The Thirty Years' War
Chapter 19, Section 1
World History
1
Strife in Germany Caused by
Religious Differences
­ Despite the compromise of the Peace of Augsburg (1555), tension grew because of distrust and worry
­ 1608= Lutherans form the Protestant Union
­ 1609= the Catholic Union is formed
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The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
­ Catalyst= Protestant riot in Prague (Bohemia in Czech kingdom)
­ Reason?= Protestant Czechs upset because of Catholic and Austrian ruler Ferdinand II
­ would become H.RE., as well, in 1619
­ Ferdinand II was incredibly disliked
1) targeted Protestants
2) was a threat to the French well­being
3
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
continued
­ 1618= Ferdinand II sends army into Bohemia; Prot. German princes support Protestants
­ Two phases of the Thirty Years' War:
Hapsburg Victories
­ Armies of princes crushed
­ riot leaders killed
­ Albrecht von Wallenstein hired;
his army almost removed Protestantism from Germany
Hapsburg Defeats
­ 1630= Enter Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus
­ drove Hapsburg armies out of Germany
­ von Wallenstien killed (Adolphus was dead at this point, too)
­ French Cardinal Richelieu sent troops to aid Protestants
Effects: ­6.5 million Germans dead
­burnt crops; hunger
­disease, fleeing, and devastation
4
The Peace of Westphalia (1648)
1) France got Alsace (on the Rhine River)
2) Sweden got part of northern Germany and part of the Baltic Sea
3) German princes essentially free of the H.R.E.
4) Calvinism allowed in Germany
5) The Dutch Republic was recognized
Long­term Effects:
­ the H.R.E. is pretty much toast
­ Spain and Austria declined; France rose
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