European Wars of Religion Timeline APWH

  • 1555

    Peace of Augsburh

    First permanent legal basis for Lutheran and Catholic coexistence in Germany. Allowed state princes to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism and allowed free emigration of those who wished to leave. Officially ended conflict between the two religions.
  • Period: 1562 to

    French Wars of Religion

    Conflict between French Protestants and Roman Catholics in France. Spread of French Calvinism made French ruler more tolerable to Huguenots (French Protestants) which angered Catholics, and led to conflict between the two groups. Wars ended with Henry IV embrace of Catholicism and tolerance of French Protestants.
  • Aug 24, 1572

    Bartolomew's Day Massacre

    A massacre of French Protestants in Paris planned by Catherine de' Medici and carried out by Roman Catholic French nobles and citizens. One event in the series of Civil Wars (French Wars of Religion) that plagued France at the time.
  • Edict of Nantes

    A law passed by Henry IV of France which granted religious freedom to his Protestant subjects (Huguenots). Accompanied by Henry's conversion from Huguenot Calvinism to Roman Catholicism and brought and end to the Wars of Religion in France that started in 1562.
  • Period: to

    30 Years War

    A series of wars fought throughout Europe for various reasons, including religion. Ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648; At the end, the map of Europe had changed drastically.
  • Treaty of Westphalia

    A treaty that brought the end to the 30 Years War. England, Poland, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire were the only European nations not represented. Credited with providing foundation of modern state system and articulating the concepts of territorial sovereignty.