Thirty Years War
Discuss the results of the sacking of Magdeburg.
The city was devastated, and that spurred German Protestants to new levels of action. The propaganda (songs, stories, reports, etc.) that arose afterward glorified and intensified the battle. This turned the event into a rallying cry for the Protestant cause going forward.
Discuss the religious dynamics that contributed to the outbreak of the 30 Years War.
There were preexisting tensions between Catholics and Protestants within the empire. When the extremely Catholic son of Charles V, Ferdinand II of the Habsburg dynasty, was in a position to inherit the empire, -- the Holy Roman Emperor was chosen by a group of lectors from the various constituent states -- the king of the Protestant state of Bohemia objected to his election in the name of the Calvinist center states.
Peace of Westphalia
Treaty that ended the Thirty Years War, negotiated by France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, the Holy Roman Emperor (Ferdinand III) and princes of the various German states.
Discuss the terms/consequences of the Peace of Westphalia.
- All major participants in the treaty are recognized as sovereign states (i.e. they are granted some specific rights, though they remain territories of the empire) except Germany (Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, etc.), which is kept as a half-sovereign state. This is because (possibly!) the other powers wanted a soft center in Europe. - All participants agreed to freeze their confessional boundaries as they were at the time of the treaty (i.e. undo the Peace of Augsburg), which would largely prevent future confessional wars of this kind. - Tooze argues that these changes allowed for the civilization of warfare, by making war a secular, political affair that demanded adherence to a certain code of ethics, rather than a religious affair that allowed for moral capitulations in the name of a holy cause.
When did the 30 Years War begin?
1618
When did negotiation of the Peace of Westphalia begin?
1645
Cardinal Richelieu
A French cardinal under Louis XIV. Though France was a Catholic country, he feared the consolidation of Habsburg power, and therefore allied France with the Protestants in the late stages of the war. The entrance of France into the conflict caused the war to drag on for another several years after the Peace of Prague.
Peace of Prague
A provisional peace that the powers engaged in the Thirty Years War had reached in 1635, which was destroyed by the entrance of France into the conflict.
Defenestration of Prague
After the King of Bohemia resisted the election of Ferdinand II to the role of Holy Roman Emperor, two diplomats from the house of Habsburg were sent to Bohemia in an attempt to persuade Calvinist leaders in the area to accept the Catholic rule. These diplomats were pushed out a window. This led to a battle in Prague, which the Protestants lost, and a subsequent spreading of the conflict to other Protestant parts of the empire.
Peace of Augsburg
Declared in 1555 by Charles V as a solution to Catholic/Lutheran conflict in the Holy Roman Empire. Rulers of individuals states are allowed to determine the religion of their region.
What is Medick's central argument about the Sack of Magdeburg?
Magdeburg was a media event; dissemination of the information led to a rise in the importance of the media.
When was the Peace of Westphalia signed?
May 1648 - October 1648
On what day did the Defenestration of Prague occur?
May 23, 1618
Sack of Magdeburg
November 1630 to May 20, 1631. Protestants attacked; only 400 people left alive in the city. Swedish forces were supposed to intercede to help the Protestants, but weren't able to get there in time. Became part of a huge, pervasive Protestant propaganda campaign.
Name the two cities in which the Peace of Westphalia was negotiated.
Osnabruck and Munster
Ferdinand II
Son of Charles V, of the Habsburg dynasty. Poised to become Holy Roman Emperor around 1618, but was a controversial candidate because of his ardent support of the Catholic cause. Ruled as emperor through most of the 30 Years War.
Ferdinand III
Son of Ferdinand II. Became Holy Roman Emperor near the end of the 30 Years War. Granted the leaders of individual states the right to conduct their own foreign policy, which eventually contributed to the decline of the emperor's power.
Gustavus Adolphus
Swedish leader who landed on the coast of Pomerania in June 1630, when the Protestant cause was in dire straits. He led the Protestants to a decisive victory at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) and proceded to help them fight their way south.
