Although they seem like brotherly countries living in peace today, European states have fought throughout history and the blood of countless people has been smeared on their hands. A period of wars that went down in history as the 30 Years’ War is perhaps the most black mark in European history. More than 8 million people lost their lives during the 30 Years’ War, in which there were minor conflicts and a great famine as well as major wars.
It all started with a king who outlawed every denomination except Catholicism. The revolts that followed immediately inflamed the European states, which even today are tied to a thread of peace between them, and everyone got into each other. Although peace was finally achieved, the order in the continent was not the same as before due to the events that took place. Let’s take a closer look at what the 30 Years’ War was, how it ended, and see the results that affect even today.
What is the 30 Years War? One ban started it all:
The Thirty Years’ War, which lasted almost throughout the first half of the 17th century, from 1618 to 1648, the Archduke of Austria II. It began when Ferdinand became head of the Holy Roman Empire. II. Ferdinand’s first decision was to proclaim that everyone within the empire’s borders had to be Catholic.
This decision was contrary to the Peace of Augsburg signed in 1555. Because, according to this agreement, even if there was a general religious structure, everyone could choose the religion they wanted according to the state they were in. After this peace treaty, sects such as Protestantism, Lutheranism and Calvinism emerged in the European continent as well as Catholicism and found followers.
Because of the Cologne War between 1583 and 1588 and the War of the Julich Succession in 1609, the Holy Roman Empire was like a bomb ready to explode. Because this empire consisted of autonomous states and II. This decision of Ferdinand seemed to shake the foundations of the empire.
What was the cause of the 30 Years’ War? The first rebellion began in the Kingdom of Bohemia:
II. An ambassador who came to the Kingdom of Bohemia to convey this decision of Ferdinand was thrown out of the window of Prague Castle. Because the Kingdom of Bohemia, ruled by Austrian and Czech nobility, was Protestant. Bohemian nobles, supported by the Swedish and Danish-Norwegian Kingdoms, revolted and officially started the 30 Years’ War.
In the first ten years of the Thirty Years’ War, which started with the rebellion in 1618, Germany also joined the Protestant Union. II. Ferdinand, on the other hand, is his nephew, who is Catholic like himself, King of Spain IV. He agreed with Phillip. The bloodiest conflict took place in Transylvania and the Poles also participated in this war. More interestingly, Ottoman soldiers also participated in this war. The events that started the legend of Count Dracula took place here.
In the first years of the war II. The Catholic League, which fought together with Ferdinand, achieved great victories. Revolts in eastern and northern Austria were suppressed. Denmark – King of Norway IV. Christian support strengthened the hand of the Protestants. The soldiers from Scotland could not get a successful result.
Adolf takes the stage:
No, this is not the little mustachioed Adolf we know. King of Sweden II. Gustav Adolf joined the Protestant League with great force in 1630, repulsing the Catholic League and regaining lost lands. The murder of the Swedish King in the Battle of Lutzen in 1632 changed the balance again.
Albrecht von Wallenstein, a Bohemian nobleman, returns to World War II in exchange for a promise to plunder the captured territories. He was with Ferdinand. He attacked the Swedes with an army of 50,000 men. Having lost their already powerful king, the Swedes were defeated as a result of this attack in 1635.
What happened during the 30 Years’ War? The French had waited too long:
The Kingdom of France was Catholic and they were dissatisfied with the unity gathered around the Kingdom of Bohemia. However, since they were rivals of the Habsburgs, in 1635 II. They participated in the war against Ferdinand. Even though they tried for two full years, they couldn’t get a single win. Meanwhile, II. Ferdinand died and was succeeded by his son, III. Ferdinand had arrived.
III. Ferdinand was acting with Spain. The Portuguese revolt against Spain in 1640 complicated things. Spain had lost power. In 1642 the Swedes came back on the scene and dealt another blow to the Catholic Union. Oddly enough, in 1643 the Danish-Norwegian campaign began to fight on the side of the Catholics.
In 1643, the French king XIII. Louis died and was succeeded by his son XIV. Louis passed. XIV. Since Louis was still a child, there was a great authority vacuum in the country. Despite all this, France got stronger and got a great victory at the Battle of Herbsthausen in 1645. In the same year, Sweden attacked Vienna but could not take it.
How did the 30 Years’ War end? After the capture of Prague Castle, peace was finally achieved:
In 1647, Catholic troops under Octavio Piccolomini repulsed the Swedish and French armies. In 1648, the Swedes captured and sacked Prague Castle, which was in the hands of the Holy Roman Empire. For a while, Austrian lands remained in Catholic hands.
Although there were no major wars during 1648, there were many small and large conflicts. Spain lost control over Portugal and the Netherlands. The German-speaking Central European countries gained great rights, and a treaty called the Peace of Westphalia was eventually signed, ending the Thirty Years’ War.
Results of the 30 Years’ War:
During the 30 Years’ War, which started with the Bohemian revolt in 1618 and ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, more than 8 million people lost their lives due to the conflicts, famine and typhus epidemic in Europe. Considering the population of that period, this number is inconceivable.
As a result of the 30 Years’ War, the entire balance of power in the continent changed. The political authority of the Catholic Church declined. According to historians, the foundation of nation-states was laid in this period, fixed borders of European countries were drawn, and each state was allowed to make its own decisions instead of secularism or general religious rules.
We talked about the results of the war by answering questions such as what is the 30 Years’ War, which caused the death of millions of people in the 17th century, in which all European states fought, and how did it end? You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.
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