Saturday, October 25, 2014
Comment on the Thirty Years War
After you have read the Palmer section on the Thirty Years War, students from both Mr. Janus and Ms. Gerst's classes should please comment on the reading by clicking on "Comment" at the end of this post. We are particularly interested in what you believe the key aspects to understanding this war are. If you had to write a brief and easy to understand narrative of this conflict, what would it be? (Ms. Gerst would like to point out that if you've been asked to increase your participation, commenting on our blog posts is another way to do it!)
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The Thirty Years War, at least judging from the Palmer reading, came about due to the alliances and agreements made on both sides of the conflict, resulting in what may be considered as the first major European/Global conflict. Just as the First World War represents the culmination of three centuries worth of political and state influenced strife, the Thirty Years War is seen as an explosion of the religious tensions that had plagued Europe for most of the past three hundred years. In both cases, the massive and tumultuous struggle that enveloped all the major powers of Europe arose out of the complex and strenuous alliances formed between various regions and territories that hoped to see change in Europe fall into their favor. While in technicality, the Thirty Years War was a German civil war fought between the Catholics and the Protestants, it was actually a massive European conflict that involved all powers from Spain and France, to England, The Netherlands, the Ottoman Empire and Sweden. The assassination of the two emissaries from the Hapsburg Holy Roman Empire was only the catalyst or the spark which ignited the fighting, not its sole cause. In the same way, the First World War should have been a conflict between Austria and Serbia only, but it erupted into the largest and most deadly conflict the world had ever seen, involving the likes of Germany, Russia, France, England, and in the later stages, the United States. The only difference between these two wars, then, is that one was fought for primarily religious reasons and the other was fought because of political affairs and "reasons of state". It is also worth noting too, that after both conflicts, Germany fell into a devastating collapse and economic depression. Therefore, the continuity that we can discern from studying these conflicts is that after a certain period of time (in this case about three hundred years), tensions and differences, be they religious or political, begin to build up. Also in this time frame, alliances and agreements are formed, meaning that when one small event occurs, it spreads like a wildfire across the continent, eventually enveloping every major power in the area and therefore creating a global conflict. This, then raises question which was brought up in the first history class of the year. Given all the separate reasons for these wars, were they in fact inevitable?
ReplyDeleteThe narrative that best fits the Thirty Years War is the same that fits all civil wars, for it was the first European Civil War. Three factors come into play: destruction, balance of power, and ideology. In quick comparison to the United States Civil War, one can see that the end results look similar. All parties come out of these wars damaged, but some come out far better than others. In the case of our empire's civil war, the northern states lost population, but southern states were devastated economically to an extent that can be arguably traceable on maps today. Similarly, the true victors of the conflict, the French and English, leave the war with a favourable balance of power, while the Holy Roman Empire was ravaged, and Spain's purse, worse for wear. Lastly, and possibly most controversially, both wars do not affect true and immediate change in the institutions they intended to. Our civil war fails to release the majority of the African-American population from economic bondage, as they return to the fields as sharecroppers in the mess of Reconstruction. Similarly, though at a different human scale, the religious balance remains unchanged in Europe following the Thirty Years War. In the end, the only message both deliver is the need of centralized power for the direction of a functioning state.
ReplyDeleteIn order to truly understand the Thirty Years War, one must begin to understand the basis in which it began. In the 17th century, the Holy Roman Empire extended from France on to Poland and Hungary. A huge territory that when looked at on a map appears as rather fractured. However, the disintegration of Germany is what caused all these fractured states to shatter apart. At the time, Germany was divided into two hostile groups due to the Reformation and Counter Reformation. One distinctly Catholic and the other distinctly Protestant. Asides from the French-speaking populations which would exist in what is now called Belgium, Lorraine, eastern Burgundy, and western Switzerland, the empire consisted of people who spoke various dialects of German. Religion gave no foundation for German or imperial unity and language barrier only distanced people further. By 1600, Germany had become quite internally separated. Both Catholics and Calvinists recognized international affiliations and Lutherans became suspicious of life outside of Germany. The truth is, the war was extremely complex. It was not simply over the “Catholic-Protestant” issue, but over a constitutional basis. Particularly, the emperor Charles V who tried his best to build up central power for the empire, but instead made enemies with the heads of individual states who wanted to remain independent. Consequently, the war quickly became an international one. Including not only Germany, but all the other European countries on whose soil, battles were fought. Each state had its own leader and unique identity. The leaders being princes and noblemen that had no desire to obey to the Holy Roman emperor. Each of them wanted to create their own principalities and only fought when convenient for their personal advancement. The war resulted in entire massacres of villages and towns. On the brighter side, after the “Thirty Years’ War” the Holy Roman Empire would no longer dictate religious beliefs to most all Europeans, instead it was up to the local nobleman to declare their affiliations. The real question is, what is it in the human brain that makes it necessary to kill each other to solve religious and political differences between nations?
ReplyDeleteDivided almost evenly according to Protestant versus Catholic religious faiths, in 1618 the religious tension & conflict in Germany became a ground for other states (such as Spain, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands) to fight for their own religious and political agendas. The Spanish wished to get rid of Dutch independence & support the Hapsburgs; France wished to defend its territory and allied with Sweden and the Netherlands in order to do so; Swedish ruler Gustavus Adolphus, threatened by the Hapsburgs and paid by the Dutch, engaged in negotiation and fighting with the German Catholic states. Finally, the Peace of Westphalia (settled by an assemblage of diplomats) ended the Thirty Years War in the Holy Roman Empire. It confirmed the separate rights of each of the 300 German (essentially sovereign) states, allowing for different religious and political beliefs/decisions/practices in each one. Political and religious unity--in Germany and across Europe--was no longer effective or possible, for better or for worse. After thirty years of fighting, the Protestant and Catholic reformations sparked European political change at least as much as they sparked significant shifts in religious leadership and practice. Indeed, as the Thirty Year War shows us, the two go hand in hand.
ReplyDelete-Liza E-L, 6th Pd
After the peace of Augsburg in 1555, which granted religious autonomy to the various German states, a Protestant union formed, creating tension within Germany. When the Bohemians deposed their ruler, the Spanish reinstated Catholicism in Bohemia, along with Denmark, and began to eradicate Protestantism in Germany, beginning the fighting. As a result, the French and Swedish, out of fear of a growing Spanish power, came to the aid of the Protestants, with the Spanish, followed by the French, invading Germany. After the peace of Westphalia in 1848, German states were given almost complete sovereignty, and much of the the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved. In addition, Germany was crippled from the years of violence.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War, like almost every other war, did not resolve the issue that originally sparked the war but instead brought irreversible consequences elsewhere. Each religious party had the same power, land, and rights as before the war, so the war at best only reinforced each side that this is how it should be, nullifying any fears or ambitions from the Catholics, Lutherans, or Calvinists. What did change from the war is the status of imperial states. Germany, having swayed across the line between uniting as a country or completely separating into individual states, finally came out bloody and battered as independent states, and though this issue was settled, Germany overall was so torn apart that even those who wished for separation would have been better off without the war. The French and the Dutch, mostly playing as bystanders until the final stage of the war and providing financial support to the Protestants, came about happily and looted what they could from Germany, and with the weakening of Spain, gained political power as well. The key takeaway from the War is that the only reason it is sparked is due to unprepared ambitions and people's agitated and irrational thoughts. Had it happened a few centuries ago, the Roman Empire might have prevailed and united Germany under Catholicism. In a modern setting like this, however, with international powers involved on both sides, such a war could not have possibly ended with a huge victory for either side. There were simply too much backup from both sides for such a victory to be sustainable, for no empire could remain dominant forever. We see that Spain, holding a strong personal opinion and wasting too much money trying to satisfy its own ambitions or siding in other countries' businesses, grew weaker and weaker and eventually fell out of dominance. Today the U.S. sits at a similar situation. While the U.S. are definitely a superpower right now, how much money and energy do we have to spend, and how much right do we really have to mind other people's business?
