Thirty Years War

The Peace of Augsburg brought a temporary truce to the German states and recognized Lutheranism and Catholicism but Calvinism was demanding rights.

It began in the Habsburg province of Bohemia

Bohemian Phase 1618 - 1625 1617 the Bohemian Diet elected Ferdinand of Syria as the King of Bohemia. He was a Habsburg and Catholic.

Two Years later he was elected the HRE and Calvinists became alarmed

May 1618 war began when the rebel Calvinists threw 2 Catholic members of the Bohemian Royal Council from a window. Both fell into a pile of manure and suffered only minor injuries. This was the Defenetration of Prague. Now the rebels took control of Prague and denounced Ferdinand as ruler. They elected in his stead a new king, Frederick V, the elector of Palatinate, and leader of the Protestant Union.

Ferdinand and Max of Bavaria, the leader of the Catholic League invaded Bohemia. At the Battle of White Mountain, the Catholics scored a great victory. Ferdinand became King of Bohemia, Max got Palatinate, many Protestant nobles were killed and Bohemia became Catholic.

Danish Phase 1625 - 1629 This phase began when Christian IV of Denmark (a Protestant) intervened to stop Ferdinand II. Christian was also the Duke of Holstein, a territory in the HRE.

Ferdinand hired Albrecht of Wallenstein who raised an army of 50,000 men and easily defeated Christian IV. Then they occupied his land holding of Holstein.

The Treaty of Lubeck gave Holstein back to Christian who promised not to intervene in German affairs.

Just like the Bohemian phase, this ended in a victory for the Catholics.

Edict of Restitution

Calvinism was illegal and all church land taken by Lutherans must be returned

Swedish Phase 1630 - 1635Catholic victories worried:

1. Protestants

2. Independent German Princes

3. The French who were concerned about growing Habsburg power

Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus invaded Germany and allied with France

Sweden won easily and Ferdinand II called on Wallenstein to form a new army

At the Battle of Lutzen, Wallenstein was defeatd but Adolphus was killed. The Protestants lost a great leader.

When Wallenstein entered into a secret agreement with Sweden and France he was relieved of command and assassinated a few days later.

Ferdinand’s army defeated the Swedes at Nordlingen in s. Germany

French Phase 1635 - 1648French Cardinal Richelieu wanted a weakened German neighbor and the province of Alsace. He also had designs against Spain and its Habsburg king, Philip IV.

In Germany, the Swedes and German princes would fight Ferdinand and Richelieu could concentrate on Spain.

The battle waged on as one side gained an advantage then lost it. Max and other Catholic princes held against the Swedes and German Protestant princes. But France would send larger forces to hinder the Catholics

Ferdinand II died and was replaced by his son, Ferdinand III in 1637 but little was settled until Richelieu died in 1642 and the French occupied Bavaria

The Peace of Westphalia 1648

ｷ Sweden gets Pomeraniaｷ Brandenburg gets E. Pomeraniaｷ Bavaria becomes an electorｷ Switzerland gets independenceｷ Netherlands gets independenceｷ Calvinism recognizedｷ Edict of Restitution rescindedｷ Spain is isolated and marries off a princess to France (Maria Therese to Louis IV

Also:

•France gets Alsace•The Edict of Restitution was rescinded•German states got the right to make treaties and alliances thus weakening the HRE

I/3 of German population and land is destroyed