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Jan 1, 1555
The Peace of Augsburg
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The Peace of Augsburg was a settlement within the Holy Roman Empire that recognized both Lutherans and Catholics. However, Calvinism, which had also spread, as well as other protestant religions, were not included in the settlement. -
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King Christian IV of Denmark
sourceHe was born in 1577 and started ruling without a regency in 1596. He developed the navy and the overseas trade of his country. At first, he didn't want to get involved in the 30 Years War, but in 1626 he decided to help the Protestant revolts, This resulted in a crippling defeat and in 1629 he was forced to combine powers with the former foes - Sweden. Thanks to this alliance, Christian was able to form peace with the Germans without any teritory loss, but a war with Sweden followed. -
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Maximilian I ruler of Bavaria
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10075b.htm</a>Maximilian was born in 1573 and when he took control over Bavaria, he got the country out of its crippling debt. He was also educated by Jesuits and to counter the spread of Protestanism in his lands, he formed the Catholic League. With the league's army, Maximilian was an active figure in the 30 Years War. In 1623 he became the ruler of Palestine. His dedication to achieve both his religious and political goals prolongued the war. He died in 1651 in Inglostadt. -
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King Louis XIII
SourceLouis XIII came to power after the assassination of his father and his mother ruled as regent until he came of age and even three years after. Thus, he had a hostile relatioship with his mother, because she always tried to overthrow his power and choices by plotting against him. Due to hid chronic ill health, most of the power over the government was transferred to his principal minister Cardinal Richelieu, who he was dependent upon. He died of tuberculosis in 1643. -
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King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
SourceGustavus II was considered one of the most innovative generals to this day and was called "the Lion from the North". His innovations in military aspect included the paper bullet cartridges and developing numerous new tactics. By the age of 16, he was fluent in 8 languages. In 1611 he succeeded to the throne due to his father's death. His involvement in the Thirty Years' War changed the course of European history with victories at Leipzig, Lech, Munich. He died at the Battle of Lutzen in 1632. -
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Ferdinand of Styria as ruler of Bohemia
sourceFerdinand was born in 1578 and studied in a Jesuit College. He was an utmost Catholic from the Austrian Hausburg family and a key figure in the Counter-Reformation. He persecuted Protestant teachers, destroyed sanctuaries, and pressured Proestants to convert. He was elected king of Bohemia and Hungary and became the Holy Roman Emperor. Protestants feared his power and rebelled aginst him, but he ended their revolts with bloodshed and refused to make any compromises. He died in 1637 in Vienna. -
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Bohemian Period
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The Bohemian period is characterized with the revolt of Bohemian Calvinists. They were alarmed by the newly elected king, Ferdinand who later became emperor, because he was a Catholic supporter. The revolt was unucessful and the newly made connections between Maximilian of Bavaria and Ferdinad strenghtened the Catholic power. -
Defenestration of Prague
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Catholic authorities in Bohemia had closed chaples built by Protestants, disobeying the Letter of Majesty. Consecutively, upset Protestants in Prague threw two Catholic members of the Royal Concil of Bohemia out of a window. The councilors suffered only slight injuries, but the act itself started the Calvinist revolt against king Ferdinand. The defenestation is considered the beginning of the Thirty Years War. -
Battle of White Mountain
sourceThe battle was held near Prague on White Mountain, where Protestant troops had decided to position themselves, thinking they won't be attacked on a mountain during winter. They were wrong though because in short time, Catholic forces, led by the commander of the Catholic League, Count von Tilly, attacked and defeated them. The victory greatly lifted Catholics' spirits and confidence and gave them control over Bohemia and its allies. -
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Phillip IV of Spain
SourcePhilip IV succeeded the throne after the death of his father Philip III. When he became king of Spain and Portugal, he made his close friend Olivares his chief minister. Their relationship became strained in 1643 and Olivares was dismissed. During the Thirty Years' War a fight with France broke out in 1635, which ended with the Treaty of the Pyrenees. The Peace of Westphalia ended the war with Sweden and the Netherlands, but Spain could not return to its previous prominence again. -
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Cardinal Richelieu
SourceIn 1622 Richelieu was granted cardinalate by Pope Gregory XV and in August 1624 he became principal minister of King Louis XIII. His policy while being a chief minister involved two main aspects: centralizing the power in France and defeating the Hapsburg dynasty. While he occupied this position, he was not fancied by much of the nobility and even the King himself. He succeeded in holding his place as a chief minister of the Louis XIII until his death, despite multiple plots against him. -
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Danish Period
sourceThe period began when the king of Denmark and duke of Holestein Christian IV, who was a Lutheran, decided to support his fellow Protestants against Ferdinand. However, with help from his powerful allies the Catholic League and Albrecht von Wallenstein, Ferdinand managed to defeat Christian and took control of Holenstein. Christian's lands were returned to him with the Treaty of Lubeck, but he agreed not to step in German affairs anymore, which was again a big Catholic victory. -
Treaty of Lubeck
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A peace treaty that the Protestant King of Denmark Christian made with the Catholic ruler of the Holy Roman Empire Ferdinand. The treaty restort the lands Christian loss after his defeat. It was supposed to prevent him from intefering again, but after he made a coalition with Sweden, he attacked the Germans once again. -
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The Swedish Period
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The Swedish Period begins with the entrance of King Gustavus Adolphus in the Thirty Years War in 1630. He set sail with 13 000 swedes, which were the best army in Europe. In 1631 and 1632 they defeated Tilley. In 1632 Sweden defeated Ferdinand and Phillip IV. The period ends with the defeat of the army at the Battle of Nordlingen in 1634 against the Imperial army, combined with Spain and Italy. -
Battle of Lutzen
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Sweden fought the battle to help its German-Protestant allies against the Imperial army. Albrecht von Wallenstein sent General Pappenheim on a mission outside of Lutzen. Gustavus Adolphus decided that this was the perfect time to attack Wallenstein. Though at first it seemed as though Wallenstein was going to win and Gustavus died, Bernhard took command of the Swedish army and won the Battle of Lutzen. -
Treaty of Prague
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The treaty weakened the German princes and left the Kingdom of Prussia as the only major power in Germany at the time. The treaty included 3 things: the reestablishment of the 1555 Peace of Augsburg, alliances between States of the Empire were prohibited, the states had to enter the Imperial Army. The Treaty of Prague brought the fight between the states to an end and Ferdinand II gained their support. -
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The French Period
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Up to the Peace of Prague, the French did not get that involved in the war, but Sweden could not achieve its goals alone, thus in April 1635 France signed the Treaty of Compaigne with Sweden. With the help of France, the Dutch had 2 naval victories against the Spanish and the Swedes reached Prague. However, by 1643 France still could not achieve any serious victories. -
The Peace of Westphalia
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The treaty ended the Thirty Years' War in Münsten in 1648. 194 states were to sign the treaty, which involved victory for every side involved. The Swiss and Netherlands gained independence from Austria and Spain respectively. The German states gained autonomy and Sweden and France gained territory and money. Protestantism existed side-by-side with Roman Catholicism. -
The Treaty of the Pyranees
SourceThe Treaty of the Pyranees brought to an end the war between France and Spain, which started in 1635, for the lands between the two monarchies. The peace concluded that France gains Flanders and Northern Catalonia. Prince IV of Spain agreed to give the hand of his daughter Maria Teresa to Louis XIV as part of the agreement.