ReplyDeleteThe 30 Years War was the result of a buildup of religious tension that had afflicted Europe for centuries. The conflicts, which began with Ferdinand attempting to impose Roman Catholic absolutism on his lands, spread quickly across Europe fueled by the political desires of leaders. Because of the Reformation, Germany was divided in half by Protestants and Catholics. Other countries, like Spain, Sweden, France and the Netherlands became aware of the tensions and conflicts between these two groups in Germany, and the disunity they saw in Germany caused them to reexamine the state of their own countries. This resulted in an awakening- leaders began to fight for their own political and religious ideals. However, leaders began to fight just for the sake of their own advancement, resulting in wars which massacred the small villages and towns of most European countries. The Spanish wanted to dissolve their alliance with the Netherlands so began to support the Hapsburgs, displaying the newly realized initiative leaders discovered they could take in changing their connections with other countries. Additionally, other countries like France and Sweden allied with the Netherlands to defend themselves more effectively. Signed in 1648, the peace treaty of Westphalia satisfied much of the conflict, such as giving independence of Spain to the Netherlands, and securing German autonomies. After the treaty, the idea that there was a possibility of a Roman Catholic reconquest disappeared.
ReplyDelete-saskia, 6th pd.
The Thirty Years War started as a war between Catholicism and Protestantism in Germany, and then spread to other countries in Europe as well. During these thirty years, Spain, The Netherlands and France changed their alliances; Spain allied themselves with the Hapsburg, the more Catholic side of Germany. Because France and the Netherlands allied themselves with the Protestant states of Germany, the alliance between the Netherlands and Spain ended. The war ended with Peace of Westphalia, which gave each German prince the right to select the religion for his state, while at the same time requiring those princes to respect the religious beliefs of others. Thus the Peace of Westphalia recognize the nation-state and guaranteed religious freedom. This fighting by sectarian groups for control is very similar to what is currently going on in the Middle East. The Peace of Westphalia provided a framework in which two groups can coexist, even if they don’t agree on religion. We can only hope that the Muslim on Muslim fighting will be resolved, and that even if these branches don’t agree with each other, they can coexist peacefully.
ReplyDeleteJackie Walker P6
The thirty years war was a proxy war between the Catholics of Europe and the Protestants of Europe. The spark, the two diplomats being thrown out the window is in itself fairly insignificant. The more important part of the war is the underlying tensions that were escalated during the war. Someone mentioned the parrallel to WWI, I completely agree. Though religion is the "reason" why this war happened the real issue as it always is, is money. Everybody was mad at eachother because trade had moved to the sea and the major river coming out of Germany, the Rhine, was controlled by the Dutch. The Germans were suffering from the commercial revolution and did not have the colonies that everybody else had (at least as many as the Dutch, French, British, Spain and so on) Therefore there was a lot of Pent up frustration inside Germany. The rest of the powers just latched on later, claiming to be fighting for religion, but just wanting to strike a blow to their trading rivals.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Year’s war is the came at a time when German religious feud were at their most undefined. Unlike other empires, there was no defined minority or majority religion within Germany. The need to find some unity of religion within the country. This was the environment from which the Thirty Year’s War developed. Like many of the massacres, battles, and conflicts during the Protestant Reformation, this was a civil war fought over the all too familiar Protestant Catholic issue. The many different characters and issues between them make this war about something more than religion. It is also about power and independence. The defenestration of Prague rose from the Protestants’ fear for the loss of their liberties. The war wagged against an elected Calvinist, later known as Fredrick V, ended with the Spanish troops overwhelming the Bohemians at the battle of the White Mountain. Fredrick fled, and Emperor Ferdinand took over. Emperor Ferdinand commissioned Albert of Wallenstein to raise an army to defeat the King of Denmark. Catholicism began to sweep northward into Lutheran states. This caused distress among Protestants because it revoked their religious rights. The French stormed much of Germany pillaging much of the country. After the devastation of Germany from international threats, peace negotiations were higher in demand. The Peace of Westphalia reinstalled the rights terms of the Peace of Augsburg with added rights for Protestants. This also spelled the end of the Holy Roman Empire by dividing much of the continent up among the empires involved. As mentioned I the beginning, the fight for independence resulted in the United Provinces and Swiss cantons were recognized as independent states. The final result of the war left Germany fragmented into hundreds of smaller, free states and left in physical and political distress. With the war over, the conflicts between religions became unimportant causes of transnational conflicts. That is not to say that the continent experience complete religious unity among the variety of religions, but no religious body expected to gain territory or power at the expense of another religion. The war strived for religious unity, and achieved peace through acceptance of religious diversity.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War, like many conflicts that arose in that time period, was a result of religious and political struggles that escalated once alliances were formed. Each of the four parts of the Thirty Years War pitted different religions (backed by one nation or another) against each other, and thus the wars began to include nations (France, Spain, Denmark, etc.) and the HRE, all which hoped to advance their religion on German soil.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the reasoning behind the international involvement in the Thirty Years War was self-serving: Richelieu, for example, was more concerned with the effects that the Hapsburg rulers would have on France (if they were to “win” the wars) than their control over the German nation-states in which the wars were being fought in. Overall, the Thirty Years War clearly displayed the importance of centralized power in a state; something that the 300+ German states were greatly lacking both before and after the war.
The thirty years war, like many wars before and since, was fueled by fear. It was a war fueled by defensive means that ultimately provoked mass amounts of conflict and political disruption. The war was aimed at the religiously ambivalent Germany, whose unsure nature attracted Protestants and Catholics alike. Both parties wished to convert Germany to their religion. The war spread far further than religion, though. It took place in a time when the bonds between politics and religion were slowly being broken. The political authorities of the countries involved saw this as an opportunity to establish dominance, as many political bonds had been broken when allies were made e.g. Spain and the Netherlands. Many of the conflicts, although not all were mended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The peace of Westphalia recognized the nation-state, and helped to aid the transition to said government in western Europe.
