The German States
While the Bourbons were building the strongest
monarchy in Europe, the Protestants of Austria
were trying to set up their own absolute
monarchy in central and eastern Europe.
Their efforts renewed tensions between Europe’s
Catholics and Protestants.
This eventually led to yet another conflict the
Thirty Years’ War.
Though most of the fighting took place in
Germany, all the major European powers
except England became involved.
Conflicts between Catholics and Protestants had
continued in Germany.
These disputes were complicated by the spread of
Calvinism, a religion that had not been
recognized by a previous peace settlement.
Furthermore, the Protestant princes of Germany
resisted the rule of Catholic monarchs.
In 1618, the Thirty Years’ War began in Bohemia.
This was because a Catholic heir curtailed,
reduced, the freedom of Bohemian Protestants,
most of who were Czechs.
The Czechs rebelled and took over. Soon the
rebellion developed into a full scale civil warCatholics against the Protestants.
The Czech revolt was crushed by 1620 and, over
the next 10 years, the Czechs were forcefully
reconverted to Catholicism.
Although the revolt was put down eventually
fighting would emerge and continue again.
In fact, more and more countries became involved to
either protect the Catholics or the Protestants.
For example, Demark fought against the Catholics,
hoping to take German territory then Sweden
entered to also help the Protestant cause.
The war went on for 12 years, and religious issues
were taking second place to political ones.
Then, to make matters worse, in 1635, Roman
Catholic France decided to take up arms with
Roman Catholic Germany to keep them from
getting too powerful.
The war continued for 13 more years until 1648
when it finally ended.
The outcome was that Germany was weakened
and the rise of France as Europe’s leading
power.
Calvinism became the official religion which
divided the Holy Roman Empire into more
than 300 separate states.
After the Thirty Years’ War, the Austrian Catholics
concentrated on building a strong monarchy in
Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia.
This was possible because Austria was still the most
powerful of the German states.
They regained territory in the Balkan Peninsula from
the Ottomans and the Austrians gained the
Spanish Netherlands and acquired lands in Italy.
With these gains trade barriers between Austria and
Bohemia were ended and Austria’s production of
textiles and glass boosted.