1. 30 Years War

2. Directions
Take notes during the lecture on information that responds to the prompt:
Evaluate the relative importance of the religious rivalries and dynastic ambitions that shaped the course of the Thirty Years’ War.
We don’t lecture often but guided note taking is an important skill
Do NOT copy every item word for word
Think, Write, Respond – ask questions about the material
What kind of information will help you respond to the prompt?
What is the Historical Thinking Skill being assessed by this prompt?

3. Bohemian Period (1618-1625) Bohemia Background:
King of Bohemia traditionally the person who was in line to be the next Holy Roman Emperor
16th & 17th centuries, Bohemia had become a Calvinist region which embraced religious toleration
Ferdinand Habsburg: Fanatic Catholic
H.R.E. Matthias persuaded Calvinist nobles to allow the fanatical Catholic Ferdinand to become King of Bohemia (1617), putting him in line to be the next HRE
Ferdinand issued ruthless anti-Protestant campaign in Bohemia
Outraged Bohemian nobles secured a meeting with the imperial government in order to air their grievances

4. Defenestration of Prague (1618): Start of the War
Meeting between Protestant Bohemian nobles and 5 Catholic representatives
Attempt to settle disputes between nobles and H.R.E.
2 of the emperor’s representatives were thrown out a third-story window (defenestrated)
Began the Thirty Year’s War
Bohemian phase largely fought over religious issues, but economic and political ambitions began to emerge

5. Bohemian Period (1618-1625) Protestant Union vs
Bohemian Period ( ) Protestant Union vs. Ferdinand II & the Catholic League
Protestant Union
Catholic League
Fought to protect the rights of Protestants in Bohemia with Frederick of the Palatinate
Frederick of the Palatinate elected King of Bohemia after Ferdinand Habsburg became the Holy Roman Emperor
Catholic League: Fought to protect Ferdinand II and Catholic rights in the Holy Roman Empire
Ferdinand II had no standing army and had to rely on the forces of the Catholic League

6. Results
Catholic League defeated the Protestant Union at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620
Frederick forced into exile, Bohemia returned to Catholicism
Ferdinand restored as King of Bohemia, as well as the Holy Roman Emperor
King of Denmark, Christian IV, assumed leadership of Protestants after the Battle of White Mountain

7. Danish Period ( )
After a 12 year truce, Spain again attempted to regain control of the Netherlands
Politically: Wanted the region in the Spanish Empire
Economically: Wanted to regain control of the powerful Dutch economy, known for its international trade, banking, and shipbuilding
Religiously: Wanted the Netherlands to be re-Catholicized
Dutch resisted with help of England and France who wanted to weaken Spain
Spanish military defeated the Dutch after besieging the city of Breda in 1625

8. King Christian of Denmark
The burden of war now falls to Christian
Demanded less than Adolphus of Sweden
England abandons him (caught in a change of power and a reluctant Parliament)
France abandons him (dealing with a rebellion of Huguenots)
Has to face Wallenstein and his army
Repeatedly defeated in battle until he sues for peace
How

9. Ferdinand Builds an Army
Feared the ambitions of Maximillian of Bavaria—relieved him of duties as leader of Catholic forces
Hired Albrecht von Wallenstein to create imperial army
Commissioned to build an army to help Ferdinand achieve goals
Economic: Gain control of Baltic trading ports in northern Germany
Religious: Convert Protestants to Catholicism
Wallenstein raised a strong army of 40,000 men
Wallenstein, while a brilliant military strategist, was overly ambitious and made enemies on both sides of the conflict until he was too hot to handle and dropped from command. He was assassinated later in his attempts to negotiate with Protestant forces.

10. Results of Ferdinand’s Army
Took control of Baltic trading ports in northern Germany
Re-Catholicized many regions
Edict of Restitution (1629): Ferdinand gained control of former Church lands that had been secularized during the Protestant Reformation
Gave the church broad powers to reclaim territory and force expulsion of Protestants
Seen by many Catholics as an abuse of power
Defeated the Danish at the Battle of Lutter
Pillaged and occupied Denmark
Wallenstein took advantage of this opportunity to sell armaments and supplies to his army and the enemy for his own wealth
Attempted to gain greater political centralization around the imperial crown at the expense of the individual states
Demanded that Ferdinand fire Wallenstein, believing he was the source of his power