ReplyDeleteThe effect that the war had on Germany was far more detrimental. Comprised of over 300 states, the country was the most disbanded it had ever been, proving that the war was not fought with the intention of religious conquest, but personal/political advancement.
Before the The Thirty Years War, the peace of Augsburg attempted to suppress religious conflicts in Germany by giving each state the independence to declare its own religion, but by allowing this right, Germany became more fractionated and further disintegrated. The Thirty Years War began as purely a civil war fought over religion in Germany and escalated into a war that involved many of the powers of Europe, including France, Spain, England, Sweden and the Ottoman Empire. One of the reasons Germany began to decline in the first place was due to the lack of unity within the country. Germany had no imperial unity bound by religion or language. As the Germans fell apart, they looked outside of their own country for allies to pin against each other - each of the allies had their own agenda. The Thirty Years War was very complex because it was fought by many nations for many different reasons. The different conflicts included the civil war in Germany fought between the Catholics and the Protestants, as well as a civil war fought over constitutional issues such as the power struggle between central power and the member states. The international aspect resulted from the personal agendas of the neighboring countries that became involved in the conflict. The Peace of Westphalia was the result of negotiations between all interested parties, and it provided for the coexistence of different religions and the recognition of the nation-state. While the agreement led to religious peace, it left Germany still fragmented and politically weak, thus, creating the environment for the French, English and Dutch to gain power in the following century.
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ReplyDeleteThe thirty-years war was essentially the result of Germany, which at the time was set of divided states that each differed slightly in both religious ideology and authoritative structure , being caught between the on-going battle of the protestants and catholics of Europe at the time. During this time both the Catholics and Protestants in Germnay turned to allies, with most Catholics turning towards Spain and Protestants turning towards the Dutch, English and French. The stemmed from the fear of the Protestant and the Catholic’s fear of the opposing side gaining power within Germany. With these external allies being drawn in, it transformed a civil war on religion within Germany into a European/ International war “on German soil”, and the larger allies saw it as an opportunity to spread their “influence” to Germany an expand their religion as well as a war between nations as well Bourbons v. Habsburgs, Spanish v. Dutch, etc.
ReplyDeleteConsequently nothing really got solved. Holland and Switzerland withdrew from the HRE and a few other things were gained between countries but none of that rivaled the damaged done. At the end of the day Germany was destroyed, 300 states were more divided than ever because like the Netherlands had developed a sense of nationalism that wasn’t as present as before and were all now sovereign states.
The thirty years war was of selfishness. It escalated to an international affair because of other nation’s fear of the growth and progress of others and their need to expand in order to out weigh one another, furthermore imposing on Germany’s civil war. Thus resulting in a even more divided Germany caused by countries that had nothing to do with the problem to begin with.
Religious tensions, especially Protestant and Lutheran fears that the Catholics would take over, sparked the Thirty Years War, but the underlying cause was because the Catholics wanted to remain in control of the political power, so they used religion as a way to push the Protestants and Lutherans out. The Calvinist states in particular took over the Palatinate, under the rule of the Elector Palatine, who helped to elect the Holy Roman Emperor. The reason that so many countries were involved was because different religious groups sought safety and alliances with different countries, and when the religious groups fought, the countries were dragged into the wars. Cardinal Richelieu needed allies to help stop the Habsburgs while maintaining the peace in France, so he formed an alliance with the Swedes by subsidizing them and saving them from a war with Poland. The Germans were split, with the Catholics and the Protestants both trying to seize control. Each country had their own political agenda, not just religious. JC (8th period)
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was a series of wars during the first half of the seventeenth century taking place on German soil. The region of “Germany” was made up of over 300 states, each with their own government. Under the Augsburg Settlement, these states were allowed be either Lutheran or Catholic; however, there was no mention to Calvinism. This became a major issue as Calvinism spread throughout Europe, especially throughout Germany. Germany broke into two different parties in anticipation for a religious war, each party searching for foreign assistance from other major powers (Spain, France, England, etc.). The Thirty Years War was by no means only a war over the divide between Catholics and Protestants, but also a war fought over constitutional issues, between the emperor and independent member states. Catholic and Protestant states alike objected to imperial control. The event sparking the war, the killing of two Catholic councillors in Bohemia, was only an excuse for a war, that had been fought for the last three centuries: a war of dominance and power. Leaders fought for their own gain, irregardless of the villages and towns destroyed in the process. The war attracted and involved the entire continent of Europe, but with hardly any results to show for. The war led to the downfall and fragmentation of the Holy Roman Empire, but for most major powers, although worse for wear in terms of coin, much stayed the same. They controlled the same land, and controlled the same power as they did before the war. As it became obvious that there was no victor in this war, only a loser: the German states, the Peace of Westphalia was held, marking the first international European council. The Peace of Westphalia was mainly the reinstatement of the Augsburg Settlement, except Calvinism was a recognized religion. The Peace of Westphalia unintentionally granted the French and their Swedish and Dutch allies much more power for the next centuries to come. Although religious divide was still extremely prominent in Europe, the Thirty Years War was the last, major war of religion.
The third years war, which was from 1618 to 1648, was caused by arising political and religious problems due to the new alliances forming. The war was between the two most important religions at that time in Europe: protestantism and christianity. These newly formed alliances were between: Britain, Sweden, France, Spain, etc... Each country associated with one or the other religion. The war took place on German soil. This was because Germany was religiously unsure. They didn't just believe in a single religion as a country. Each group of religion wanted to be the bigger power in order to have their religion be the main one in Europe, which is why they were all on German land. They all wanted Germany to follow their own religion because it would make their power much greater. The thirty years war reshaped the religious and political map of central Europe, which prepared Europe for the enormous change from the old centralized Roman Catholic church empire to move to the sovereign states that would come to form. for the old centralized Roman Catholic empire to give way to a community of sovereign states.
