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The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)The Thirty Years' War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. It occurred for a number of reasons, although it was from its outset a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics, the self-preservation of the Habsburg dynasty was the central motive.

1 Origins of the war

thumb Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor The Peace of Augsburg ( 1555) confirmed the result of the first Diet of Speyer and ended the violence between the Lutherans in Germany and the Catholics.

It stated that:

German Princes (about 360 of them) could choose the religion (Lutheranism or Catholicism) of their realms according to their conscience, the principle of cuius regio eius religio.
Lutherans living in an ecclesiastical state (under the control of a bishop) could remain Lutherans.
Lutherans could keep the territory that they had captured from the Catholic Church since the Peace of Passau ( 1552Events April War between Henry II of France and Emperor Charles V. Henry invades Lorraine and captures Toul, Metz, and Verdun. October December Unsuccessful Siege of Metz by Charles V October 2 Khanate of Kazan falls to troops of Ivan IV of Russia Russia).
The ecclesiastical leaders of the Catholic Church (bishops) that converted to Lutheranism had to give up their territory (archbishoprics/bishoprics).

Political and economic tensions grew among many of the powerful nations of Europe in the early 17th century16th century 17th century 18th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601- 1700. During this period, the power of England and the United Provinces increased; while that of. SpainThe Kingdom of Spain is a country located in the southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. To the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. It inc was interested in the German states, because Philip II of SpainPhilip II of Spain ( May 21, 1527 September 13, 1598), King of Spain (r. 1556- 1598), Naples and Sicily (r. 1554- 1558), and Portugal, Philip II, the self-proclaimed leader of the Counter-Reformation, assumed the throne in 1556 with a great deal of potent was a Habsburg and had the territories surrounding German states' western border; FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. was interested in the German states, because it wanted to quell the growing power of the Habsburgs since they surrounded France's eastern border; SwedenThe Kingdom of Sweden Konungariket Sverige in Swedish) is a Nordic country in Scandinavia, in Northern Europe. It is bordered by Norway on the west, Finland on the northeast, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat on the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the Gulf and DenmarkKongeriget Danmark ( In Detail) Motto of the Queen: Guds hjaelp, Folkets kaerlighed, Danmarks styrke (English: God's help, the love of the people, Denmark's strength) Official language Danish Capital Copenhagen Kobenhavn Monarch Margrethe II Prime Ministe were interested in the northern German states bordering the Baltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is in northeastern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of east and central Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat and the North Sea by way of the Oresund, the Great Belt and the Small Belt. It is for economic reasons.

Religious tensions were growing throughout the second half of the 16th Century as well. The Peace of Augsburg was unraveling throughout the second half of the century since converted bishops had not given up their bishoprics; Calvinism was spreading throughout Germany, which added yet another religion to the region; the Catholics of eastern Europe (Poland and Austrian Habsburgs) were trying to restore the power of Catholicism.

left Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of BohemiaThe Habsburgs were primarily interested in extending their power, so they were sometimes prepared to work with the Protestants, which made tensions greater. Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, and his successor Matthias did not aggressively champion Catholicism since they were more interested in furthering the power and holdings of the Habsburgs. They were also very tolerant, which allowed the different religions to spread, creating more tension. Sweden and Denmark (who wanted control in German states on the Baltic Sea) were both mostly composed of Lutherans.

These tensions broke into violence in the German town of Donauworth in 1606. The Lutheran majority barred the Catholic residents of the town from holding a procession, causing a violent riot to break out. This prompted Duke Maximilian of Bavaria (1573-1651) to intervene on behalf of the Catholics. After the violence ceased, the Calvinists in Germany (who were still in their infancy and quite a minority) felt the most threatened, so they banded together in the League of Evangelical Union, created in 1608 under the leadership of Frederick IV (1583-1610), the elector of Palatinate (whose son, Frederick V, married Elizabeth Stuart, the daughter of James I of England). He had control of the Rhenish Palatinate, one of the very states along the Rhine River that Spain wanted to acquire. This provoked Catholics to band together in the Catholic League (created in 1609) under the leadership of Duke Maximilian.

The Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia Matthias died without a biological heir in 1617, but had named his cousin Ferdinand of Styria as his heir. Ferdinand, who became King of Bohemia and Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, was a staunch Catholic who had been educated by the Jesuits and who wanted to restore Catholicism. He was therefore unpopular in mainly Calvinist Bohemia, whose rejection of Ferdinand launched the Thirty Years' War, which can be divided into four major phases: the Bohemian Revolt, Danish intervention, Swedish intervention, and the French intervention.

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