The Thirty Years' War

The deep connection between Church and State gave way to one of the bloodiest wars Europe has ever seen prior to the twentieth century. In this class, the series comes to a climax with a discussion on the Thirty Years’ War.

Persecution of both Protestants and Catholics by the opposing party had been a common occurrence well before the Thirty Years’ War. It seems that the only thing most Protestants and Catholics could agree on was the “heresy” of the Anabaptist. The Peace of Augsburg allowed temporary relief from the battles between Protestants and Catholics; however, this peace would not last.

The Peace of Augsburg stipulated that rulers would have the freedom to determine the religion of their region. Allowing rulers to have religious say of their region, however, did not go over well with the populace. Both Catholic and Protestant rulers would often persecute, kill, or exile their subjects if they did not adhere to their religious views. Peasants would often revolt against rulers, until finally a revolt in Bohemia gave way to a religious war that would last for thirty years.