ReplyDeleteEmma Gossett, Janus's AT Euro class, p.d 7
The Thirty Years’ War’s complexity was undoubtedly due to the fact that it was not simply one “type” of war – the complicated combination of both civil and international wars fought for a number of different reasons largely contributed to its length and severity. In order to fully understand the multiple phases of the war and its eventual outcomes, one must comprehend the various reasons that began the war. Not only were Protestants and Catholics fighting internally in Germany, but as member states, they were also fighting together (in a sense) against an emperor attempting to build up the centralized power of his empire. In addition, the fighting extended to nations outside Germany: France fought against the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish fought against the Dutch, and kings of Denmark and Sweden entered the mix as well. Disagreements of religious faith, constitutional issues, and power struggles all collectively fueled the grueling and devastating war that dominated the European war. Starting with a Bohemian deposition of their king-emperor, the war continued as the Habsburgs attempted to expand their empire with professional armies and commissioned generals. As the effects of the Counter Reformation spread, France and Sweden became involved, and Richelieu (along with other nation leaders) funded the Swedes so that they and the Saxons could fight the emperor’s armies. When the peace talks began in Westphalia in 1644, France and Sweden stressed that the German states should negotiate independently, and thus began the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire. In summary, the Thirty Years’ War encompassed a time period during which it seemed as if the Protestant Reformation could potentially have been for naught; the emperor’s passing of the Edict of Restitution in 1629 restored all secularized church territories to be returned to the Catholic Church. Furthermore, the Thirty Years’ War marked the final power struggle between independent states and the Holy Roman Empire. A great deal of the war can be understood just from looking at its eventual resolutions. With the Peace of Westphalia came several Protestant victories: a renewal of the Peace of Augsburg, the addition of Calvinism as an acceptable faith, and a general end to the Counter Reformation. In addition, the idea of a “universal monarchy” that had previously dominated Europe was replaced by individual, sovereign states that were free to create their own laws and form independent foreign alliances. Perhaps most importantly, as Europe evolved into a collection of several individual political entities, “reasons of state” gained considerable importance over religious factors when uniting nations and developing foreign policies.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was many wars based on many different controversies, all fought in Germany. There was a lot of pressure building up all over Europe, which resulted many different battles. A lot of tension had been building up between the Spanish and the Dutch, the French and the Germans, the German Catholics and Protestants, and the unification of Germany and the individual states. Some of the war was fought over the Catholic - Protestant issue, however a lot of the war was fought over sovereignty. The Spanish and Dutch twelve year treaty was about to expire. The French were unhappy with the large amount of power that Germany held. Germany was split up into so many states with such different opinions that unification was nearly impossible. So in the Treaty of Westphalia, the German states became sovereign. The Catholic - Protestant issue was solved by renewing the Peace of Augsburg and including Calvinism. There were many other aspects to the Treaty of Westphalia, however what it really did was create international law that recognized the many sovereign states. This meant that Europe gave up the idea of unification and decided that it was time to find peace between the many states. This was the most important result of the Thirty Years War.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was just the cumulation of many tensions throughout Europe. Many states wanted freedom, states that had freedom had power and states that had power wanted unity, or less freedom.
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) began in what had been a crumbling Holy Roman Empire and was originally being war between Catholic and Protestant states. Because Germany had no strong opinion about either religion, the battle was fought in Germany with each side -- Catholic and Protestant -- hoping to convert Germany so they might have more power. However, the drive of religion slowly deteriorated, and the focus of the war became more political because of newly formed alliances (e.g. states such as Britain, France, Sweden). But no matter how much tension between states politically or religiously, the war was mainly fueled by fear -- fear that opponents would become stronger and gain the upper hand in the world while a concept/lifestyle was left to rot.
ReplyDeleteThe key to understanding The Thirty Years War, similar to understanding anything in history, is based on understanding the nuanced relations between the different sides of the war. The Thirty Years War began as a war between the Catholics and German Protestants, but grew to become a civil war throughout Europe over religious differences. The war was ultimately an aggregate war formed from many different religious tensions. All the different religions wanted to thrive, and were unhappy about other religion's success. The Thirty Years War was so widespread throughout Europe because countries felt comfort in alliances as well as every religion wanting prosper, and there were so many religious tensions throughout Europe, the religions in most European countries were threatened. The way which was decided to end the war was the Treaty of Westphalia. Peace through the Treaty of Westphalia was attained by the implementation of international law, a system of sovereign states, independent powers recognizing no common ties with others, and a shifted balance of power. The Thirty Years was was mainly based on the aspiration for a prosperous religion and country, which was unable to be obtained by European countries with other religions thriving.
ReplyDeleteAllie Kreitman; Mr. Janus 6th Period
The Thirty Years War started out as a German civil war fought between the Catholics and the Protestants. It became one of the most destructive conflicts in European history, and it is considered the first European civil war. Spreading out of Germany, it became less about religion and more about continuing the rivalry between the French and Holy Roman Empire. Many things caused the war to spread out side of Germany including the assassination of two important figures in the House of Hapsburg. The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and France joined the war after this, and began fighting over different conflicts. The conflict in Germany inspired the people of these countries to take action of their own. The Dutch wanted independence from Spain (starting the Dutch War of Independence). France became an ally of Sweden and The Netherlands against the Hapsburgs. The Thirty Years' War ended with the treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, part of the wider Peace of Westphalia. This created rights for all of the German states, causing political and religious freedom for many. Unfortunetly, Germany ended up destroyed after the war, and spent a lot of time and money rebuilding itself.
ReplyDeleteIn order to understand the Thirty year war, it is important to comprehend the alliances and political agendas that, arguably, caused it. In pretext to the war, the Twelve Year Truce between the Dutch and Spanish was set to expire. With this soon to come the Spanish were ready to attack the Dutch. The other piece is the internal conflict in Germany. Because of the Peace of Augsburg the 300 states in Germany were allowed to declare individual religious rights. This step towards religious tolerance was not as well done as with Henry the IV and ended up causing fractions between the states. As individual states started to declare religions, civil war broke out. This however, is not the cause and main key of the Thirty Year War. The reason things became complex was the intricate alliance system that fell into place once religions were declared in Germany. Soon a clear divide between Protestants and Catholics was formed. This divide called alliances in Spain, France, and England to join. This war was in no way truly over religion. It was a war fought over governmental issues between independent state members and empirical control. The Peace of Westphalia is an example of the eventual resolution. It enacted a renewal of the Peace of Augsburg. It also replaced the idea of a central monarchy and created a system of sovereign states. These smaller states gained extremely vital power over religious entities.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Thirty Years War was fought under the pretext of a religious conflict, it was really the result of old political tensions that were coming to a head in the early 17th century. The alliances that were formed before and during the war were largely based on international politics, not religion. The first of the tensions that caused the Thirty Years War was the friction between the French, who at that time were finally managing to stabilize their nation after years of civil war, and the Spanish, whose pretenses to a "Universal Monarchy" were feared throughout Europe. The second was the growing strife between the imperial government of the Holy Roman Empire, and the smaller states that made it up, and each wanted their own rights. This is why, despite the fact that it was mainly members of the Empire who did the fighting, countries from all over Europe had interests in the Thirty Years War.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War is often broken into four main phases based on the major players during each time period, but in each phase, the general form of the war remained the same --- Protestant armies versus Catholic armies. It is important to note that because the alliances formed during the war were formed based loosely on religion, an issue that was swiftly becoming less important in most countries, the parties who were thrown together often had very different interests. It was for this reason that in the middle 1630s, the Thirty Years War seemed about to end as different factions of each side proposed peace. This instance is a perfect example of the fact that one of the War's prime causes was longstanding political tensions, since it was mainly the hostility between the French and the Spanish that kept the war going for another ten years.
When the Thirty Years War finally ended with the Peace of Westphalia, it became apparent that Germany had largely disintegrated, since each state in the Holy Roman Empire had almost total sovereignty, and some had left the Empire entirely. For this reason, and because Germany had been totally ravaged by decades of war, it was, for almost two centuries, no longer a major power in European politics. Moreover, the fact that the council in Westphalia focused mainly on politics and not religion, and the fact that with the renewal of the terms of the Peace of Augsburg, Germany had no centralized religion whatsoever, indicates how secularized Europe had become.
