30 Years War

The four stages of the Thirty Years' War, which was fought mostly in the Holy Roman Empire (modern Germany), involved nearly all of the major powers of Europe, and was a war that used religion as a cover-up for politics. The war caused the demise of the Holy Roman Empire, and the rise of France as the new power in Europe. During the war new technologies also were used. The Thirty Year's War was ended by the peace of Westphalia in 1648. Before the war, the Holy Roman Empire already began to have its struggles. In 1555, the Peace of Augsburg was recognized. It stated that the individual prince of the Holy Roman Empire could determine the religion of his subjects. The Peace of Augsburg was unraveling as some converted bishops had not given up their bishoprics, and as certain Catholic rulers in Spain and Eastern Europe sought to restore the power of Catholicism in the region the Lutherans to form the Protestant Union in 1608 . The members of the union were the main supporters of the Protestant side of the war. The Catholics then responded with forming their own union called the Catholic League. Since Spain was under control of the Hapsburgs, Spain was the major supporter of the Catholics of the Holy Roman Empire. The nations that represented each group were the participators of the war. The Thirty Years war used the different religions and views of the Catholic League and the Protestant Union as a cover-up for political reasons . Turmoil finally began when Ferdinand of Styria became ruler of Bohemian. Since Ferdinand was a catholic and Bohemia was Protestant, Ferdinand wanted to convert Bohemia to Catholicism. Ferdinand sent to officials to a castle in Prague, where some Protestants threw them out of a window. The two men survived. This was known as the Defenestration of Prague, and it started the Thirty Years War . The first stage of the Thirty Year's War was known as the Bohemian Phase, which lasted from 1615-1625. The Bohemian period was