The Thirty Years’ War1618-1648

The FIRST continent-wide war in modern history!!!!

Culmination of religious wars from the 16th century!!!!

And it ends with . . . Peace of Westphalia: 1648

Why another War? Peace of Augsburg (1555, princes could choose

Catholic or Lutheran) – solved nothing granted rights to Lutherans, but other Protestant

religions left out an issue for Palatinate Elector = Calvinist

Whose who of Protestantism majority of 300 German states = Lutheran Bohemia = Protestant Austria = supposed to be Catholic, but strong

Protestant influence Swiss = Catholic & Calvinist Hungary = Protestant Transylvania = Calvinist

Why another War? War between emperor and princes

It seems the “emperor” isn’t really an emperor (i.e. no power!), HRE too divided

Instead we have a “Protestant Union”(1608) and a “Catholic League”(1609) determined to hold the other at bay

PU supported by Dutch, English & Henry IV of France CL founded in Bavaria & backed by Spain

Austrian Habsburgs would like a strong central government (nation-state); must push out Protestantism

Why another War? Twelve Years’ Truce (Netherlands/Spain) to

expire 1621 Spanish Army still strong although Armada

KAPUTT! Spain wants to control Scheldt River & remove

Dutch from East Indies BUT Dutch refuse to leave East Indies & they control Antwerp

Spain wants to expand into the Rhineland & some Swiss cantons BUT French are strongly opposed (again they are protecting the Protestants)

consolidate Habsburgs position in Europe after failure in Netherlands

Other Problems in the HRE Cultural decline in HRE

Lutherans distrust world outside Germany decline in university attendance as universities

become platform for religious/political reform debates

witch-hunts most prevalent in Eastern Europe trade in decay due to Dutch control; serfdom

alive and well; Commercial Revolution doesn’t effect the middle class in East as in West

What kind of war? not just a religious war

German civil war of religion German civil war of constitutional issues International war between France & Habsburgs,

Spain & Dutch, kings of Denmark & Sweden and prince of Transylvanian become involved

all of these groups found allies within Germany majority of battles fought on German soil generals were soldiers of fortune with their own

designs on land, wealth & power

Four Phases of the War Bohemian (Czechs) (1618-1625) Danish (1625-1630) Swedish (1630-1635) Swedish-French (1635-1648)

Habsburg Family Tree – Part IIMaximilian I(1493-1519)Philip___________La Loca

Charles V (Sp/HRE) Ferdinand I(1516-1556) (1556-1564) HRE

Philip II (Sp)(1556-1598) Maximilian II Charles of Styria Philip III (Sp) (1564-1576)(1598-1621) Rudolf II Matthias Ferdinand II(1576-1612) (1612-1619) (1619-1637)

RII & M = kings of Hungary, Bohemia/ FII = king of Bohemia

Phase I: Bohemian Phase 1618-1625 HRE – Matthias (Ferdinand’s grdson)

dying, successor to Empire Logical choice: cousin, Ferdinand II BUT electors are mainly Protestant and

Ferdinand is Catholic Ferdinand ALSO king of Bohemia! Bohemians (Czechs / Germans) –

together with Slovaks = mainly Protestant vs. Catholic king

Bohemia revolts Defenestration of Prague: Mathias’ reps

thrown out the window (land on dung) Mathias send in troops to restore order & is

deposed Mathias dies & Ferdinand II should reign

Bohemians elect “Frederick of the Palatinate”

So War: Ferdinand and Catholic League vs. Frederick and Protestant Union

Ferdinand crowned as HRE and defeats Frederick at Battle of White Mountain 1620

Outcomes of Phase I Spain dig-in in Rhineland; prepare to take

on French and Dutch Ferdinand II gets elected king of Bohemia

& confiscates 50% of nobles’ estates some goes to churches, monasteries & orders some goes to mercenaries = new aristocracy

Jesuits re-Catholicize Bohemia missions, schools, court proceedings,

executions Protestantism expunged in Austria Protestant Union dissolved in 1621

Phase II:Danish Phase 1625-1630Danish Lutherans vs. Habsburg power! Denmark’s King Christian IV (a.k.a.

Duke of Holstein) vs. Ferdinand II religious as well as political agenda some Dutch, English, French backing

Ferdinand wins under gen. Wallenstein who plunders Germany and Danes (Spanish cousins of HRE help) Wallenstein actually reaches Baltic & Danish

Pen.

Results of Phase II Germany is completely engulfed

by the Counter Reformation Palatinate, northern Lutheran states,

Bohemia & Austria = re-Catholicized 1629 HRE issues “Edict of

Restitution”: All Catholic states pre Peace of Augsburg (1555) are restored as Catholic

Results of Phase II Terror sweeps Germany, France, Denmark &

Sweden Germans fear for Protestantism as do Danish, who are also dealing with

Wallenstein French (Richelieu) dealing with internal conflicts,

can’t take Ferdinand II alone, so... engage Swedes, by ending their conflict with

Poland and paying them 1 million livre/year for 40,000 troops (Dutch pay 50,000 florins a month)

Phase III:Swedish 1630-1635 Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus: great

ruler united Sweden conducted overseas operations increased land holdings bu acquiring areas of

Poland & Russia creates Europes most modern army

1630 lands in Germany to take over fight for Protestantism in the meantime...Richelieu has turned Catholic

states against FII (fear of centralization)

Phase III – Swedish 1630-1635 Glorious Victories (military backing from

Saxony) 1631 Breitenfeld 1632 Lützen (GA dies in battle)

Oxenstierna (GA’s Chancellor) picks up fight penetrates Bohemia as far south as the Danube

Internal Discord Wallenstein upset with power of Spanish and

gives up fight; begins private peace talks with Swedes & Saxons; assassinated by one of his own

Phase III – Swedish 1630-1635 Internal Discord (con’t.)

Saxons (ind. of Swedes) enter into talks w/ Emperor

1635 Peace of Prague: annuls Edict of Restitution, many other German states sign treaty & pull support of Swedes

Swedes left isolated in Germany French/Spanish not ready to give

Phase IV: French-Swedish /International Phase 1635-1648

Richelieu not happy the Habsburgs won again … so … he declares war on Spain (Habsburg – Philip IV – helping HRE)! Portugal & Catalonia declare independence from Sp.

Netherlands, Savoy also enter on Swedish side! Battles go both ways, Richelieu, Ferdinand II,

Louis XIII, Wallenstein all die early 1640’s Germany grows to resent this foreign invasion Exhaustion – and Peace of Westphalia 1648

And the final results???

Germany devastated! Some areas 2/3 population dead

HRE once a leader – now stagnates borderlands fall away, Netherlands & Switzerland no longer

belong; no laws may be made, taxes levied, soldiers recruited, war

waged or peace treaty signed without approval of imperial estates

Germany sinks back into “feudal chaos” – 300 independent states (Staatensystem)

Habsburgs weakened – Austria losses power over HRE Spain losses United Provinces, Portugal & Catalonia

Europe enters “Balance of Power” Religious Wars END!!! = permanent split in

Christendom FRANCE begins to rise!