The Thirty Years of War consisted of many smaller wars that started in Germany and then spread through more European countries. The wars were between Catholicism and Protestantism. Since Germany had no strong religious ties the Catholics and Protestants both attempted to convert it. At the time many different religions were attempting to convert and or gain more power from other countries. This was driven by the endless need to thrive and from old political ties. Germany ended up decimated by the wars and spent much time after the end to rebuild itself. Outside of Germany the Holy Roman Empire and France were also caught up in their rivalry. The wars used religious power as their excuse, however, the major drive was more political and out of fear then any real religious act.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was a reaction to acute national and international pressures in Europe. Domestically, there was no foundation for unity in Germany due to independently religious states that gave and sought foreign aid to and from contrasting outside governments. During the Thirty Years War, various issues such as the end of the Twelve Years’ Truce combined with a fierce eagerness from almost every great European power to maintain and advance their religious regulations and doctrines. Various outside powers allied with different forces within Germany, further propelling the German civil war over the Catholic-Protestant issue. Thus, the Thirty Years War was an amalgamation of German religious and political civil war as well as an international war (including France and the Habsburgs and Spain and the Netherlands).
ReplyDeleteThe war raged rampantly from 1618-1644 before peace talks began. Since armies were still fighting, negotiations were difficult and fluctuated according to battle wins or losses. However, in 1648 the Peace of Westphalia was established, including components that renewed the Peace of Augsburg with the addition of Calvinism and resolved territorial conflicts with France and Sweden. This treaty marked the end of religious wars in Europe and the beginning of Catholic-Protestant tolerance. Religion was no longer a prominent political reason for conflict. On the other hand, Germany was devastated from all the looting and wrecking during the war. These two effects caused major shifts in balance of power in Europe as states and countries became more religiously and politically independent and Germany’s prominence quickly deteriorated.
A major cause of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1848) was that Germany, unlike other European countries like England and France, was nearly equally divided into two religious groups: the Protestants and the Catholics. The Peace of Augsburg allowed each state's government to determine the religion of its subjects. Half of Germany joined a Protestant union formed by Elector Palatine, and half joined a league of Catholic German states. Since Germany had both Protestants and Catholics, the war that began as a Civil War between the states that wanted to keep their independence and the emperor, and became an international war, was fought on German soil. The war can be broken down into four phases based on the major Protestant reformers at the time – Bohemian, Danish, Swedish, and Swedish and French. Most of these leaders were beaten by the Holy Roman Emperor. Eventually, a conference was held where representatives from many states came together to discuss peace. At this conference, called the Peace of Westphalia, the Peace of Augsburg was renewed and Calvinism was added as an acceptable religion. The Protestants won a complete victory, and the Holy Roman empire fell apart.
ReplyDelete*sob sob* (it erased my beautiful comment....)
ReplyDeleteSame
DeleteSo now that it works, here it goes....
DeleteThe thirty year war is kind of tragically ironic b/c I would wager that the Peace of Augsburg was intended to smooth out religious problem and instead it just caused a lack of religious unity in Germany which in turn caused a general lack of unity, creating a nation ripe for civil wars. A lot of the countries that, although technically not a part of the thirty year war, were involved didn't really need to be. The French probably could have just kept out of it if they hadn't been upset with the idea of a unified Germany. Spain involved because of a combination of greed and bad timing. They got hate because they wanted to utilize the Rhineland. They had bad luck though because their twelve year truce was going to end in 1921. Although since that war had been about the Spanish wanting to control the dutch, I suppose it was still basically just greed. If they hadn't wanted to be so powerful they probably wouldn't have had such an issue. SO to sum it up I'll end with one of my absolute favorite sayings:
"One often meets destiny on the path they take to avoid it"
-Master Sheifou (although probably from someone not from pixar first...)
I'm not sure whether mine was posted or deleted... I'm kind of freaking out right now
DeleteThe Thirty Years war was caused by Germany's lack of religious allegiance. All of the countries thought that their religion was correct, and felt the need to claim Germany for their God. It started as a civil war within Germany between the Catholics and the Protestants, but countries continually got more and more involved. Countries that got involved included, Spain, France, Sweden, England, and The Holy Roman Empire. The French and English were able to exit the war with some profit. This was achieved by the French because they stayed relatively uninvolved for a while, and then came in once most countries were weak. Spain exited the war worse off than when they entered, as they had little to show for their participation besides lost funds and people. However, they fared very well in comparison to The Holy Roman Empire. The war was won by the Protestants, and the Holy Roman Empire collapsed soon after.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War (1618-1648) was fought over the religion of Germany. Germany was decided equal between the Protestants and the Catholics. Europe was already a battle ground between these two religions so Germany was a very valued area for both sides because it could easy be turned to favor one side or the other. The war began as a civil war between the two religions in Germany and was eventually tuned into a war between whole countries. The fighting was fueled by religion and the future religion of the German territory. In the end of the fighting The Holy Roman Empire was left cripples and fell soon after. Spain was also left with nothing to show for all of the recourses that it had spent in the war, but it did not collapse like The Holy Roman Empire. The war was won by the Protestant side and lost by the Catholics. The French and English left the war in the best of shape compared to all of the other countries that had been involved.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years' War was one of the most devastating conflicts in the history of the world, with millions of people dying and massive economic turmoil. What started as a religious conflict turned into a massive war with multiple kingdoms seeking to expand their power. It all began in Germany, where the Peace of Augsburg allowed each German state within the Holy Roman Empire to practice its own religion. Aimed at keeping Protestant and Catholic states together, the treaty proved unsuccessful. In 1618, Protestant states rebelled against the Holy Roman Empire, and they started a massive domino effect throughout Europe. Due to the fact that the Holy Roman Empire was controlled by the Hapsburg Dynasty, many countries saw benefits in joining the rebelling states. Holland, whose twelve year truce with Spain was coming to an end, wanted independence from the Hapsburgs. France, worried about the power of the Hapsburgs and being surrounded by them, wanted to weaken them. Sweden, looking to increase its territories into Germany, decided to join as well. The outcome of the war led to wide-scale change in Europe. The anti-Hapsburg coalition prevailed, and the Protestant States maintained their religious independence. But, this was just one of the many wide-scale changes that occurred throughout Europe. Holland gained its independence, Sweden gained control of the Baltic, and France became the most powerful country in Europe. Meanwhile, Spain was greatly weakened, the Holy Roman Empire was devastated and even more broken than before, and the Hapsburg Hegemony had come to an end.
