1. Thirty Years War SPRITE Causation
Social
Political
Religious
Intellectual
Technological
Economic
Causes
Appeal of Protestantism to women, poor, and peasants
Pope v. nobles
v. peasants v.
monarchs
Catholicism v. Calvinism
Why? Lutheranism didn’t spread beyond HRE and not as radical as Calvinism
Increasingly educated laity (men and women)
Printing Press spreads Luther’s ideas and access to Bible for all
Peasant Revolts in Germany over serfdom (1525)   
Effects
All vocations deemed equal (“priesthood of all believers”)
Certain Protestant women enjoyed greater social standing (ie work outside the home)
Rise of strong, absolute monarchs
Balance of power emerges in Europe
No more wars fought over religion
Why?
Religious pluralism (not toleration because only Catholicism and certain types of Protestantism accepted in Europe (not Anabaptists, Jews, Muslims)
Continued increase in education for laity
Military technology :
Infantry
Firearms
Mobile cannon
Financed by heavier taxation
Require larger bureaucracy to oversee standing army/navy
Balance of power shifts from Spain to France

2. Reformation and Religious Wars Takeaways:
Before the Thirty Years War:
States exploited religious conflicts to promote political and economic interests
Ex: German Peasants Revolt using religion to end serfdom
Ex: United Province using Calvinism to break with Spain
Ex: Huguenot nobles in France using Calvinism to break from monarchial control
Ex: German princes wanting political power in HRE
After the Thirty Years War
Following the Peace of Westphalia religion declined in importance as a cause for war in European
The concept of the balance of power played an important role in structuring diplomatic and military objectives.
Continuity: Conflicts between monarchy and nobility would continue
Change: emerging nation-states with centralized monarchs (NOT Italy or HRE/Germany)

3. Europe 1648-1661 Rise of Brandenburg-Prussia in HRE
Decentralization in HRE  rest of Europe have nation-states with power in hands centralized monarchs