1. The Wars of Religion

2. Introduction
The wars of religion, especially the Thirty Years War, will devastate Europe and help destroy the power of the Pope.
What began as a struggle for religious freedom will end in dynastic conflict that will set the stage of Europe until 1789.

3. The French Civil War

4. The French Monarchy
The French king ruled with unequaled authority in the 16th and 17th centuries but was still dependent on the nobles.
The King could directly tax even towns, and had control over ecclesiastical appointments.
Peasants were taxed harshly since the nobles often did not have to pay taxes.
Francis I will be the last affective Valois king.
An economic crisis hit in 1570 due to rising populations plus the practice of dividing the land among all the sons led to higher demand and decreasing yields.

5. Political Crisis
Francis II and Mary Stewart
French King Henry II died young and his fifteen year old son became king, his mother Catherine de’ Medici, will become regent
Catherine will essentially rule France for thirty years as her sons were weak and unable to rule.
None of her sons will have sons which will lead to a succession crisis.
During this time there will be a protracted struggle between the Guise and Bourbon families for power.
The Guise were backed by Jesuits, the Bourbons were Huguenot

6. The French Civil War
In 1562 the Civil War began when the Duke of Guise ordered all Huguenots on his land killed. The war would continue on and off until
In 1572 Princess Margaret and Henry of Navarre are married in order to provide reconciliation and end the fighting.
However, the Guise family use the opportunity to commit the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre and murder between 12,000 30,000 protestants.
The Catholic league will be formed to destroy Protestantism.

8. The French Civil War Catherine started supporting the Bourbons.
Henri of Navarre defeated Catholic League & becomes Henry IV of France.
Effects of Civil War:
France was left divided by religion
Royal power had weakened
Valois family now replaced by Bourbons
Catholic League
CIVIL WAR
Protestant Union

9. Henry IV of France Ended Spanish interference in France
Converted to Catholicism :
Did this to compromise and make peace
Paris is worth a mass.
Passed Edict of Nantes in 1598:
Granted religious rights to Huguenots
Did not grant religious freedom for all

10. The 30 Years War

11. Historical Background
By 1600, Protestants outnumbered Catholics in Bohemia but the Protestants were fragmented.
Catholics forbade Protestants to build churches in towns where Protestant churches did not already exist
Ferdinand II (Catholic) was to be the new King of Bohemia and Protestants feared for the worst

12. The Defenestration of Prague
Protestants set up a meeting with Catholic officials in Prague in 1618.
Meeting went badly, the Protestants seized two Catholic officials and tossed them out the window (they survived).
This event is known as The Defenestration of Prague.
This was the spark that ignited the 30 Years’ War

13. Defenestration of Prague

14. The 30 Years’ War Four Phases of the 30 Years’ War: The Bohemian Phase
The Danish Phase
The Swedish Phase
The French Phase

15. The Bohemian Phase ( )
Fighting between Catholics and Protestants began soon after the Defenestration in 1618.
Frederick of Palatinate is given the Bohemian throne.
The Protestants used a force made up mostly of Czechs and deposed Ferdinand, King of Bohemia.
The Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II, used funds from the Catholic League and the Spanish Habsburgs to build an army.
The Catholic forces crushed the Protestants at the Battle of White Mountain.
The defeat had a different effect than intended

16. The Bohemian Phase ( )
As the fighting went on, mercenaries joined to make money in the war.
Albrecht von Wallenstein, born a Czech Protestant, offered his services to the Emperor.
Wallenstein and his men unleashed destruction on Germany.
The Emperor had no control over Wallenstein or his men.
During the fighting in Bohemia, the Spanish attacked the holdings of Frederick along the Rhine River.
With the Catholic League winning they decided to expand the war to crush all Protestants.
Frederick asks Scandinavia for help.

17. The Danish Phase ( )
King Christian IV of Denmark decided to enter the war to help the Protestants turn the tide in Germany.
Wallenstein proved to be too much for Christian.
The Emperor issued the Edict of Restitution in 1629 outlawing all sects of Christianity other than Catholicism and Lutheranism and restored once-Catholic lands to the Church, effectively undoing the Peace of Augsburg.

18. The Swedish Phase ( )
King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden will come to the protestant’s aid.
Wallenstein had become too powerful and the Emperor dismissed him.
Gustavus Adolphus also hoped to exert his influence in the region.
The French, at the urging of Cardinal Richelieu, subsidized the Swedish forces to undermine the Habsburgs by aiding the Habsburg’s enemies.
Gustavus Adolphus had success in the North so the Emperor reluctantly recalled Wallenstein.

19. The Swedish Phase ( )
Gustavus Adolphus suffered a wound in battle in 1632 and died
By 1634, the Swedes were at the point of defeat

20. The French Phase ( )
Wallenstein had been so angry at the Emperor at his dismissal, he turned on the Emperor in hopes of creating his own empire.
In response, the Emperor had Wallenstein’s own troops murder Wallenstein.
Some of the Protestant Princes joined forces with the Emperor.
France couldn’t stand to watch the Habsburg power increase so the French officially entered the war on the side of the Protestants.
Neither side possessed the power to win so the fighting dragged on until 1643.

21. The Peace of Westphalia (1648)
The 30 Years’ War officially ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia.
The treaties recognized the sovereignty of the German princes.
The treaties disallowed papal meddling in German religious affairs.
The treaties upheld the Peace of Augsburg, added Calvinism to the list of religions allowed in German states and nullified the Edict of Restitution.

22. Immediate Results of the 30 Years’ War
After the Peace, the northern states in Germany remained primarily Protestant while the southern states in Germany remained primarily Catholic.
The United Provinces and Switzerland won recognition as independent states.
German princes won the right to form alliances and sign treaties as long as they didn’t declare war on the Holy Roman Empire.
Sweden won cash and land in the Baltic region.
France won the region of Alsace.

23. Political Fallout from the 30 Years’ War
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.
the political power of the Holy Roman Empire faded
the Habsburg family remained powerful and would go on to rule the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

24. The Aftermath
Though Germans seemed to win politically and religiously, the Germans lost 20% of their population and their lands were devastated.
The 30 Years War began as a war of religion and developed into an international war of politics
France proved that international politics would be more important in the coming centuries than religion