1618-1648 - what a pleasing timeframe! In all these areas, war, famine and disease inflicted severe losses on local populations. When the contending powers finally met in the German province of Westphalia to end the bloodshed, the balance of power in Europe had been radically changed. They ranged in size and importance from the seven Prince-electors who voted for the Holy Roman Emperor, down to Prince-bishoprics and City-states, such as Hamburg. The war originated with dual crises at the continent’s centre: one in the Rhineland and the other in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire.…, The Bohemian problem was resolved swiftly. This influential work was later credited with ending the practice in Germany, and eventually throughout Europe. Christian retained his German possessions of Schleswig and Holstein, in return for relinquishing Bremen and Verden, and abandoning support for the German Protestants. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In July 1620, the Protestant Union proclaimed its neutrality, while John George of Saxony agreed to back Ferdinand in return for Lusatia, and a promise to safeguard the rights of Lutherans in Bohemia. The Thirty Years' War was a major conflict that occurred in Europe from1618 to1648. The income from their imperial possessions remained in Germany and did not benefit the kingdom of Sweden; although they retained Swedish Pomerania until 1815, much of it was ceded to Prussia in 1679 and 1720. Gustavus Adolphus despatched several thousand Scots and Swedish troops under Alexander Leslie to Stralsund, who was appointed governor. This was due to the influx of soldiers from foreign countries, the shifting locations of battle fronts, as well as the displacement of rural populations and migration into already crowded cities. 30 Years War Essay 1416 Words 6 Pages The four stages of the Thirty Years' War, which was fought mostly in the Holy Roman Empire (modern Germany), involved nearly all of the major powers of Europe, and was a war that used religion as a cover-up for politics. For some time, Holy Roman armies, aided by catholic princes, succeded in holding their own against the Swedes and German Protestants. The first period, from 1618 to 1635, was a struggle within the Holy Roman Empire fought between Emperor Ferdinand II and his internal opponents, with external powers playing a supportive role. Its main provisions included Spanish confirmation of Dutch independence and acceptance of "German liberties" by the Austrian Habsburgs. The Thirty Years’ War had a profound impact on Europe, and some of the consequences of this war can be seen in the changes that were made to European society. The 30 Years War can be divided into five major phases:. After Frederick was deposed in 1623, John George of Saxony and the Calvinist George William of Brandenburg feared Ferdinand intended to reclaim former Catholic bishoprics currently held by Lutherans (see Map). The Thirty Years’ War was a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. Five days later, the Prince de Condé won a decisive French victory at Rocroi, although he was unable to take full advantage. Dr Bernd Warlich has edited four diaries of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). [110], The modern consensus is the population of the Holy Roman Empire declined from 18 to 20 million in 1600 to 11–13 million in 1650, and did not reach pre-war levels until 1750. By weakening the Habsburgs while increasing the status of France and Sweden, it led to a new balance of power on the continent. [73], After invading the Spanish Netherlands in May 1635, the poorly equipped French army collapsed, suffering 17,000 casualties from disease and desertion. [39] Many Protestants supported Ferdinand because they objected to deposing the legally elected king of Bohemia, and now opposed Frederick's removal on the same grounds. He was supported by Spain, for whom it provided an opportunity to open another front against the Dutch. [87], French policy was to seek to disrupt this road wherever possible, either by attacking the Spanish-held Duchy of Milan, or by blocking the Alpine passes. It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, resulting in millions of casualties. [50] In early 1626, Cardinal Richelieu, main architect of the alliance, faced a new Huguenot rebellion; in the March Treaty of Monzón, France withdrew from Northern Italy, re-opening the Spanish Road. Until the mid-20th century, it was seen as predominantly a German civil war or was considered one of the European wars of religion. More common were disputes such as the 1606 'battle of the flags' in Donauwörth, when the Lutheran majority