Were the “Wars of Religion” Truly That?
Religion and warfare are two things that have been coupled together for century upon century. The wars fought in Europe from the early 1500s until 1648 that were known as the “Wars of Religion” are hardly the first, nor the last, wars of their kind. Motives for many of the largest and grandest wars in the history of mankind have been linked back to the source of religion and religious struggles. Some of these wars/fighting include: the Crusades of the Middle Ages fought between the Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land, the fighting in Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants that went on for centuries, and even the current conflict between the nations of the West and the Middle East involving the Islamic call to jihad. The “Wars of Religion” that occurred in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries between different sects of Christianity are some of the most infamous wars that have been fought in Western history. But were all of these wars truly motivated by religion and no other outside political or economic factors. When one looks at most of the wars of religion that have occurred, it can be determined that, for the most part, religion is never the leading cause for war, but merely a tool, an excuse, to go to battle and attempt to make political or economic gains for one party over another. And the “Wars of Religion” are no different from most of the other wars fought in the name of religion. Overall, they do not live up to their name for the simple fact that religion was not the prime motivator for those fighting in the wars among the different groups. In order to reach this conclusion one must look at the issues behind the wars and how the wars were fought by those involved. Even in times when one side was claiming that it was fighting for the sake of Christianity, one could look at their actions in the war and see their true motives. If the wars were purely fought in the name of God then... [continues]
Religion and warfare are two things that have been coupled together for century upon century. The wars fought in Europe from the early 1500s until 1648 that were known as the “Wars of Religion” are hardly the first, nor the last, wars of their kind. Motives for many of the largest and grandest wars in the history of mankind have been linked back to the source of religion and religious struggles. Some of these wars/fighting include: the Crusades of the Middle Ages fought between the Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land, the fighting in Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants that went on for centuries, and even the current conflict between the nations of the West and the Middle East involving the Islamic call to jihad. The “Wars of Religion” that occurred in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries between different sects of Christianity are some of the most infamous wars that have been fought in Western history. But were all of these wars truly motivated by religion and no other outside political or economic factors. When one looks at most of the wars of religion that have occurred, it can be determined that, for the most part, religion is never the leading cause for war, but merely a tool, an excuse, to go to battle and attempt to make political or economic gains for one party over another. And the “Wars of Religion” are no different from most of the other wars fought in the name of religion. Overall, they do not live up to their name for the simple fact that religion was not the prime motivator for those fighting in the wars among the different groups. In order to reach this conclusion one must look at the issues behind the wars and how the wars were fought by those involved. Even in times when one side was claiming that it was fighting for the sake of Christianity, one could look at their actions in the war and see their true motives. If the wars were purely fought in the name of God then... [continues]
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(2008, 08). Were the "Wars of Religion" Trult That?. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 08, 2008, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Were-Wars-Religion-Trult-That-159012.html
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