ReplyDeleteTo truly understand the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), one must truly understand the political alliances made to turn the war from being solely a civil war into an international war. With the Peace of Augsburg signed in 1555, German states were now free to assign their own religion to their states. The most popular of these religions were Protestantism and Catholicism. These two competing religions looked to gain advantages over the other, and in order to do so, they sought help from other countries that shared their religious beliefs. While the Protestants negotiated with the Dutch, English, and French to form a Protestant Union, the Catholics organized a league of Catholic German states and wanted to ally with Spain. It was the competition between these two religions that split Germany politically, and with each side looking for foreign help to use against the other, an international war over religion broke out.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was basically started by the large amount of religious tensions throughout Europe. It first started when Germany made the Peace of Augsburg. This allowed the individual state governments in Germany to determine their religion, as a sign of religious tolerance. However, because Germany did not make enough effort to encompass Germany as a whole under the country, a religious war broke out between the divided Catholics and Protestants. Because the two sides were nearly equal, one religion could not take over another decisively. Later on, countries who practiced the same religion (either Catholic or Protestant) joined the divided Germans in the war. it soon became a European fight fest with countries such as Spain helping the Catholics and the French helping the Protestants. Most of Europe became a disaster, and though few such as France and England got some profit. However, one can argue that the dissolvement of the Holy Roman Empire led to the later rule of unification of state, instead of religion.
ReplyDeleteWhere'd mine go
ReplyDeleteThe counter-reformation has triumphed! Just kidding, that's a lie. The Thirty Years War was an ongoing conflict between nearly all of Europe, even though the majority of the fighting took place in Germany. This war stemmed from a large amount of conflicting feelings in Europe. On one hand, Germany was fighting an internal civil war over two things: religion (Catholic vs. Protestant) and control (central government vs. independent states). While these conflicts were going on, an international war was happening, with France opposing the Habsburgs and the Spanish fighting the Dutch, each side with allies within Germany. Towards the beginning of the war it seemed that the Reformation, despite having been around for a century, would be wiped out by Catholic forces. The Protestant Union was dissolved in 1621, and the emperor declared in 1629 that all states that had become Protestant since 1552 had to become Catholic once again. But the Protestants were not done yet. They came back in full force in part thanks to the peace talks in Westphalia, which gave full rights back to not only followers of Lutheranism, but to followers of Calvinism as well. The peace of Westphalia accomplished other things as well, such as granting the German states the right to become almost completely sovereign in their own rights. In conclusion, the Thirty Years' War stopped the Counter-Reformation, further stalled German unification, and ended the Wars of Religion.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was preceded by many years of religious tension. When the Peace of Augsburg was signed in 1555, allowing individual German states to chose their local religions and force that religion upon their subjects, the German states began coming together into two parties; one Catholic looking for help from Spain, and one Protestant looking for help from the various Protestant nations in power at that time. The Thirty Years War was the culmination of religious pressures between the German states, of political pressures between the German states and the Holy Roman Emperor, of international pressures between Richelieu and the Habsburgs, and of a longstanding political disagreement between the Spanish and the Dutch. It began in Bohemia, after the Czechs ‘defenestrated’ two emissaries from Matthias, the current Holy Roman Emperor. Matthias traveled to Bohemia to reestablish his authority but was killed. However, Matthias’ successor Ferdinand fought the shortlived Protestant leader Frederick V’s army, and established his control over Bohemia. In the process, he removed many Protestant liberties, and confiscated the estates of many Protestant Bohemian nobles. The Protestant Union promptly dissolved, and the king of Denmark was left to fight for the protestants. However, his army was defeated by the Holy Roman Emperor commissioned army of Albert of Wallenstein. With the Edict of Restitution, Emperor Ferdinand declared all German church territories secularized since 1552 undeniably Catholic. This sent waves throughout Europe, and led to France and Denmark’s monetary support of the Swedish army, which was now at the forefront of the Protestant reformation. The King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, made several enormous victories in Germany, but was killed. His chancellor continued the fighting, but Wallenstein, weakened by years of conflict, stopped, and nothing was resolved. However, the war was not yet over. Richelieu refused to give up, and renewed his support of Sweden. Spain then devastated many parts of France, but when Portugal and Catalonia rebelled against the Holy Roman Emperor, France immediately recognized Portugal as an independant nation and Catalan as an independent republic. With all parties wishing for peace, save for France and Spain who continued fighting for years to come, negotiations began in Munster and Osnabruck. In what is commonly known as the Peace of Westphalia, the Edict of Restitution was entirely rescinded, the German states became essentially sovereign states, the United Provinces of the Dutch and the Swiss Cantons became truly sovereign states, France gained control of three previously Spanish Lorraine bishoprics, and Sweden gained several territories in northern Germany. This meant that Europe was no longer under the illusion that it could be unified either religiously or politically.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years’ War essentially the first continent-wide war in modern history. It was fought mostly in Germany with the involvement of the major European powers. Deep behind this war lies the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Beyond religious reasons, there are political motives of different ethnic groups that make the war not only a German civil war, but also an international war. Certain German states wanted to split from the Holy Roman Empire. France was worried about the Hapsburgs expanding their power into Germany while Sweden and Denmark longed to strengthen their power over the Baltic region.
ReplyDeleteIt is not surprising that the first phase of the war commenced in Bohemia, which was composed of Czechs who were mainly Protestant. When Matthias, the Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperor, sent his emissaries to the Bohemians, they “defenestrated” them - literally threw them out of the window. This started a cascade of events. The Emperor sent troops and the Protestants fought under Frederick V, who led Palatine. This is where international involvement began. The Dutch and Transylvanians supported the Protestants. Finally, the Hapsburgs defeated the Bohemians. The battle towards the end of this first phase (Battle of the White Mountain) reveals the various complex aspects of this war. Obviously, the religious conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism was present. Nations all over Europe took part in the war, such as the Spaniards and Bavarians. Also, it is evident that money played a role in this war since the pope assisted the Hapsburgs financially. As the war progressed, these factors were evident in the subsequent phases. More countries joined in, such as Sweden, France, Savoy, and Denmark. There was also more money involved, as the Hapsburg Emperor in Germany offered subsidies to Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden to convince him in entering the war. After Henri Turenne defeated the Spanish at Rocroi, peace talks began in 1644 at Westphalia, Germany. Four years later, the Peace of Westphalia was established. This series of peace treaties marked a true end to this war. Calvinism became acceptable in Germany. Politically, France and Sweden obtained more territory. Germany also split into many sovereign territories, and each relied on its own government. After all, the causes of the Thirty Years’ War were the aspects that changed after the war.
