Thirty Years’ War

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Thirty Years’ War

Q: When did the Thirty Years' War begin?

Though the struggles of the Thirty Years War erupted some years earlier, the war is conventionally held to have begun in 1618, when the future Holy Roman emperor Ferdinand II attempted to impose Roman Catholic absolutism on his domains, and the Protestant nobles of both Bohemia and Austria rose up in rebellion.

Q: What was the Thirty Years’ War?

The Thirty Years’ War was a series of wars fought by various nations for various reasons, including religious, dynastic, territorial, and commercial rivalries. Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of Europe, and, when it ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the map of Europe had been irrevocably changed.

Q: Who was the Holy Roman Emperor during the first half of the Thirty Years' War?

Ferdinand II , the Holy Roman emperor (1619–37) and the king of Bohemia, was the leading champion of the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation and absolutist rule during the Thirty Year's War.

Q: What treaty ended the Thirty Years' War?

The Thirty Years' War ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, which changed the map of Europe irrevocably. The peace was negotiated, from 1644, in the Westphalian towns of Münster and Osnabrück. The Spanish-Dutch treaty was signed on January 30, 1648. The treaty of October 24, 1648, comprehended the Holy Roman emperor Ferdinand III, the other German princes, France, and Sweden. Some scholars of international relations credit the treaties with providing the foundation of the modern state system and articulating the concept of territorial sovereignty.

Q: What led to the end of Denmark as a European power?

Near the beginning of the Thirty Years' War in 1625, King Christian IV of Denmark saw an opportunity to gain valuable territory in Germany to balance his earlier loss of Baltic provinces to Sweden. But Christian was defeated, and the Peace of Lübeck in 1629 finished Denmark as a European power.

European history

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 19, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Date:: 1618 - 1648

Participants:: Austria; Denmark; Dutch Republic; France; Holy Roman Empire; Poland; Protestant Union; Russia; Spain; Sweden

Major Events:: Battle of Breitenfeld; Battle of Nördlingen; Battle of Rocroi; Battle of White Mountain; Battle of Dessau

Key People:: Christian IV; Gustavus Adolphus; Axel, Count Oxenstierna; Cardinal Richelieu; Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne

On the Web:: Academia - Was the Thirty Years' War a war of religion? (PDF) (Dec. 19, 2024)

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When did the Thirty Years' War begin?

What was the Thirty Years’ War?

Who was the Holy Roman Emperor during the first half of the Thirty Years' War?

What treaty ended the Thirty Years' War?

What led to the end of Denmark as a European power?

Thirty Years’ War, (1618–48), in European history, a series of wars fought by various nations for various reasons, including religious, dynastic, territorial, and commercial rivalries. Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of Europe, and, when it ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the map of Europe had been irrevocably changed. A brief treatment of the Thirty Years’ War follows. For full treatment, see Europe, history of: The Thirty Years’ War. Although the struggles that created it erupted some years earlier, the war is conventionally held to have begun in 1618, when the future Holy Roman emperor ...(100 of 579 words)

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