Thirty Years War Changes

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The Thirty Years War was fought mainly upon the precepts of religious tensions and disagreements. There were however, significant political changes throughout Europe that were initiated by the war. For the most part, however, these changes were not seen until the conclusion of the Thirty Years War in 1648. There were other consequence seen throughout Europe such as a weakened economy, population decline, and property damage. The major players in the Thirty Years War were the geographic areas of present day Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, and Denmark. The area now known as Germany was at the time ruled by the Holy Roman Empire. In this geographic region, many municipalities, kingdoms, duchies, and ecclesiastical territories and cities…show more content…
This sparked a conflict with German Protestant princes who wanted religious sovereignty. In 1618, in an act known as the Defenestration of Prague, these said princes threw two members of the Emperor’s imperial counsel out of a window. Defenestration literally means the act of being thrown out a window. This incident was an act of protest against the newly elected king and future emperor Ferdinand II. The event sparked open revolts in Bohemia, which eventually gave way to war. The conflict soon escalated to an International, European-wide struggle over the control of German and Spanish lands. The Danes, Swedes, and French successively entered the conflict. For the next thirty years until 1648, the continent of Europe would be consumed by constant warfare (both declared and undeclared wars) collectively constituting what is formally know as the Thirty Years War. The war can be broken down into four major phases; The Bohemia revolt, the Danish intervention, Swedish intervention and French intervention. The Bohemian revolt is briefly described above, but it is important to understand the historical circumstances leading up to and causing the religious and political structure of the HRE at the…show more content…
This king was able to single handedly wage war and make laws. A practice of absolutism common among most European nations was the maintaining of standing armies. These armies were not only used for international disputes, but could be used to ensure domestic order and carry out royal policy. As the 17th Century progressed, and warfare drudgingly continued, military advances were made. Technological advances in guns increased casualty rates, which provoked a need for more military organization and skill. As a result, the size of standing armies increased, and drill sergeants were employed to educate the soldiers on tactics and maneuvers. Standing armies thus became a main crutch for absolutist
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