Jacob Mazzarella: Arguably the most meaningful way to interpret the narrative of the 30 years war, 1630-1648, is through a retrospective lens due to the sweeping political effects the war has had on Modern Politics. Because of the myriad variables involved in war, the simplest way to explain this lengthy transnational conflict is through considering the trends and patterns in the war. This battle for religious supremacy, between all of the European powers of the time was fought on a battle field that had been ravaged by religious conflict for a century - Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. From the very first uprising in Bohemia, where the "defenestration" took place, until the Peace of Westphalia, the war was marked by a continual Catholic offensive to defend religious claims in the aforementioned region. In the early years of the conflict the Catholics appeared to make gains through the reinstitution of religious supremacy with the Edict of Restitution. However, it is notable that none of these gains were long lasting. With each Catholic gain, there came Protestant usurpation in the form of a new patron, whether it was Cardinal Richlieu fighting for France's political safety, the King of Sweden financed by the Dutch and French, or the Danish King fighting for religious freedom in his country. This not only depicts the adamant nature of the resistance to Catholicism, but also evidently shows the difficulty of winning an ideological war no matter what kind of resources the aggressor possesses. Although the 30 years war was fought by an entire continent, dividing it into two sides apparently categorized by religion the outcome was that of a relatively secularized Europe that was divided politically. By 1644, the key players in the war - the German city states, France, Spain, Sweden etc - had grown weary of conflict. The product of this fatigue was the Peace of Westphalia which changed the makeup of foreign policy forever. The implications for the Holy Roman Empire were grave - it needed the support of all 300 German heads of state to enter war, an impossible feat. This crippled the empire, and effectively effaced its political prominence. In addition to this, the treaty inaugurated what we consider sovereignty - the internal independence of any state from supranational forces. This is clear in the agreement of the treaty, when hundreds of diplomats,heads of state, and spiritual leaders convened to decide the fate of Europe; thus the fate of the continent was no longer decided by solely spiritual motives, but political ones as well.
ReplyDeleteThough the Thirty Years' War was a great conflict in its own time, I believe that the greatest impact of the conflict was reflected after the conflict ended on not just the former Holy Roman Empire, but the rest of Europe. The conflict, though initially just German Protestant-Catholic and Government-State disputes, really flared upon international involvement. This international involvement doomed many of the involved nations to failure, and because of this, France, England, Austria, The Dutch and the Ottomans would become the dominant forces in Europe, as opposed to the former dominant Pope, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire having a lot of control. A few factors prompted this. First, Sweden's critical involvement in the conflict set them up for further failure. Though a force before the war under Gustavus Adolphus, once he was killed in battle, the nation of Sweden didn't expand as it might have under Adolphus, thus diminishing the power of the Sweden and in addition allowing for other powers in the North (Denmark, England) to become larger imperial forces. In addition, the war had a large impact on Spain. Already suffering from domestic imbalance, when involved, Spain was very negatively affected by the conflict. They lost some military power, but what really hurt them was when France penetrated deep into Spain in one of their military conquests. This further destabilized Spain, and the French didn't help the situation but rather further destabilized Spain by trying to make the conquered part of Spain independent from the rest. Spain continued to lose power, and became much less of a competitor for imperialist conquest, leaving the doors open for the great victors of the conflict, the Dutch, French and English to gain territory of their own. All three of the nations, staying mostly out of the conflict, prospered in the years to follow. France, The Dutch and England, because there were fewer threats from inside of Europe, were all able to branch out and conquer new territories of their own in Africa, and the Pacific, as well as securing parts of the old Spanish conquests in South America and pieces of North America (Note Napoleon's conquest attempt in West Indies). In addition, because of Spain’s diminished power, Mexico was able to gain independence, though this didn’t come until far later. The Thirty Years' war thus predetermined which European nations would dominate in the years to follow.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) was a culmination of the religious conflicts that had been plaguing Europe since the 1520s. It was the ultimate meeting of the Reformation supporting protestants and the Counter-Reformation initiating Catholics on the field of battle, and would prove to be the most brutal conflict Europe had yet seen, and still remains one of bloodiest conflicts in history, with millions of deaths. In the end, although the war was concluded by the Treaty of Westphalia, the protestants achieved more influence in Europe (not to say that the church lost influence majorly; they still remained a powerful force, and remained the official religion in places like France) than their enemies, and the Counter Reformation stood little chance of retaking Europe. Out of the Thirty Years' War arose such personalities as Albrecht von Wallenstein, the Generalissimo of the Imperial Army and Gustavus II Adolphus, King of Sweden and an important leader of the protestant faction.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years’ War was a war that started internally in Germany, but it became a large-scale war between many European countries. It started with a civil war in Germany over a few separate but connected arguments; Protestantism versus Catholicism and a centralized empire versus smaller states within Germany seeking independence. Then, the war became international with the conflicts between many outside countries. The international components to the war were between France and the Habsburgs, Spain and the Dutch, the Kings of Denmark and Sweden and the prince of Transylvania also became involved. Although the war broke out internationally between many outside countries, most of the battles were fought on German soil. As the war progressed countries started fighting less for religion and more for their personal interests and affairs. The smaller countries were very involved towards the beginning, but, as the war progressed, it became more of a power struggle for the bigger countries. In this case, Spain and France turned the war into more a personal conflict with each other, and straying from the initial conflicts. Through the war the issue of religion, one of the initial causes of the war, became less and less important, and the war shifted to a more economically focused standpoint.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was a result of the built up tension revolving around religion. To understand the war, you first must understand the context and the alliances that made up the war. The war was both civil and international which contributed its length and complexity. It was mainly fought in Germany, with Germany fighting against itself and other countries fighting against each other on German ground. In Germany, there was about an even divide of people with Protestant and Catholic beliefs. There had previously been a truce to satisfy the two sides named The Peace of Augsburg in 1555, but while it stopped the violence for a short time, it did not fix the reason that both sides were fighting. Both wanting power, they gathered alliances with foreign powers. The Protestants turned to Dutch, England, and France for help. The Catholics turned to Spain. On the international side, the Dutch and the Spanish had a twelve year truce that was ending. This raised conflict between the two, with the Spanish ready to defeat the Dutch Republic, which is the reason why they agreed to help to Catholics in Germany. Eventually the kings of Denmark and Sweden, and the prince of Transylvania got involved. The alliances and the background of the Thirty Years War plays a big part in understanding why it played out the way it did.
ReplyDeleteTo understand the Thirty Years' War, I believe that you must know the foundational situations that sparked it. The Thirty Year's War was a blend of many complex situations. Because of the Lutheran gains in Germany and the league of Catholic German states, high religious tension in Germany led to a German civil war over religion, but the civil war in Germany didn't stop at just religion it was also a fight over constitutional issues. There were problems surrounding the emperor building a central power of the Empire and the member states struggling to maintain independence. This war did not solely stem from internal German problems, but also international problems between France and the Habsburg, between Spain and the Dutch, with the kinds of Denmark and Sweden and the price of Transylvania becoming involved. There were also rich German soldiers, simply fighting to suit their own convenience. All of these conflicts took place on German soil. The war had many effects on Europe some of the most substantial being huge population loss in the countryside and in the cities of Germany, Swiss Confederation and the United Provinces being officially recognized, and the first European state system.