blocked a Catholic religious procession. This new assault on 'German liberties' ensured continuing opposition and undermined his previous success. Thirty Years War While England was in the midst of fighting its own Civil War, most of mainland Europe was fighting out the final rounds of a longer, more widespread and bloody conflict. The Thirty Years' War was fought from 1618 until 1648.Though it was primarily centered in Germany, several other countries became involved in the conflict, including France, Spain, and Sweden.In fact, almost all of the powerful countries in Europe were involved in the war. Funded by Frederick and the Duke of Savoy, a mercenary army under Ernst von Mansfeld succeeded in stabilising the Bohemian position over the winter of 1618. [124], However, how far these witch-hunts can be seen as reflecting a breakdown in society is debated, since many took place in areas relatively untouched by the war. [68] In these battles, Gustavus used, among other things, the well-trained Finnish light cavalrymen Hakkapeliitta, which were excelled in sudden and savage attacks, raiding and reconnaissance. [57], Once again, the methods used to obtain victory explain why the war failed to end. [96], Externally, the treaties formally acknowledged the independence of the Dutch Republic and the Swiss Confederacy, effectively autonomous since 1499. While Denmark kept Schleswig and Holstein until 1864, this effectively ended its reign as the predominant Nordic state. Possession of these territories ensured Danish control of the Elbe and Weser rivers. While flight may have saved lives in the short-term, in the long run it often proved catastrophic. The process, or 'Congress' model, was adopted for negotiations at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668, Nijmegen in 1678, and Ryswick in 1697; unlike the 19th century 'Congress' system, these were to end wars, rather than prevent them, so references to the 'balance of power' can be misleading. Eligible for Free Shipping. The 30 Years’ War was a global war. [104], Historians often refer to the 'General Crisis' of the mid-17th century, a period of sustained conflict in states such as China, the British Isles, Tsarist Russia and the Holy Roman Empire. [102], The settlement failed to achieve its stated intention of achieving a 'universal peace'; Mazarin insisted on excluding the Burgundian Circle from the treaty of Münster, allowing France to continue its campaign against Spain in the Low Countries, a war that continued until the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees. The Russo-Polish Peace of Polyanov in 1634 ended Poland’s claim to the tsarist throne but freed Poland to resume hostilities against its Baltic archenemy, Sweden, which was now deeply embroiled in Germany. [66] Payments amounted to 400,000 Reichstaler, or one million livres per year, plus an additional 120,000 Reichstalers for 1630. Twentieth-century wars such as World Wars I and II, by contrast, were fought overseas; few Americans on the homefront saw any type of direct engagement during these. – Also known as the War of the Triple Alliance Ten Years' War: 241,000+ 1868–1878 Spain vs. Cuba Cuba – Also known as the Great War Conquest of the Desert: 30,000–35,000 1870s–1884 Argentina vs. Mapuche people Patagonia Aceh War: 97,000–107,000 1873–1914 Kingdom of the Netherlands vs. Aceh Sultanate Indonesia Over the next eighteen months, Spanish and Catholic League forces won a series of victories; by November 1622, they controlled most of the Palatinate, apart from Frankenthal, held by a small English garrison under Sir Horace Vere. [63], Expectations of widespread support proved unrealistic; by the end of 1630, the only new Swedish ally was Magdeburg, which was besieged by Tilly. (history documentary)", "The 30 Years' War (1618–48) and the Second Defenestration of Prague – Professor Peter Wilson", Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution, Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart, Persecutions of the Catholic Church and Pius XII, Pope Pius XII Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, International Alliance of Catholic Knights, Rise of the Evangelical Church in Latin America, Architecture of cathedrals and great churches, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thirty_Years%27_War&oldid=1000515084, 17th-century military history of the Kingdom of England, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from June 2016, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with KULTURNAV identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Confirmation of Dutch independence and Swedish control of the Baltic, The Thirty Years' War