1. The Holy Roman Empire, The Thirty Years War, and France
Created by David Silverman

2. The Holy Roman Empire
Dates back to 962- When the pope crowned Saxon King Otto I emperor
Reached the height of power during the 10th and 11th centuries, but was eventually weakened by continual conflicts with the papacy
The papacy was able to find support from the German nobility, who did not like taking orders from imperial dominance
The practice of electing an emperor was born in the Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV (1356)
This gave 7 German princes the right to elect an emperor, instead of based on heredity
They usually picked weak rulers that they could easily manipulate

3. By 1500, the empire had split into more than 300 semi-autonomous entities that the emperor had little control over
Charles V (Habsburg family) tried to establish imperial control over the state but encountered resistance from the Lutheran Reformation and the German princes
Charles signed the Peace of Augsburg (1555) which granted the princes the power to decide the religion based on their territory
This did not apply to Calvinists, so when Frederick III converted to Calvinism this presented a problem as he was a member of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire
A few other princes also challenged the religious status quo over the next two decades
In other areas, like Bavaria, Protestantism was being eliminated by Jesuits

4. The Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years War began in Bohemia (Czech Republic) when the Catholic Ferdinand of Styria was crowned King of Bohemia
Most Bohemians were Protestant and angry that the new king was intolerant of their beliefs
In May of 1618, Bohemian Protestant nobles threw two of Ferdinand’s Catholic advisors out of a window and into a pile of dung
Ferdinand was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1619 after his cousin Matthias passed away
Hours after being elected, he learned the Bohemians deposed him and elected Frederick the Calvinist Elector of the Palatinate as their king
Ferdinand promised the Duke of Bavaria the Palatinate in exchange for his support in putting down Frederick
They won the Battle of White Mountain, and Frederick became known as the Winter King because he only held onto the Bohemian throne for that winter

5. Why the war continued on…
There were still armies that wanted to fight both for profit and to protect Protestantism (including the King of Denmark)
Both Catholic and Protestant rulers were unhappy that the Holy Roman Empire had given the Palatinate’s electoral vote to Bavaria
The German’s felt that their “German liberties” were under attack
This was exacerbated when Emperor Ferdinand confiscated Protestant land in the north that the princes owned to try and create a unified Habsburg state
This time, Ferdinand turned to Albrect von Wallerstein, who by controlled an army of 125,000 and had won many key battles in the north

6. continued…
The Edict of Restitution (1629) outlawed Calvinism in the empire and ordered Lutherans to turn over all seized property since 1552
28 cities and towns, 155 monasteries and convents, and 16 bishoprics
This made the King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus declare war to defend Protestantism (and his interest in the German territory along the Baltic)
The France’s chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu, financially supported the Swedish army because of his concern of the increased strength of the Habsburgs in Germany
Adolphus died in battle, and Wallenstein was murdered on orders from the emperor for suspicion of working with his enemies
German towns were decimated, famine resulted from the agricultural collapse, when the war ended (Peace of Westphalia in 1648) over 8 million had died
Calvinism was now recognized, and princes would continue deciding the religion of their territories
The Holy Roman Empire remained divided into semi-autonomous powers

7. France
The French Wars of Religion ( ) were a series of civil wars contending if France should continue to be ruled as a monarchy, or by the powerful aristocracy
Calvinism was very popular in France, especially because Calvin was French
Henry II (Valois family)- died in 1559 when he was impaled in the eye from a jousting accident
Francis II, Henry’s sickly son, ruled for a year
Charles IX replaced his brother Henry, and ruled from
From the third brother Henry III ruled
Catherine de Medici was a powerful woman and mother to all three French ruling brothers

8. While the monarchy ruled, three prominent aristocratic families struggled for power
They hoped the weak monarchy could restore their lost power
The most powerful family, the Guises, turned to a strict, reactionary form of Catholicism
Admiral Coligny of the Montmorency family, and the Prince of Conde of the Bourbon family, both converted to Calvinism

9. The Wars of Religion started in 1562 when the Duke of Guise had a group of Calvinists (called Huguenots in France) killed for worshiping in a barn
After 10 years of fighting, both the Duke of Guise and the Prince of Conde were dead
Henry of Navarre, a Bourbon Calvinist prince, married Charles IX’s sister (Catholic), which concerned Catherine de Medici
She always tried to protect her children from the aristocracy, and urged her son to attack the Huguenot aristocracy who were meeting in Paris (1572)
The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre resulted in the deaths of about 20,000 Calvinists
Admiral Coligny was killed but Henry of Navarre’s life was spared when he agreed to return to Catholicism

10. In 1574, Henry III turned to the Calvinists to defeat the powerful Catholic League the Guise family had formed
Henry III declared Henry of Navarre is heir, and when Henry III was assassinated, Henry became King Henry IV
This Bourbon dynasty would rule France until the French Revolution
Henry converted permanently to Catholicism and declared “Paris is worth a Mass”
This started the French idea of Politique, putting the interests of France above religious institutions
Although Catholic, he issued the Edict of Nantes, which granted the Huguenots freedom of worship, as well as the right to fortify their towns for protection

11. Resources
French Wars of Religion
be.com/watch?v=BMm NKYrp- 4U&index=18&list=PLf zs_X6OQBOxudw- bxvxBuTWvh6bwaVhQ
The Thirty Years War
com/watch?v=B18zwA VO4q0&list=PLfzs_X6O QBOxudw- bxvxBuTWvh6bwaVhQ &index=19
References
This PowerPoint presentation was adapted using information from the Princeton Review’s Cracking The AP European History Exam
Pearl, Kenneth. Cracking the AP European History Exam, New York: Random House, Print.