Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the Central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. It occurred for a number of reasons. Although it was from its outset a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics, the self-preservation of the Habsburg dynasty was also a central motive.

Political consequences

An immediate result of the war, however, was the enshrinement of a Germany divided among many territories, all of which, despite their continuing membership of the Empire up to its formal dissolution in 1806, had de facto sovereignty. It has been speculated that this weakness was a long-term underlying cause of later German militarism.

Related Topics:
1806 - Militarism

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The Thirty Years' War rearranged the previous structure of power. The conflict made Spain's military and political decline visible on the European stage. While Spain was preoccupied with fighting in France, Portugal – which had been under Spanish control for 60 years – declared itself independent in 1640. The House of Braganza became the new dynasty of Portugal, beginning with King John IV. Meanwhile, Spain was finally forced to accept the independence of the Dutch Republic in 1648, ending the Eighty Years' War. With Spain weakening and Germany fractured and bled dry, France was now seen as the dominant power of Europe.

Related Topics:
1640 - House of Braganza - John IV - Dutch Republic - Eighty Years' War

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From 1643-45, during the last years of the Thirty Years' War, Sweden and Denmark fought in the Torstenson War. The outcome of that conflict and the conclusion of the great European war at the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 helped establish post-war Sweden as a new force in Europe.

Related Topics:
Torstenson War - Treaty of Westphalia - 1648

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The edicts agreed upon during the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia were instrumental in laying the foundations for what are even today considered the basic tenets of the sovereign nation-state. Aside from establishing fixed territorial boundaries for many of the countries involved in the ordeal (as well as for the newer ones created afterwards), the Peace of Westphalia changed the relationship of subjects to their rulers. In earlier times, people had tended to have overlapping political and religious loyalties. Now, it was agreed that the citizenry of a respective nation were subjected first and foremost to the laws and whims of their own respective government rather than to those of neighboring powers, be they religious or secular.

Related Topics:
Treaty of Westphalia - Sovereign

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The war had a few other, more subtle consequences:

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• Religious wars were definitely a thing of the past in Europe after 1648. There were still religious conflicts, but no more full-scale war.
• The destruction caused by mercenary soldiers defied description. The war did much to end the age of mercenaries that had begun with the first landsknechts, and ushered in the age of well-disciplined national armies.