France was now the chief Western power.

The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe.It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history.. A brief treatment of the Thirty Years’ War follows. It’s easiest to see the war containing several faces and phases. . Ferdinand won after a five-year struggle. Austria combating the rising influence of France, the tenacity of the Dutch Republic, and the stunning military supernova that was Sweden. A battle at the White Mountain, to the west of the city, lasts only an hour before the Protestant army gives way. Before Sweden intervened in the war in 1630, there was the small matter of resolving its long-running struggle with Poland.

The member states of the Holy Roman Empire were granted full sovereignty. You must be certain that you do not confuse these two events. Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of Europe, and, when it ended, the … True enough, the war did swing the way of the French and Swedes, and the exhausted Habsburgs can be considered the ‘losers’ of the conflict. The fighting expanded and by the end of the 1620s, two broad coalitions had crystallized, with the Habsburgs of Spain and Austria combating the rising influence of France, the tenacity of the Dutch Republic, and the stunning military supernova that was Sweden. Yet in their own lands, the Austrian Empire was positioned to become the pearl of the Danube. At least eight million people are believed to have died, while several parts of Germany saw population declines of as much as 50 per cent. History of the Thirty Years' War: Tr. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this site without express and written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Sure enough, barely 18 months after the defenestration, the Bohemian crown was offered to one of the Habsburgs’ worst enemies, , Elector Palatine, perhaps the most important Protestant German ruler at the time. And why did it last so long? (Image source: WikiMedia Commons.). Frederick V’s army was pinned down at the aforementioned, decisive Battle of White Mountain. Spain had lost not only the Netherlands but its dominant position in western Europe. It was like the steel of the Renaissance warrior pooled with the gunpowder mass infantry drills of the 18th century. In actual fact, there’s much more to the conflict than that. ← >Thirty Years’ War Introduction ... Frederick V’s army was pinned down at the aforementioned, decisive Battle of White Mountain. It was like the steel of the Renaissance warrior pooled with the gunpowder mass infantry drills of the 18th century. Diplomacy was a vital part of the Thirty Years War, too. Remaining Protestant support fled toward The Netherlands. Dr. Pursell presents Frederick's choices and alternatives and interprets his words and responses to them.
Bohemian forces were defeated, with many, such as Thurn and Mansfield, fleeing to fight another day. The precise death toll of the Thirty Years War will likely never be known, but the sheer size of the estimates of both military and civilian losses are staggering and wouldn’t be surpassed until the conflicts of the 20th century. While Vienna was under siege, allies in the east took to the offensive. The war originated with dual crises at the continent’s centre: one in the Rhineland and the other in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire.…, The Bohemian problem was resolved swiftly.

(Image source: WikiMedia Commons.). By 1635, in fact, the war could quite possibly have ended, had France not intervened openly against Austria and Spain. Using innovative new infantry tactics, and redefining the use of artillery with light and heavy field pieces, the Swedish King destroyed his Habsburg counterpart. Overall, the struggle was between the Holy Roman Empire, which was Roman Catholic and Habsburg, and a network of Protestant towns and principalities that relied on the chief anti-Catholic powers of Sweden and the United Netherlands, which had at last thrown off the yoke of Spain after a struggle lasting 80 years.