22 - The Defenestration of Prague and the Thirty Years' War

Key Concept: The Habsburgs failed to restore religious unity in Europe before the Thirty Years' War.

This was a strong reason why the Thirty Years' War occurred.

Reasons why Lutheran Imperial nobles supported the Catholics during the Bohemian Phase

1. The Lutherans were already legitimate, but the Calvinists were not. Thus, Lutherans viewed Calvinists as a bigger enemy than Catholics. 2. Lutherans rightly expected the Catholics to win.

Dates to know thus far in Western Civ/AP Euro:

1453 (Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire and the End of the Hundred Years' War), 1478 (Pazzi Conspiracy), 1492 (Columbus), 1517 (The Ninety-Five Theses), 1524-5 (The Peasants' Revolt), 1529 (The Marburg Colloquy), 1555 (The Peace of Augsburg) 1588 (Spanish Armada), 1618 (Defenestration of Prague, 1648 (Peace of Westphalia)

Defenestration of Prague

1618 event, in which Bohemian Calvinist nobles threw a handful of Ferdinand II's Catholic nobles out of a window, into a pile of dung. It kicked off the Thirty Years' War.

Bohemian Phase of the Thirty Years' War

1618-1625 phase of the Thirty Years' War in which the Imperial forces, which included some Lutherans but were mostly Catholics, defeated the Bohemian Calvinists altogether. Tilly was the Catholic general.

Danish Phase of the Thirty Years' War

1625-1629 phase of the Thirty Years' War. Lutherans everywhere rightly expected Ferdinand II to turn on the Lutherans of the Empire. Consequently, Lutheran monarch, and landholder of Schleswig-Holstein, which was in the Empire, Christian IV of Denmark, attacked the Empire to defend his Lutheran brethren and his lands. He lost badly to Wallenstein and Tilly.

Ferdinand II

In 1618, he was the senior Habsburg heir and was presumed to be the next Holy Roman Emperor. He was king of Bohemia, and would soon be elevated to Emperor of Austria, and would stand for election. Additionally, he was inflexibly Catholic.

Wallenstein

Mercenary general under Imperial employment, who fought during the Danish and Swedish phases of the Thirty Years' War.