The Thirty Years War

286 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Treaty of westphalia

The Thirty Years War is an international conflict that began as a religious civil war and later became a fight for the balance of power between Catholics, Protestants, and the nations of Sweden, France, Spain, Denmark, and the Holy Roman Empire (particularly the Habsburgs) in 1618 to 1648. The war concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia, newfound Swedish control of the Baltic, France’s recognition as the foremost Western power, and the Holy Roman emperor’s loss of power (“Thirty Years' War (1618–1648)”). During this time, the common ‘little wars’ of the past became of a grander scale, or a total war. As such, more men were required on the battlefield and the sizes of armies grew, leading to two innovations that solved two obstacles.

Show More
Related

  • Protestant Reformation Dbq Essay

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    The period 1550 to 1660 was a period of extreme dislocation and major change, within which saw periods boom and bust in various regions across Europe. This was followed by a much quieter period in the later 17th century that most economic historians would call recessionary. Along with the religious consequences of the Reformation and Counter Reformation came deep and lasting political changes. Northern Europe’s new religious and political freedoms came at a great cost, with decades of rebellions, wars and bloody

    Read More

  • The Events and Impact of the Seven Years War

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Seven Years War was best known to those in American history as the French and Indian war. In reality, the war was much larger in scope and devastation in relation to the simple name given to it. Lasting from 1756-1763, the Seven Years War involved much of the imperial powers of that time: Prussia, England, and Portugal on one side with France, Spain, and Austria on the other. Spurred by competition for land and territory, the war implicated the two world powers, Britain and France, in a fateful battle for dominance. The period also saw the rise of important figures such as George Washington and Benedict Arnold that would later be instrumental in the American Revolution. Yet the significance of this war was that it set up the stage for events like the French and American Revolutions, and rearranged a new world order of imperialism.

    Read More

  • The Seven-Years War

    2366 Words  | 5 Pages

    The word "privateer" conjures a romantic image in the minds of most Americans. Tales of battle and bounty pervade the folklore of privateering, which has become a cherished, if often overlooked part of our shared heritage. Legends were forged during the battle for American independence, and these men were understandably glorified as part of the formation of our national identity. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of these men were common opportunists, if noteworthy naval warriors. The profit motive was the driving force behind almost all of their expeditions, and a successful privateer could easily become quite wealthy. In times of peace, these men would be common pirates, pariahs of the maritime community. Commissioned in times of war, they were respected entrepreneurs, serving their purses and their country, if only incidentally the latter. However vulgar their motivation, the system of privateering arose because it provided a valuable service to thecountry, and indeed the American Revolution might not have been won without their involvement. Many scholars agree that all war begins for economic reasons, and the privateers of the war for independence contributed by attacking the commercial livelihood of Great Britain's merchants.

    Read More

  • The First World War

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sister Claire Evelyn Trestrail was the eldest of five being born on the 10th of December, 1877 in Clare, South Australia. Trestrail served in the First World War as a nurse following in her mother’s footsteps who was a trained nurse, Acting Matron of King Edward Hospital in Perth and also had involvement within the Red Cross and the Saint John’s Ambulance Services. Trestrail’s younger siblings also had involvement within the First World War with her two younger brothers; John Henry and Amarald Glen, serving in the royal Flying Corps and respectively, 1 Machine Battalion. Amarald was also presented with a Military Medal for Gallantry at Villaret. Sister Ella also served as a nurse, got married, but tragically returned as an amputee. It was only her youngest sister Amy who did not serve during the war.

