Discussion

The Thirty Year’s War 1618-1648

 

Principal players:

Ferdinand II (Catholic)…king of Bohemia (1617), Holy Roman

Emperor (1618) Maximilian X (Catholic)…elector of Bavaria

Louis XIII (Catholic)…king of France

Cardinal Richelieu (Catholic)…advisor to Louis XIII of France

Philip IV (Catholic)…king of Spain

Frederick V (Protestant/Calvinist)…elector of Palantine

Christian IV (Protestant/Lutheran)…king of Denmark

Gustavus Adolphus (Protestant/Lutheran)…king of Sweden

Albrecht von Wallenstein (Protestant/Lutheran)…

Czechoslovakian general

Background:

The Holy Roman Empire is the name given to the collection

(over 350) of German principalities, duchies and counties

whose origins can be traced back to the Germanic tribes of

the late Roman/early Medieval period. The Holy Roman

Emperor is elected by the rulers of the seven elector states

within the Holy Roman Empire.

The Peace of Augsburg does not recognize Calvinism in the

Holy Roman Empire, nor does it provide a way to reconcile

religious differences there.

Calvinism however, has infiltrated the HRE, displacing

Lutheranism in some areas, including the Palantine. Bavaria,

which borders the Palantine, has remained firmly Catholic.

The War:

When Archduke Ferdinand (later Ferdinand II) is crowned

king of Bohemia in 1617, it touches off a nationalistic

movement among the Bohemians (Czechoslovakians), who

have mostly converted to Protestantism. Ferdinand tries to

suppress Protestantism in Bohemia, which fuels this Czech

independence movement. After the “Defenstration of

Prague”, the Thirty Year’s War begins…the Bohemians elect

Frederick V of the Palantine to be their king. This, however,

ensures Bavaria’s intervention, and the Imperial Bavarian

armies invade Bohemia and crush the Czech revolt in the

Battle of White Mountain in 1620. Although the Bohemians

have lost their bid for independence, the war continues as

neighboring Germanic states raise armies and small

skirmishes break out all over the Holy Roman Empire (HRE).

In 1625, Czech general Albrecht von Wallenstein raises an

army for Emperor Ferdinand (remember that Wallenstein is

Protestant, but Ferdinand is Catholic…this is not merely a

religious war, but a political one as well), then goes on to

plunder Protestant German states (with the help of Bavaria).

Christian IV of Denmark invades the HRE to stop von

Wallenstein, but is not successful. Von Wallenstein’s

victories prompt Ferdinand to issue the Edict of Restitution

in 1629. Catholic Spain enters the war in an attempt to

subvert the HRE and to try and regain the northern Dutch

provinces.

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden marches into Germany in

1630 in an attempt to stop von Wallenstein and Spain. He is

backed by France’s King Louis XIII, even though France is

Catholic, because Cardinal Richelieu, Louis’s chief advisor,

sees an opportunity to break Spanish power in Europe.

Before Gustavus Adolphus can defeat von Wallenstein, he is

killed at the Battle of Lutzen in 1632. The same year,

however, von Wallenstein is assassinated and the war

devolves into a conflict between Spain and France, which

openly enters the war in 1635. French armies fight the

Spanish and also aid the Dutch in their rebellion against

Spain. Dutch navies attack the Spanish fleet on the seas,

and Portugal uses this opportunity to successfully declare its

independence from Spain in 1640. By 1643, both Spain and

France (which has lost Louis XIII, and now has a child king,

Louis XIV, on the throne) are exhausted. The fighting stops

and peace negotiations begin. The Treaty of Westphalia

officially ends the war in 1648.

Results:

France replaces Spain as the superpower of Europe.

The Spanish recognize the independence of the

Netherlands.

Spain exhausts its supply of gold and silver from the

Americas.

The Holy Roman Empire, although it will retain that name for

several years, effectively ceases to exist. The Germanic

states gain their autonomy, as do the Swiss, who form the

Swiss Confederation. The empire will consist of

Austria/Bohemia.

The Holy Roman Emperor will now turn his attention to

regaining Hungary from the Turks…after this is

accomplished, the empire will segue into the Austrian-

Hungarian Empire.

The Treaty of Westphalia will set the borders of Europe for

the next 150 years.

Prague, which is sacked in 1648 by Sweden, is eliminated as

a center of culture and education in Europe.

Thousands of Germans are dispossessed and homeless.

One-third of the population of Bohemia perishes. Twenty-five

percent of the German population perishes. Negative

population growth is the norm in Eastern Europe…this leads

to agricultural prices falling, which only increases the

economic crisis faced by the peasants, whose taxes were

doubled to pay for these wars.

Because of the precarious economic times, people put off

marriage until their late 20’s. Average life expectancy

drops…infant mortality rates hover at 25% and of those that

survive, only 50% will reach age 35.

Destitute wanderers follow the armies (the Imperial

Bavarian Army will have 40,000 soldiers and over 100,000

hangers-on, wives, servants, prostitutes, children, and

others). This will deplete the resources of these territories

even further.

In some parts of Germany, cannibalism is practiced. Bands

of violent vagabonds wander around, scrounging for food,

adding to the precarious situation of the German population.