [from

21 mil in 1618 to 13.5 mil in 1648] Caused massive inflation. Trade was crippled throughout Europe.

The French Phase: 1635-1648The French Phase: 1635-1648

Loss of German Lives in 30 Years’ War

Political Provisions: Ger. princes free from any kind of control by

HRE. Fr. rcvd. most of the Ger-speaking province of

Alsace. WWII

Sweden got lands in No. Ger. on the Baltic & Black Sea coasts. Peter the Great

Religious Provisions: Calvinists would have the same privileges

as Lutherans had in the Peace of Augsburg. The ruler of each state could determine its

official religion, BUT [except in the hereditary lands of the Habsburgs], he must permit freedom of private worship.

The Peace of Westphalia (1648)

The Peace of Westphalia (1648)

Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

1688-1700

Political Fallout from the 30 Years’ War

• Spain lost territory / France gained territory– Fr stood alone as most powerful nation on

continent• Fr benefited from fragmentation of the HREmpire

& weakening of the Habsburg family influence– Habsburg family remained wealthy and strong, though,

and would go on to rule the Austro-Hungarian Empire later

Aftermath in Germ• Germans seemed to win politically &

religiously, but lost in other ways– homes, businesses & farms were destroyed– Germ population took a major hit

• Millions dead: battle, disease & starvation • Germ pop decreased by as much as 20% according to

some sources

• Food shortages plagued Germ & worsened the suffering

• Inflation crushed Germ econ; – food shortages & rising prices coincided w/

massive influx of gold & silver into Spain• Trade routes in & around Germ virt. disappear

Must Remember• 30 Years War began as war of religion -

developed into international war of politics– the war healed no religious wounds

• Fr proved that international politics would be more important in the coming centuries than religion

• No participant in the 30 Years War possessed a large enough army to knock out its opponents; Louis XIV would learn from this

• Because the vast majority of the fighting took place in Germany, the German states suffered more than any other participants