    Read More

  • The Splendid Little War

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    February 15th, 1898, all is quiet in Havana Harbor. The crew of the USS Maine is sound asleep less a few solitary watchmen. The brackish sea air and the calm ocean breeze are soothing and peaceful. This would hardly suggest the terror about to erupt on this “peaceful” visit to the Spanish-controlled Cuban harbor. At 9:45PM, a violent explosion rips the Maine apart sending it plummeting down to the muddy sea floor and killing nearly all of her crew. All of the Spanish boats in the harbor rushed to the aid of the American vessel and its survivors: the commander, Captain Charles D. Sigsbee, and a few lucky crewmembers. Even though Captain Sigsbee, a favorite of the Naval Department, urged President McKinley not to react in an aggressive manner toward Spain, the media, namely New York newspaper editors Pulitzer and Hearst, already inflating current issues relating to the Cuban revolution, spin the incident out of control. The American public goes mad with suspicion of Spanish fowl play and the sinking of the USS Maine serves as the immediate catalyst to the Spanish-American war.

    Read More

  • Revolt and Anarchy in Seventeenth Century Europe

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beginning very early in the seventeenth century, religious tension was rampant throughout Europe. An example that illustrates the disastrous effects of religious conflicts in Europe that caused a tremendous amount of violence can be seen in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1618, Ferdinand Habsburg a devout Catholic succeeded the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, and set out to unify the empire under the Catholic faith. However, this mission of Ferdinand Habsburg was not accepted by Protestant citizens, which essentially led to the violence to come. In May 1618, a group of Protestant nobles killed two of the king’s catholic officials, which created the spark for Protestants all throughout the Empire to revolt. Instances of religious revolts were reported in Hungary and Bohemia, ultimately creating an exponential effect, and a reason for Protestants to unite and revolt to preserve their faith. This particular historical event later was termed the Defenestration of Prague. However, the violence did not stop there; in fact the violence only multiplied. Religious conflicts continued to occur in Bohemia in the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 in which Frederick V a Calvinist, lost to Fer...

    Read More

  • The Second War for Independence

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of Thomas Jefferson's presidency, Britain has continually pushed the Jefferson administration to the limit. Britain's opinion of Americans has always been as being an inferior British colony, even though they won the revolution. Britain overstepped the boundaries and took advantage of the Americans once again and it was inevitable that the Americans would have to retaliate. They retaliated against the British colonies, in Upper and Lower Canada in the War of 1812. Americans view the War of 1812 as the second war for independence because of British threats on American sovereignty, prevailing attitudes of American congressman and the natives.

    Read More

  • England In 1580

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1580’s resounded with rumors of a war between England and Spain. Under Queen Elizabeth I, England had managed to postpone it for several years, but as things came to a head in the Netherlands in 1588, war brewed. Spain’s King Phillip II had long desired England, even proposing to Elizabeth in an attempt to gain the English throne. As a very strong Catholic, King Phillip, as well as the rest of Spain, viewed Protestant England as a rebellious country, denying their faith. Backed by the Papacy, he decided to stage an invasion of England, and return a Catholic leader to its throne. England’s recent involvement in the Dutch rebellion gave him a perfect excuse for doing so. The coming war would display Spain’s power but mismanagement, exhibit England’s planning and technical advantage, and usher England into a new role as a world superpower.

    Read More

  • the seven years war

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Plutot mourir que faillir"("Rather dying than failing")and “UBIQUE! QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT" “Everywhere! Where Right and Glory Lead.” The Seven Years war, or the French and Indian war to Americans, was arguably the first true world. The Seven years war was a worldwide war fought in Europe, North America, and India between. It was France, Austria, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and (after 1762) Spain on the one side and Prussia, Great Britain, and Hanover on the other (the Americans where there only for the North American theater).This conflict was the result of the ongoing hostilities and the struggle of supremacy between France and Great Britain. In 1754, in North America, George Washington was defeated at Fort Necessity in western Pennsylvania. From that moment on, both France and Great Britain dispatched troops, although not in equal numbers. For France, the war in Europe was the top priority, so the country sent just a few troops. It also considered it was more important to protect its colonies in the West Indies, since sugar cane was more lucrative than the fur trade in New France (Canada). Great Britain on the other hand was determined to destroy France's colonial empire, and it sent more than 20,000 soldiers to America. It must also be noted that American colonists were unable to defend themselves against their Canadian counterparts, who, with the help the Native Americans excelled in the art of the guerilla warfare. For New England, it was imperative to obliterate New France and its Native allies, which were preventing the States from acquiring and occupying new land (New England had a very large population and sought new land to occupy and farm.) France waste no time in the war and attacked the British held island of Minorca. This island ended up in the hands of the French. Although France did well in the war until 1757, the tide proceeded to turn, in favor of the British troops, after William Pitt became Sec. of state for war. The British won several victories right including the battle on the Plains of Abraham in 1759, when James Wolfe defeated the army of Montcalm. Things were far from over, however, because the final result depended on whether France was victorious or defeated. In the end, France was defeated on all fronts (West Indies, the subcontinent of India, Europe and America). The Treaty of Paris, signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain on February 10, 1763, ended the Seven Years' War and its American counterpart, the French and Indian War (1754-1763).