is briefly referenced in the survival horror game. Emperor Rudolf approved intervention by the Catholic Maximilian of Bavaria on their behalf; he was allowed to annex Donauwörth to recover his costs, turning a Lutheran town Catholic. [79] The Madrid government quickly assembled an army of 26,000 men to crush the revolt, and on 23 January, they defeated the Catalans at Martorell. [100], The Peace was later denounced by Pope Innocent X, who regarded the bishoprics ceded to France and Brandenburg as property of the Catholic church, and thus his to assign. Previously, many had overlapping, sometimes conflicting political and religious allegiances; they were now understood to be subject first and foremost to the laws and edicts of their respective state authority, not to the claims of any other entity, be it religious or secular. Frederick and the remnants of Mansfeld's army took refuge in the Dutch Republic. [95], The Peace of Münster was the first to be signed on 30 January 1648; it was part of Westphalia because the provinces that made up the Dutch Republic were still technically part of the Spanish Netherlands and thus Imperial territories. In return, they dissolved the Heilbronn and Catholic Leagues. Jun 2nd 2011. Karel Zeman's brilliant animation, cowritten with Jurácek: ironic, surreal, following the adventures of a plowboy and a mercenary to the battlefields of the Thirty Years War. They included separation of the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs, expansion of the French frontier into the Empire, and an end to Spanish military supremacy in Northern Europe. Eventually, more than 200 states, great and small, participated in the Thirty Years’ War. Its major belligerents included France, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, and numerous princes of the Holy Roman Empire. This period, known as the Thirty Years’ War, began with a religious dispute. However, the rebels soon found the new French administration differed little from the old, turning the war into a three-sided contest between the Franco-Catalan elite, the rural peasantry, and the Spanish. Hard pounding is gradually bringing AIDS under control. The Dutch destroyed a large supply convoy at the Battle of the Downs in October 1639, while Madrid's inability to prevent attacks on Portuguese possessions in Africa and the Americas caused increasing unrest in Portugal, then part of the Spanish Empire. While both were primarily designed to support the dynastic ambitions of their leaders, they combined with events like the 1609 to 1614 War of the Jülich Succession to increase tensions throughout the Empire. List of every major Thirty Years' War battle, including photos, images, or maps of the most famous Thirty Years' War battles when available. This severed the Spanish Road, forcing Spain to resupply their armies in Flanders by sea, an area dominated by the Dutch navy. In 1556, Habsburg Spain became a separate entity, while retaining Imperial states such as the Duchy of Milan, and interests in Bohemia and Hungary; the two often co-operated, but their objectives did not always align. [114], The financial impact is less clear; while the war caused short-term economic dislocation, overall it accelerated existing changes in trading patterns. The emperor's prerogatives had never been clearly defined; a ruler who knew how to exploit his considerable informal powers of patronage could enjoy a great deal of authority, but a weak monarch could easily be reduced to a mere figurehead. Updates? [85], During the winter of 1647, Mazarin suggested the Spanish exchange Catalonia, then occupied by France, for the Spanish Netherlands; angered by what they viewed as betrayal, in January 1648 the Dutch signed the Peace of Münster, ending their war with Spain. The Thirty Years' War was a major conflict that occurred in Europe from1618 to1648. [45], With Saxony dominating the Upper Saxon Circle and Brandenburg the Lower, both kreis had remained neutral during the campaigns in Bohemia and the Palatinate. [78], Richelieu died in 1642, and was replaced as chief minister by Cardinal Mazarin, followed on 14 May 1643 by the death of Louis XIII, leaving his five-year-old son Louis XIV as heir. During the Thirty Years’ War, many of the contending armies were mercenaries, many of whom could not collect their pay. It is suggested the high mortality rate compared to the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in Britain was partly due to the reliance of all sides on foreign mercenaries, often unpaid and required to live off the land. The Thirty Years’ War profoundly altered Europe’s political landscape and social fabric. The Thirty Years' War was