The Thirty Year War: Europe's Lengthiest Struggle

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30 Year war The 30 Year war was a series of multiple battles and wars that lasted in central europe that lasted from 1618 to 1648. It was the longest and most destructive war in European History. Initially there were battles between the protestant and catholic states in the fragmenting Roman Empire it later developed into more larger conflicts involving most of the great powers including the great powers of Europe.

The war really began when the Roman Empire tried to impose unreligious aacs on its domains. The northern Protestant states were angered by the violation of their rights. They all banded together to form the League of Evangelical Union. The Empire soon crushed this perceived rebellion, but people around the Protestant …show more content…

The war also made most of the combatant powers go completely bankrupt. Both mercenaries and soldiers in fighting armies were supposed to fund themselves by looting victories or extorting tribute, which made it harder on the inhabitants of occupied territories.

The Peace of Westphalia treaty of 1648 was what ended the Thirty Years' War. Sweden was able to acquire the western Pomerania while Eastern Pomerania was assigned to Brandenburg. France gained a small portion of territory from Alsace. The treaty helped to formally recognized the independence of the Dutch Republic and Switzerland it also granted the German states the right to make treaties and alliances with other powers, by having this happen it further weakened the authority of the Roman emperor In its religious affairs, the Peace of Westphalia also expanded the Peace of Augsburg in order to include Calvinists, as well as Catholics and Lutherans. The Peace of Westphalia put a halt for the Roman emperor's hope of restoring both his own power and the Catholic faith throughout his empire. The empire was now separated into a number of virtually independent states. The end of the Thirty Years' War left Habsburg Spain in a mess of destruction and was completely isolated. Although the French war against Spain continued until 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees helped to award France part of the Spanish Netherlands and some extra territory in northern

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