When was the 30 year war in europe

Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein — Ferdinand II — See all related overviews in Oxford Reference ». A series of conflicts, fought mainly in Germany, in which Protestant—Catholic rivalries and German constitutional issues were gradually subsumed in a European struggle.

By Ferdinand had emerged victorious in the Bohemian revolt, and with Spanish and Bavarian help had conquered the Palatinate of Frederick V. But his German ambitions and his Spanish alliance aroused the apprehensions of Europe's Protestant nations and also of France. Sweden's entry into the war under Gustavus II Adolphus led to imperial reversals. Economic interests. During the war, divided by historians in four phases, a multitude of actors fought, including states like France, Denmark, Austria and Sweden.

After three decades, the Westphalian peace treaties put an end to the ongoing armed clashes. For the first time, there was diplomatic cooperation between almost all European states in the negotiations. The new peace treaty that emerged from these negotiations formally established for the first time principles i. The current of Enlightenment thinking, which they co-founded, was not only to mould Europe in the following period, but also found a strong echo in other parts of the world.

This was a realisation that was also pivotal for the increasing European integration process after the Second World War. While the th anniversary of the outbreak of the Thirty Years War was lost to the turmoil of the First World War, over the course of the last century fundamental changes have taken place.

With the great exception of the Yugoslav Wars, since there have been no major inter-state conflicts on the European continent. Using military assistance of Bohemian nobleman Albrecht von Wallenstein, who provided his army of an estimated 50, soldiers to Ferdinand II in exchange for the freedom to plunder any captured territory, began to respond and, by , the Swedes were vanquished.

With religious and political tensions in the latter regions remaining high, fighting continued. The French, though Catholic, were rivals of the Habsburgs and were unhappy with the provisions of the Peace of Prague. Thus, the French entered the conflict in However, at least initially, their armies were unable to make inroads against the forces of Ferdinand II, even after he died of old age in However, the French recovered, and fighting between the French-Protestant alliance and the forces of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire were at a stalemate for the next several years.

In , the Portuguese began to revolt against their Spanish rulers, thereby weakening their military efforts on behalf of the Holy Roman Empire. Two years later, the Swedes re-entered the fray, further weakening Habsburg forces. The next year, , was pivotal in the decades-long conflict. That year, Denmark-Norway took up arms again, this time fighting on the side of the Habsburgs and the Holy Roman Empire. Over the ensuing years, the French army had several notable victories, but also suffered significant defeats, particularly at the Battle of Herbsthausen in Also in , the Swedes attacked Vienna, but were unable to capture the city from the Holy Roman Empire.

In , the Habsburg forces led by Octavio Piccolomini were able to repel the Swedes and the French from what is now Austria. Although he was killed in action, his armies successfully defeated their enemies and gave birth to the Swedish Empire after proving their ability in combat. The new European power would last for a hundred years before being overwhelmed by numerous enemies in the Great Northern War.

The king of Sweden, Gustav II Adolph, had been well informed of the war between the Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire for some time, but his hands were tied because of the constant enmity of Poland. The Polish royal family, the primary branch of the House of Vasa, had once claimed the throne of Sweden.

Lutheranism was the primary religion of Sweden, and had by then established a firm grip on the country, but it was not solely the result of religious sentiment that Sweden converted. Notably, one of the reasons that Sweden had so readily embraced it was because converting to Lutheranism allowed the crown to seize all the lands in Sweden that were possessed by the Roman Catholic Church.

As a result of this seizure and the money that the crown gained, the crown was greatly empowered. During this time, and while Sweden was under a truce with Poland, Gustav established a military system that was to become the envy of Europe. He drew up a new military code.

The military reforms—among which tight discipline was one of the prevailing principles—brought the Swedish military to the highest levels of military readiness and were to become the standard that European states would strive for. The severity of discipline was not the only change that took place in the army. Soldiers were to be rewarded for meritorious service. Soldiers who had displayed courage and distinguished themselves in the line of duty were paid generously, in addition to being given pensions.

The corp of engineers were the most modern of their age, and in the campaigns in Germany the population repeatedly expressed surprise at the extensive nature of the entrenchment and the elaborate nature of the equipment. From to , Swedish-led armies drove the Catholic forces back, regaining much of the lost Protestant territory.

During the campaign, Sweden managed to conquer half of the imperial kingdoms, making it the continental leader of Protestantism until the Swedish Empire ended in After dismissing Wallenstein in , from fear he was planning a revolt, Ferdinand II became dependent on the Catholic League. Gustavus Adolphus allied with France and Bavaria. A year later, they met again in another Protestant victory, this time accompanied by the death of Tilly. Gustavus Adolphus knew that Wallenstein was waiting for the attack and was prepared, but found no other option.

Ferdinand II may have feared that Wallenstein would switch sides, and arranged for his arrest after removing him from command. By the spring of , all Swedish resistance in the south of Germany had ended. After that, the imperialist and the Protestant German sides met for negotiations, producing the Peace of Prague , which entailed a delay in the enforcement of the Edict of Restitution for forty years and allowed Protestant rulers to retain secularized bishoprics held by them in This protected the Lutheran rulers of northeastern Germany, but not those of the south and west.

Initially after the Peace of Prague, the Swedish armies were pushed back by the reinforced imperial army north into Germany.

The treaty also provided for the union of the army of the emperor and the armies of the German states into a single army of the Holy Roman Empire. Finally, German princes were forbidden from establishing alliances amongst themselves or with foreign powers, and amnesty was granted to any ruler who had taken up arms against the emperor after the arrival of the Swedes in This treaty failed to satisfy France, however, because of the renewed strength it granted the Habsburgs.

Sweden did not take part in the Peace of Prague, and it joined with France in continuing the war. France aligned its strategy with the allied Swedes in Wismar and Hamburg Early French military efforts were met with disaster, and the Spanish counter-attacked, invading French territory.

Then, the tide began to turn for the French. The Spanish army was repulsed by Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. Then widespread fighting ensued until , with neither side gaining an advantage.

However, the war reached a climax and the tide of the war turned clearly toward France and against Spain in , starting with the siege and capture of the fort at Arras.

The French conquered Arras from the Spanish following a siege that lasted from June 16 to August 9, When Arras fell, the way was opened for the French to take all of Flanders.

The ensuing French campaign against the Spanish forces in Flanders culminated with a decisive French victory at Rocroi in May The two army groups moved south in the spring of , re-establishing alliances on the way, including a revitalized one with Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel. The two Swedish armies combined and confronted the imperialists at the Battle of Wittstock.

Despite the odds being stacked against them, the Swedish army won. After the battle of Wittstock, the Swedish army regained the initiative in the German campaign.