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The Peace of Augsburg was intended to give Germany a peace statement that would keep any other religious wars from arising. This put a end to early conflicts between German Lutherans and Catholics; giving citizens a choice between which religion they choose to pursue. It was effective for avoiding war in Germany and Central Europe up until 1618.
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The French Wars of Religion were conflicts that took place in France between the Protestants and Catholics. As the increased spread of tolerance arose for Protestants, many Catholics were angered. Furthermore there was a decline in order throughout France as violent acts increased and thousands of people were slaughtered.
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Bartolomew’s Day Massacre was a wave of violence towards the French Protestant minority driven by the Catholic minority. During this time more than 10,000 people were killed in the span of 2 months during the fall of 1572. After this mass mob acts of violence this marked a resumption of religious wars in France..
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The Edict of Nantes was a French decree for toleration of all Protestants. This granted their freedom of worship and legal equality without any restrictions and ended the Wars of Religion. The edict was invalidated by Louis XIV in 1685 which caused many of the Huguenots to emigrate.
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The 30 Years War was fought mainly in central Europe and was named as one of the longest and brutal wars to take place; causing more than 8 million deaths from not only war but famine and diseases that arose from the war. Moreover leading to Germany being further divided, the wars of religion ended, France becoming more dominant in terms of power, and the balance of power diplomacy in Europe. The war began as a religious war but later progressed to be international political conflicts.
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The Treaty of Westphalia was a key step in terms of tolerance and secularization around the world. This allowed for many nations to be strengthened since they could join foreign alliances and decide important matters like war and peace for themselves. In terms of Europe this caused many great shifts in power.