Transcript 30YearsWar - Steve PP

The European Age of Religious Wars (1517 -1648)
European Religious
Divisions – 16th 17th
century
Wars of Religion
1. German Peasants’ War (1520s)
2. War of German Princes v.
Emperor Charles V (1520s-1555)
3. Civil War In France (1562-1598)
4. 30 Years War (1618-1648)
In France: The Valois Family
The Beginning of the End
 Henri II was the last powerful Valois
 Three weak sons followed:
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Francis II
Charles IX
Henri III
 Catherine de Medici controlled the sons:
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Was mother to the boys
Played both sides in the civil war
Developed a reputation for cruelty
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The
French
Civil
War
There were two sides:
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Guise family led Catholics in North
Bourbon family led Protestant Huguenots in
South
Fighting for the royal inheritance
 Catherine supported the Guises in the
first phase.
 St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
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August 24, 1572
20,000 Huguenots were killed
Henri of Navarre, a Bourbon, survived
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
The French Civil War
 Catherine started supporting the Bourbons
(Protestants)
Catholic
League
CIVIL
WAR
Protestant
Union
 Henri of Navarre defeated Catholic League &
became “Henry IV of France.”
 Effects of Civil War:
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1. France was left divided by religion
2. Royal power had weakened
Henry IV of France
 Ended Spanish interference in
France
 Converted to Catholicism :
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Did this to compromise and make
peace
“Paris is worth a mass.” (Henry IV)
This was an example of politique
[the interest of the state comes
first before any religious
considerations]
Fighting for the royal inheritance
 Passed Edict of Nantes in 1598:
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Granted religious rights to
Huguenots
Did not grant religious freedom for
all
The 30 Years War (1618-1648)
Historical Background
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By 1600, Protestants outnumbered Catholics in
Bohemia but the Protestants were fragmented into
denominations or sects
Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II issued a Letter of Majesty
granting some limited freedoms and tolerance to Protestants
but Rudolph died before Protestants fully enjoyed the limited
freedoms
Catholics prohibited Protestants from building
churches in towns where Protestant churches did not
already exist
Ferdinand II was to be the new King of Bohemia and
Protestants feared for the worst
The Defenestration of Prague
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Protestants set up a meeting with Catholic
officials in Prague on May 23, 1618.
Meeting went badly, the Protestants seized two
Catholic officials and tossed them out the window;
they tossed a secretary out as well.
This event is known as The Defenestration of Prague.
The word defenestrate comes from Latin word for “window”
and means “out the window”
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Survived the fall because they landed in a dungheap
or ditch; Catholics claimed angels saved them
This was the spark that ignited the 30 Years’ War
Defenestration of Prague
The 30 Years’ War
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Four Phases of the 30 Years’ War:
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1.
2.
3.
4.
The
The
The
The
Bohemian Phase (1618-1625)
Danish Phase (1625-1630)
Swedish Phase (1630-1635)
French Phase (1635 – 1648)
Characteristics of the Thirty Years
War
 The Holy Roman Empire was the
battleground.
 At the beginning  it was the
Catholics vs. the Protestants.
 At the end  it was Habsburg power
that was threatened (a powerful
family)
 Resolved by the Treaty of Westphalia
Immediate Effects
- German towns were devastated.
- Agriculture collapsed  famine resulted.
- 8 million dead  1/3 of the population
[from21 million in 1618 to 13.5 million in
1648]
- Caused massive inflation.
- Trade was crippled throughout Europe.
Loss of
German
Lives in 30
Years’ War
JACQUES CALLOT (1592-1635)
AND THE MISERIES OF THE THIRTY
YEARS WAR
The Hanging
The Peace of Westphalia (1648)
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The 30 Years’ War officially ended in 1648 with the
Peace of Westphalia
 Political Provisions:
1. The treaties recognized the sovereignty of the 300+ German princes
2. The United Provinces [Dutch Neths.] became officially independent , the
southern part (today Belgium) remained a Spanish possession.
3. France received most of the German speaking province of Alsace.
4. Sweden  got lands in No. Ger. on the Baltic & Black Sea coasts
5. Switzerland became totally independent of the HR Emperor  Swiss
Confederation.
6. Brandenburg Prussia got important territories on the North Sea & in central
Germany.
Treaty of Westphalia (1648)
Political Consequences of the 30
Years’ War
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Because Spain lost territory and France gained
territory, France stood alone as the most powerful
nation on the continent
France also benefited from the fragmentation of the
Holy Roman Empire and the weakening of the
Habsburg family influence
Important Points
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The 30 Years War began as a war of religion
and developed into an international war of
politics
While the war started as a religious war, the
war healed no religious wounds
France proved that international politics would
be more important in the coming centuries than
religion