ReplyDeleteIn the Thirty Years' War, three main conflicts powered the wars between the factions involved: the religious parties in Germany, the tensions between the emperor and the states, and the international warfare between multiple nations. Religiously, Germany was split into the Catholics and the Protestants, and they battled over their beliefs. The emperor, in his efforts to strengthen the central power of the empire, provoked the states that desired to keep their independence, leading to struggles between the two parties. And on the international scale, once the religious groups in Germany invited forces from other countries to help them fight against each other, Germany became the battlefield for many nations to fight for their own interests; these nations include France and the Habsburgs, Spain and the Dutch, Denmark and Sweden and the prince of Transylvania. Finally, with the aspirations of the generals to create their own principalities and to fight only when it directly benefitted them, all these factors combined resulted in a complicated mess of conflicts that happened to be fought on one soil and in one time period. The war finally ended with the establishment of the Peace of Westphalia, where religiously the Protestants were victorious: the terms of the Peace of Augsburg were renewed which let German states have the right to determine their own religions, Calvinists were now considered acceptable and in general, parts of the Catholic Counter Reformation were undone. In the fights between the emperor and the states, the German states won and became sovereign, no longer united by a central power. But on the international scale, the Germans hindered their progress of becoming a unified political entity, attempting to recover from the ruin of the war while their neighbors made further progress in European politics, trade, and culture.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War resulted in many negative and positive consequences. Germany was ripped 1/3 of its population and was left a wreck. However, a positive consequence of this was that Catholicism flourished while Lutheranism and Calvinism were slowly being ruled out. The soldiers became those of fortune, just fighting for their own gain which is understandable but this could have, in extreme cases, caused a rebellion in the armies. The War was an amalgam between Catholic VS Protestant, Emperor VS Independents, War of Bourbons VS Habsburgs, and Spanish VS Dutch. All these wars resulted in political consequences such as successful conquests however economically, their populations were diminished and their towns were left wrecks. Although the Thirty Years War was an important stage in European History, was it really worth all the negative consequences. The main positive aspect of this war was that the Treaty of Westphalia left things in peaceful situations even though most cities had become detached with no hope of unification. In the end, the Treaty of Westphalia opened a shifting position between balance of power that later became the international law of Modern Europe.
ReplyDeleteFrom Tiffany L: The Thirty Years War was not only an international conflict but also a civil conflict. There was also a conflict between the emperor and the states. The war initially began with the twelve years truce between the Spanish and the Dutch. This truce was dissolved because the Spanish wanted the Dutch to leave the east indies while the Dutch wanted independence and tried to remain in the indies. This war highlighted the differences in religion in each part of Germany. The war showed competition between Protestants and Catholics and how religion would be decided in a certain state. Germany was the battleground for this war. Before Peace of Augsburg stated that each state, which had different governments, could decide what religion it's state would follow. After the thirty years war ended, another truce was formed to state that no one system could create laws. Calvinism, Catholicism, and Lutheranism were accepted as religions and the Holy Roman Empire slowly fell apart.
ReplyDeleteFrom Elsa: The Thirty Years War was the culmination of many years of religious and political tension in Europe. It put an end to the Wars of Religion, which had wreaked havoc on Europe has a whole, but left Germany fragmented and devastated. The basis of the conflict was Catholic- Protestant, but to say that this was the only issue involved would mean ignoring the complicated political web in which many European countries were ensnared. The Thirty Years War was not simply a German civil war but also an international struggle primarily fought on German soil. Prompted by the defenestration of Prague, the Bohemian war quickly expanded to include Spanish and Danish forces on opposing sides. The issuing of the Edict of Restitution drove Swedish and later French forces to involve themselves in the war on the Protestant side. French-Spanish tensions came to light as France entered the war and Spain proceeded to invade France. Eventually, as the war dragged on, treaties were created to resolve the issue. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 encapsulated these various treaties and put an end to the war. The Peace of Westphalia was a Protestant victory in that it blocked the Counter Reformation. However, it also left Germany further from national unification than ever. With the end of the Thirty Years War came an end to the Wars of Religion. In the wake of the war, the illusion of Europe as one unit was dispelled.
ReplyDeleteFrom Mia: The thirty years war was a result of religious conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics, and a constitutional conflict between the emperor and the independent states. It resulted because the Peace of Augsburg caused many states in Germany to become Calvanist. These states formed a Calvanist union. Bavaria organized a league of Catholic German states as well. The Germans were splitting apart, so other European countries began to side with each group. The Twelve Years’ Truce between Spain and the Dutch republic was about to expire so this created tension between them. Spain sided with the Catholics, and the Dutch sided with the Protestants. The war had four phases: The Bohemian, the Danish, the Swedish and the Swedish-French. In Bohemia the defenestration of Prague (throwing people out the window) took place when they king Matthias sent emissaries to Bohemia. The Czechs elected Fredrick V as the new head of the Protestant union, but Palatinate was overrun by Ferdinand (Matthias’ successor) and his troupes. Protestantism as a whole was threatened, which raised the alarm of French and Sweden. In 1644 peace came up, after long negotiations of the armies the Peace of Westphalia was created. This renewed the Peace of Augsburg, which meant that each German state could determine its own religion. It also added different types of Protestantism to the accepted religions. The Holy Roman Empire fell apart because international laws became apparent.
ReplyDeleteFrom Alex A: The Thirty Years War primarily took place in Germany over the span of 16181648. It seemed to be a war primarily between the Protestants and the Catholics. At the end of the war, it became a war between the House of Habsburg and between the Spanish Empire. One of the results of the war is the decline of the Spanish Empire, but it leads to a major mixing of power all throughout Europe. Habsburg ends up losing a lot of dominance in the region but the French end up gaining a lot more power as result of not being very religiously affiliated. With choosing not to fight in this war, but only supporting the Swedish financially, other countries in the region lose their power but France doesn't and then capitalizes on Spain getting weaker. By invading Spain, they receive more power and land and Spain was not too challenging to invade. The war bankrupt most of Europe, which debatedly led to peace because most were tired of fighting.
ReplyDeleteFrom Emma: The Thirty Years’ War progressed from a religious war between the German states to a plane through which larger nations can fight their own battles. Lutheran state and Catholic states sought to remain free and independent, and to make sure they weren’t forced into the other religion, they called upon the English, Dutch, and French (Protestant), and the Spanish (Catholic). Because there was no political leader or source of unity, nobles with private armies and other people seeking their own interests formed, broke, and reformed short-term peace treaties. Once the Germans had all defeated each other, the larger, more powerful nations continued to fight each other on German land, furthering the destruction of the German people. Finally, once countries had agreed on compromise or realized that this war was pointless, Germany was left fractured, poor, starving, and, for about ⅓ of the population, dead.
ReplyDeleteThe Thirty Years War was the birthed from the religious and political tension that was long past boiling point in much of Europe. The Thirty Years War can be described as Everyone over-boiling over into each other on german Soil. Lutheran and Catholic Forces duked it out, with vicious mercenary soldiers as aid. All Nations sought to maintain or establish their Religious dignity. Germany was in a war of its own, and then everybody waged their wars on their soil, so in turn the forming nation was devastated. In General, the 30 Years War had an profound effect on how these Nations formed and developed. Some countries were left devastated whereas others were relatively left pretty well off. The spaniards didn't really do well, and obviously the Germans didnt. Due to the mercenaries and overall economic strain of warfare, most of Europe was left looking like some broke boys. Pockets were slim. Lotta stuff happened, but in general, the weight of religion in European politics sort of exploded and then faded after 1630.
ReplyDelete- Luke (no idea why my name is Dichard Rawkins)