European History and Thirty Years of War

 

European History and Thirty Years of War

 

Overview:

Central Europe’s History is filled with a series of wars between 1618 to 1648. These wars were one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in the European History. The wars resulted in millions of deaths. The flame was initially ignited between Protestant and Catholic States in the Holy Roman Empire (The Protestant Reformation, n.d). The flames went higher, and it gradually became a serious conflict in which two of the greatest powers are involved. Higher mercenary armies where built, and the war took the shape of continuation of France-Habsburg rivalry for European Political Pre-Eminence instead of just religious conflict. In 17th century every person of Europe was biased to either one side of the religious group or another, there was a much greater influence of religion in the lives of European in that time and they had stronger beliefs which are the cause of disputes at that time. The cause of the war was the election of Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II. Ferdinand II tried to impose religious uniformity in all the domains of the states. Thus, forcing the Roman Catholicism on the residents of the states. The Northern Protestant states were angered due to violation of their rights which were chosen as to be granted in the Peace of Augsburg, the people united to form the Protestant Union to fight for their rights. Ferdinand II was a Roman Catholic by belief and showed intolerance in his actions as compared to his predecessors. Rudolf II was the predecessor of Ferdinand II. The policies of Ferdinand II were greatly Pro-Catholic as compared to his predecessors.

 

Causes:

The causes of the war series erupted prior the year 1618 and flamed it to be greater and more serious by the preceding incidents. One major cause was the Imposition of the Roman Catholic absolutism by Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II. Ferdinand II being the king of Bohemia, imposed the Roman Catholicism and promoted his beliefs throughout the states (Gutmann, 1988). The Protestant Nobles of the State of Bohemia and Austria on the other hand united and formed a rebellion against the system of Ferdinand II. Eventually Ferdinand II won the battle after five years of struggle (Britannica, 2021).

In 1625, The King Christian IV of the Denmark gained an opportunity to gain more valuable territories in Germany to fulfill the earlier losses of the Baltic Provinces to Sweden. The defeat of Christian IV and the loss in Peace of Lubeck (1629) caused Denmark to lose its worth as a European Power. Sweden’s Gustav II Adolf, on the other hand ended a four-year war with Poland and invaded into Germany. Gustav II won plenty of German Princes and forced his anti-Roman Catholicism and Anti-Imperial Cause.

The conflict was later fueled by the Political Ambitions and Greed of Various Powers. Poland, which was drawn as a Baltic Power influenced by Sweden attacked Russia and established a Dictatorship in Moscow (Wladyslaw). The future King of Poland, Russo-Polish Peace of Polyanov removed the Poland’s Claim towards the tsarist throne. He freed Poland to carry on the hostile behavior against Baltic Archenemy. The struggle between Holy Roman Empire and the network of Protestant Towns (Anti Catholic Powers) led to throwing off the yoke of Spain. This struggle took 80 years.

Another effort that involved rivalry was the France and Habsburgs Empire. The Habsburg Empire and the Habsburg of Spain were struggling to create anti-French alliances.

The main battlefield for all the conflicts that were intermittent were the towns and localities of the Germany. These towns suffered greatly due to wars. During the war many of the mercenaries were unable to collect their pay. The mercenaries were left with no option either to adopt wolf strategy or to starve. The armies marched forward and ravaged every piece of land and town from which they pass. The balance of power in Europe radically changed when the two armies came face to face in German Province of Westphalia for the bloodshed. Spain lost Netherlands and its dominant position in Western Europe was suppressed. France became the ultimate Western Power. Sweden now had the control over the Baltic. The United Netherlands became and independent republic. The States that were the member of Holy Roman Empire were granted full sovereignty. The Pope headed the Ancient Notion of the Roman Catholic Empire of Europe. The community of Sovereign States in Europe was established.

 

Effects of Thirty Years of War on Europe:

The War resulted in number of significant geographical changes such as:

·         Shattering of Germany

·         The Swiss Confederation and Netherlands stated as Independent Nations

·         The Holy Empire Lost its Supremacy

·         Decline of Holy Empire from formal Peace acceptance until modernism

The Peace of Westphalia lead Sweden and France to rise and command European Commerce. This resulted in pushing Spain out of the system and changing European History. The Announcement of Dutch and Swiss Independence because the Spanish Hapsburgs lost their supreme power. The Political shift lead other countries to rise and take over the Holy Roman Empire. The phenomenon such as enlightenment and secularism supported other countries to speak against Holy Roman Empire. The period of war introduced Europe to a whole new domain of warfare. Whole Europe suffered the economic decline due to continuation of series of wars over a span of 30 years (UK Essays, 2017).

The Thirty Years of War lead to serious problems that arise soon after the war, difficulties for farmers and working-class people. Europe faced major revolutionary changes, especially in France. The agricultural sector suffered a lot during the era of war and farmers were left helpless during the war days. People faced trouble and had difficulty feeding their families. The long era of war and the overall spread of famine effected the overall economy of Europe. Towns and provinces from where the army passed faced major problems of crops deformation and lack of food. Everything suffered due to long-lasting effects of war and the communities suffered seriously due to continuation of war. Thirty Years of War also highlighted the fact that dominance can be achieved on economical, trade and political grounds.

 

References:

1)      The Thirty Years’ War | Boundless World History. (2021). Retrieved 5 March 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-worldhistory/chapter/the-thirty-years-war/

 

2)      Gutmann, M. (1988). The Origins of the Thirty Years' War. Journal Of Interdisciplinary History, 18(4), 749.

 

3)      Thirty Years’ War | Summary, Causes, Combatants, Map, & Significance. (2021). Retrieved 5 March 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Thirty-Years-War

 

4)      Effect of the Thirty Years War on Europe. (2021). Retrieved 5 March 2021, from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/the-effect-of-the-thirty-years-war-on-europe.php#:~:text=A%20number%20of%20significant%20geographical,of%20the%20Peace%20until%20modernism

 

 

 

 

 

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