    Read More

  • The Peace Of Augsburg, By Charles V, Emperor Of The Holy Roman Empire

    1863 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...won the war, was forced to spend about 38 million livres by the end of the war which led to extraordinary tax hikes. These tax hikes, which were common to all European nations involved in the war, would lead to a rising ideology of absolutism that would grip Europe for little less than a hundred years. This rise in absolutism was followed by a change of power within Europe. Spain, once a dominant European power, had been toppled; and “Austria, which had begun the period as the wonder of the age, was reduced to being just one German state among many.” (Davies). Religion and politics, which previously went hand and hand, had been permanently severed. No longer did a pope control the way Europe was allowed to think. Post-war Europe was radically different from its pre-war counterpart, and its ramifications would ultimately change the course of European history forever.

    Read More

  • The Hundred Years War

    2098 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many years later Isabella, the wife of King Edward II of England, plotted to kill

    Read More

  • The First World War (WWI)

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.

    Read More

  • The First World War As The Result of Anglo-German Rivalry

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    The First World War As The Result of Anglo-German Rivalry When Bismarck resigned in 1890, and Kaiser Wilhelm II took over, rivalry was increased between Britain and Germany. This was largely due to Wilhelm II's more aggressive foreign policy, and desire to build up the German Navy, which threatened Britain. This provided the basis for long-term problems, which led to World War 1, however there were many other causes. For example the alliances, the Schleiffen plan, The Eastern Question, German Aggression, the two Moroccan Crises and Sarajevo, which were all, factors in World War 1's outbreak in 1914. The origin of Anglo-German rivalry lies in the substantial differences in the foreign policies of Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm II.

    Read More

  • The Hundred years war

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Hundred Years War was the last great medieval war. It was a war not just between Kings, but lesser nobles were also able to pursue their own personal agendas while participating in the larger conflict. Future wars saw far less factionalism, at least on the scale found in medieval conflicts. The Hundred Years War was actually dozens of little wars and hundreds of battles and sieges that went on for over a century until both sides were exhausted. While neither side won in any real sense, the end result was that while there were two kingdoms at the beginning of the war, there were two nations at the end of it.

    Read More

  • Thirty Years War Essay

    1724 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Thirty Years War was a series of conflicts, not-knowingly involving most European countries from 1618 to 1648. The war, which was fought mainly in Germany, was started when Bohemian Protestants furiously attacked the Holy Roman Emperor in terms to impose a restriction on their religious and civil liberties. By understanding the Thirty Years War, you will notice the notable religious, political and social changes. The changes paved the religious and political maps of Europe. Not only did this war affect the religious and political demographic, it caused populations to perish and lose large amounts of their goods. What was known as a religious battle, turned out to be a political feud in competition of which state has the greater power affecting men, women, soldiers and civilians. “[The bohemians] had no idea that their violent deed would set off a chain reaction of armed conflict that would last thirty years and later be called Europe’s “first world war” of the modern era.” When the war ended, the lands were defiled and over 5 million people were killed.

    Read More

More about The Thirty Years War

Open Document