The Thirty Years War 1618 1648 The FIRST

The Thirty Years’ War 1618 -1648 The FIRST continent-wide war in modern history!!!! Culmination of religious wars from the 16 th century!!!! And it ends with. . . Peace of Westphalia: 1648

Why another War? n Peace of Augsburg (1555, princes could choose Catholic or Lutheran) – solved nothing n n n granted rights to Lutherans, but other Protestant religions left out an issue for Palatinate Elector = Calvinist Whose who of Protestantism n n n 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? n War between emperor and princes n n 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 n n n 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? n Twelve Years’ Truce (Netherlands/Spain) to expire 1621 n n 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 n Cultural decline in HRE n n 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? n not just a religious war n n n 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 n n n 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 n n Bohemian (Czechs) (1618 -1625) Danish (1625 -1630) Swedish (1630 -1635) Swedish-French (1635 -1648)

Habsburg Family Tree – Part II Maximilian I (1493 -1519) Philip______La Loca Charles V (1516 -1556) Philip II (Sp) (1556 -1598) of Styria Philip III (1598 -1621) Ferdinand II (Sp/HRE) Ferdinand I (1556 -1564) HRE Maximilian II (Sp) Charles (1564 -1576) Rudolf II Matthias RII & M = kings of Hungary, Bohemia/ FII = king of Bohemia (1576 -1612) (1612 -1619) (1619 -1637)

Phase I: Bohemian Phase 1618 -1625 n n n 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 n Defenestration of Prague: Mathias’ reps thrown out the window (land on dung) n n n Mathias send in troops to restore order & is deposed Mathias dies & Ferdinand II should reign Bohemians elect “Frederick of the Palatinate” So War: Ferdinand Catholic League vs. Frederick and Protestant Union Ferdinand crowned as HRE and defeats Frederick at Battle of White Mountain 1620

Outcomes of Phase I n n Spain dig-in in Rhineland; prepare to take on French and Dutch Ferdinand II gets elected king of Bohemia & confiscates 50% of nobles’ estates n n n Jesuits re-Catholicize Bohemia n n n some goes to churches, monasteries & orders some goes to mercenaries = new aristocracy missions, schools, court proceedings, executions Protestantism expunged in Austria Protestant Union dissolved in 1621

Phase II: Danish Phase 1625 -1630 Danish Lutherans vs. Habsburg power! n Denmark’s King Christian IV (a. k. a. Duke of Holstein) vs. Ferdinand II n n n 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) n Wallenstein actually reaches Baltic & Danish Pen.

Results of Phase II n Germany is completely engulfed by the Counter Reformation n n 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 n Terror sweeps Germany, France, Denmark & Sweden n n 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 paying them 1 million livre/year for 40, 000 troops (Dutch pay 50, 000 florins a month)

Phase III: Swedish 1630 -1635 n Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus: great ruler n n n 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 n in the meantime. . . Richelieu has turned Catholic states against FII (fear of centralization)

Phase III – Swedish 1630 -1635 n Glorious Victories (military backing from Saxony) n n n Oxenstierna (GA’s Chancellor) picks up fight n n 1631 Breitenfeld 1632 Lützen (GA dies in battle) penetrates Bohemia as far south as the Danube Internal Discord n 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 n Internal Discord (con’t. ) n n 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 n n Swedes left isolated in Germany French/Spanish not ready to give

Phase IV: French-Swedish / International Phase 1635 -1648 n Richelieu not happy the Habsburgs won again … so … he declares war on Spain (Habsburg – Philip IV – helping HRE)! n n n 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? ? ? n n Germany devastated! Some areas 2/3 population dead HRE once a leader – now stagnates n n Habsburgs weakened – n n n 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) 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!