11. Swedish Period (1630-1635) Gustavus Adolphus: King of Sweden
Religious motives for joining war
Devout Lutheran wanting to protect Protestantism in northern Europe
Champion of Protestantism after the defeat of Denmark
Dynastic motives for joining war
Drive back the advancing Habsburgs
Gain a foothold on continental Europe along the Baltic Sea— allows control of the grain trade coming out of Poland

12. Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)
First major Protestant victory in Thirty Years’ War
Sweden defeated the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, and Croatia
Financed largely by the French—why?
Swedish troops eventually advanced deep into central Europe, almost taking over the imperial capital of Vienna

13. Battle of Lutzen (1632)
One of the most spectacular battles of the Thirty Years’ War
Adolphus vs. Wallenstein
Sweden financed by France, supported by some states within the Holy Roman Empire
Adolphus killed in action during the battle
After Lutzen, the army continued to advance into the H.R. E.
Sweden suffered a major loss in 1634, forcing combatants to seek a truce— Peace of Prague

14. Military advancements of the war
Armies got bigger
Armies became more professional
Armies were better trained prior to battle
Cavalry units became very important
Coordinated attacks with small units
Use of mobile artillery
Infantry were redistributed to protect from artillery

15. French Period ( )
Before 1635, France supported states fighting the Holy Roman Emperor by sending money, weapons, and supplies
Led by Louis XIII and his chief minister Cardinal Richelieu
Wanted to weaken the power of the Habsburgs
Unsatisfied by the 1635 Peace of Prague
Entered the war in 1635

16. Battle of Rocroi (1643)
France was led by the recently crowned 5-year-old Louis XIV and his chief minister Cardinal Mazarin
Northeastern region of France, near the Spanish Netherlands
French victory over Spain
Marked the end of the dominance of the Spanish army
Following Rocroi, sporadic fighting continued, but European powers looked for a peace settlement

17. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) “The Peace of Exhaustion”
Negotiations began in 1644 while the war was being fought
France and Sweden wanted all states of the Holy Roman Empire to participate as individual and independent entities—why?
Participants:
Major powers: France, Spain, The Netherlands, Sweden
Holy Roman Empire: individual states
Minor powers: Portugal, Papal States, Switzerland, Venice

18. Peace of Westphalia: Goals
Religious settlement for the Holy Roman Empire
Address territorial issues in Europe and reestablish a balance of power for Europe
Constitutional settlement for the states of the Holy Roman Empire
Comprised of two treaties:
Münster and Osnabrück
France and Spain didn’t settle on a bilateral peace agreement until 1659

19. The Peace of Westphalia (1648): Religious Settlement
Reaffirmed the Peace of Augsburg (1555) with an additional choice
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire could decide between Catholicism or Lutheranism for their individual state
Added Calvinism as an additional choice for princes
Consequences:
Right of states in the Holy Roman Empire to decide faith of their subjects affirmed
Minority religions granted right to practice discreetly
Secured the Protestant Reformation in Europe
Ended the Catholic Reformations goal of reunifying Europe under a Universal Catholic Church

20. The Peace of Westphalia: Territorial Settlement
Netherlands
Recognized as an independent state
No longer a part of the Holy Roman Empire
Switzerland
France: gained territories from the Holy Roman Empire, including parts of Alsace and Lorraine
Sweden: gained territories in northern Germany

22. The Peace of Westphalia: Constitutional Settlement
States of the Holy Roman Empire became virtually sovereign as powers of the H.R.E. were weakened
States could:
Conduct their own diplomacy
Make treaties with foreign powers
Emperor could NOT:
Issue taxes without the consent of the member states
Recruit an army without the consent of the member states
Declare war or sign peace treaties without the consent of the member states
Holy Roman Empire was further decentralized and localized
French foreign policy of preventing a unified, centralized Germany was maintained

23. Impact of the war on Germany
Results varied – see map
General trends
Population decline
Economic decline
Bands of roaming unemployed mercenaries
The cost of the war
Rome and Spain paid very little – the HRE paid the majority of the costs
Winners
Not Winners
Northeastern Nobles
Western Nobles (No CHANGE)
Peasants – with population loss comes more of a demand for services when it is time to rebuild
Southern Nobles (Bavarian nobles did not generally trade and were forced to take out loans or sell land)
Northern peasants – forced to simply work more to make up for the loss of labor