one of the bloodiest events in European history — deadlier than the Black Death and World War II, in terms of the proportion of the population lost. [40], The strategic importance of the Palatinate and its proximity to the Spanish Road drew in external powers; in August 1620, the Spanish occupied the Lower Palatinate. The heavy reliance on mercenary forces also had a detrimental effect on the quality of soldiers in general, as mercenary captains would fill out their rosters by levying troops from the civilian population. There were wide regional variations; in the Duchy of Württemberg, the number of inhabitants fell by nearly 60%. The Thirty Years' War represented a major step backward in military tactics and professionalism, although this cou… It's on the stereo of speeding cars and blasting out of the headphones of delinquents. [48], Ferdinand had paid Wallenstein for his support against Frederick with estates confiscated from the Bohemian rebels, and now contracted with him to conquer the north on a similar basis. Maximilian was desperate to end the war he was largely responsible for starting, while Mazarin feared Sweden becoming too strong; on 14 March 1647, Bavaria, Cologne, France, and Sweden signed the Truce of Ulm. [117] The collapse of local government created landless peasants, who banded together to protect themselves from the soldiers of both sides, and led to widespread rebellions in Upper Austria, Bavaria and Brandenburg. Thirty Years War WHEN? [71] Rumours now began circulating Wallenstein was preparing to switch sides, and in February 1634, Ferdinand issued orders for his arrest; on 25th, he was assassinated by one of his officers in Cheb. This is generally seen as the point when the conflict ceased to be primarily a German civil war. This year marks the centenary of the end of the First World War, but that’s not the only major commemoration on our current calendars. asked the tavern drinkers in Goethe’s Faust—and the answer is no easier to find today than in the late 18th, or early 17th, century. [105] While the Thirty Years War ranks as one of the worst of these events, precise numbers are disputed; 19th century nationalists often increased them to illustrate the dangers of a divided Germany. He began negotiations with Wallenstein, who despite his recent victories was concerned by the prospect of Swedish intervention, and thus anxious to make peace. The 30 Years War The 30 Years War was a political and religious war that lasted from 1618-1648. [99] Sweden received an indemnity of five million thalers, the Imperial territories of Swedish Pomerania, and Prince-bishoprics of Bremen and Verden; this gave them a seat in the Imperial Diet. [59], As ever, Richelieu's policy was to 'arrest the course of Spanish progress', and 'protect her neighbours from Spanish oppression'. [43], At a meeting of the Imperial Diet in February 1623, Ferdinand forced through provisions transferring Frederick's titles, lands and electoral vote to Maximilian. The Battle of Rocroi in 1643, was the first defeat of the Spanish army in over a century, and could be considered a turning point in the war. The strategic importance of the Duchy of Mantua meant when the direct male line became extinct in December 1627, both powers became involved in the 1628 to 1631 War of the Mantuan Succession. Effects From South Ossetia War Linger 30 Years Later ... most notably in 2008 when a Georgian attempt to retake the region sparked an all-out war … Votes: 390 The 30 Years War The 30 Years War was a political and religious war that lasted from 1618-1648. Available instantly. Dutch leader Frederick Henry recaptured Breda in October, and three months later Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar destroyed an Imperial army at Rheinfelden. Backed by the Catholic League, Ferdinand stripped Frederick of his possessions and sent him into exile. Partly a genuine desire to support his Protestant co-religionists, like Christian he also wanted to maximise his share of the Baltic trade that provided much of Sweden's income. The Thirty Years War is the series of conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire and its surroundings, between 1618 and 1648. [118], Contemporaries spoke of a 'frenzy of despair' as people sought to make sense of the turmoil and hardship unleashed by the war. [27], Since Emperor Matthias had no surviving children, in July 1617 Philip III of Spain agreed to support Ferdinand's election as king of Bohemia and Hungary. 1618-21 Bohemian Revolt; 1621-24 Palatinate phase; 1625-29 Danish intervention; 1630-35 Swedish intervention; 1636-48 French intervention; The following Timeline just lists the major battles.