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2.4 Wars of Religion

7 min readjanuary 5, 2023

Minna Chow

Minna Chow

Sharii Liang

Sharii Liang

Minna Chow

Minna Chow

Sharii Liang

Sharii Liang

In this guide, we'll give a brief overview of some of the major religious conflicts of the age.

The key idea is that matters of religion influenced and were influenced by political factors. These religious conflicts often had political interests; political conflicts often mixed religion into them.

An example of this is how the religious changes sweeping Europe interacted with the existing political tension between the noblitiy and the monarchy. For years, nobility and monarchies did their best to limit the other’s power. With the rise of religious reforms, many nobles switched to Protestant sects while many monarchies remained devout Catholics. (This was the case in France.) In some countries (read: England) the monarch became Protestant (Anglican) while a large group of nobles remained Catholic.

Let's go by region as we discuss the Wars of Religion.

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Martin Luther and Reformation

German Religious Conflicts

The two major religious conflicts you need to know in the area that's roughly modern-day Germany are the and the . The most important thing about the is the that concluded them.

German Peasants' War (1524–25) 

In Germany, ’s ideas influenced German peasants to revolt (German Peasants’ War). Hundreds of thousands of peasants rose up against their land owners to fight for social equality and religious/economic freedom. The violence of these peasants horrified Luther, and he actually supported the aristocrats in putting down the revolt through any means necessary.

Schmalkaldic Wars (1546-47) and the Peace of Augsburg (1555)

In the (which was neither Holy, nor Roman), the rulers were faced with two problems: an expanding on the East and the rise of Protestantism in the West. In the West, would confront about his at the , but it was much too late. Luther’s ideas had spread, and there was nothing could do about it.

The Habsburg rulers were the largest, most influential family in Europe. You could find them in practically every royal family. They were the rulers of the and devout Catholics. When the German states and the princes under them converted to Protestantism (forming a group known as the ), (current ruler of the HRE) fought them in the before coming to a resolution known as the (1555) . From then on, German princes could choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism only (no Calvinism!)

The Peace of Augsburg

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FPeace-of-augsburg_1555.jpg?alt=media&token=c473fcd8-ddfc-4f3a-9c19-32287869ba45

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

French Religious Conflicts

The major conflict here is the .

French Wars of Religion (1562 - 1598)

In France, Catholics fought against the Huguenots (another term for French Calvinists). This tension was even prominent in the aristocracy and monarchy. Protestant nobles struggled with a Catholic monarchy, and this discourse rippled down to the lower levels of society before culminating into the St. Bartholomew Day’s Massacre (1572), a major religious massacre that exacerbated the conflict.

The French Wars of Religion would eventually result in the War of the Three Henrys. One of those three Henrys, , became . Originally a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism and drafted the , granting rights of religious liberty to the Huguenots

🎥 Watch: AP European History - French Wars of Religion

Flag of the Catholic League

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FFlag_of_the_Catholic_League_(French_Wars_of_Religion).svg.png?alt=media&token=105b718e-0039-4f19-974f-335f8b70bebd

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

“Paris is worth a mass.”

  • King Henry IV (Henry III of Navarre)

The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648)

The Thirty Years' War was a major religious conflict that doesn't quite fit in any one region, so it's getting its own catagory.

In (the equivalent of the present day Czech Republic), the election of a new king would cause a division between Catholics and Protestants. Afraid that the new Catholic king, , would strip away Protestant rights, some Bohemian leaders elected Frederick V, a Protestant. 

Although it was certain that would end up on the throne, since he was personally chosen by the previous King, that didn’t stop Protestant opposition. In fact, the supporters of Frederick V were so peeved, they threw some of ’s Catholic representatives out of a 69 feet high window! (Miraculously, the representatives lived.) This event, called the Defenestration of Prague (defenestrate = a fancy word for throwing someone out a window), sparked Europe’s bloodiest religious war, the Thirty Years’ War.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Fdefenestration.jpg?alt=media&token=2ff03d2e-b393-49a7-bc09-f0c0b9c715d8

In the Thirty Years’ War, Denmark, Sweden, and France all exploited the conflict in for their own agendas. What started off as a religious war would expand into a political one as Denmark joined on the side of the Protestants to protect religious freedom in his, and other kingdoms, as well as expand his land. Sweden had the same reasons as Denmark for joining, but France, despite being Catholic, joined on the Protestant side due to a rivalry with the . (For more information about the specifics of the war, consult the table below.)

ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia. While the allowed German princes to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism, the Peace of Westphalia granted the option to choose to other princes, bishops, and local leaders. The peace destroyed any remaining medieval ideas of universal Christianity, and sped up the decline of the .

The Thirty Years' War In Detail

Phase

Place & Time

Important Players

Beginning Event

Ending Event

Bohemian

, 1618-1625

, Johann Tserclaes of Tilly, Frederick V, Count Ernst von Mansfeld

The Defenestration of Prague

Battle of White Mountain (Catholic victory)

Danish

Germany and Denmark, 1625-1629

, Albrecht von Wallenstein, Christian IV 

Frederick V flees to Holland & Denmark supports Protestants

Peace of Lübeck (Catholic victory)

Swedish

Germany, 1630-1635

Gustavus Adolphus, Wallenstein, Cardinal Richelieu

Invasion of Germany by Sweden’s king

Death of Swedish King, Gustavus Adolphus, in battle

French AKA

Franco-Swedish

Germany, 1635-1648

Cardinal Richelieu, HRE, Maximilian of Bavaria

France gets directly involved in the fighting

Peace of Westphalia, 1648

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Thirty Years' War

Manipulative States

Certain countries sought to exploit religion for their own gains. They saw it as a reason (or justification) to achieve national unity or more power. Below, we'll detail some of the ways states used religious turmoil to their advantage.

Spain: The Spanish Inquisition

Spain was the Catholic Church’s biggest supporter. Ruled by Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, it took this time of religious turmoil to get rid of all the Muslims and Jews in the nation. The Spanish Inquisition sought out any people who weren’t Catholic and gave them two options: convert or leave.  

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Finquisition-wheel.jpg?alt=media&token=3720b858-19a2-4271-8923-d13bb9c97eee

Image Courtesy of Getty Images

England: Henry VIII Changes The Church

In England, King Henry VIII faced a dilemma that would forever change the country: how was he going to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, if the Pope wouldn’t let him? 💔 His solution was to leave the Catholic Church and create his own.

This divorce began the English Reformation, and King Henry became the Supreme Head of the Church of England during this time. ♚ After his death, the nation would go through another rapid change back to Catholicism for a short while with Mary I (Bloody Mary!) until the English Reformation returned and culminated with Elizabeth I.

Rulers and Consorts of England

Name

Cause of Death

Any Children?

Position

King Henry VIII

Natural Causes

3 legitimate: Edward VI, Mary I, & Elizabeth I

King of England

Catherine of Aragon

Heart Cancer

Mary I

First Wife

Anne Boleyn

Beheaded

Elizabeth I

Second Wife

Jane Seymour

Childbirth

Edward VI

Third Wife

Anne of Cleves

Cancer

None

Fourth Wife

Catherine Howard

Beheaded

None

Fifth Wife

Catherine Parr

Childbirth

None that matter

Sixth Wife

Edward VI

Tuberculosis

None

King of England

Lady Jane Grey

Executed

None that matter

Queen of England

Mary I

Disease

None

Queen of England

Elizabeth I

Sepsis

None

Queen of England

The End of an Era

As the continent grew bloodier and bloodier, it was clear to everyone that a unified Catholic Europe was no longer possible. Various legal agreements created after conflicts allowed for religious plurality.

Even nations that weren’t involved in conflicts, like Poland and the Netherlands, had religious pluralism. Catholicism was still the main religion in these two states, with Phillip II of Spain persecuting non-Catholics in the Netherlands, but Calvinism and various Protestant sects were allowed. 🛐

Key Terms to Review (18)

95 Theses

: The 95 Theses were a list of propositions for academic debate written by Martin Luther in 1517, criticizing the Church's sale of indulgences and other practices. This document sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Bohemia

: A historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of what is now known as Czech Republic. During the time period we're discussing (17th century), it was part of Habsburg Monarchy and Holy Roman Empire.

Charles V

: Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to his abdication in 1556. He ruled over an extensive empire that included many territories in Europe and parts of the Americas.

Diet of Worms

: The Diet of Worms was an imperial council (diet) that took place at Worms, Germany in 1521. It's most famous for addressing Martin Luther and his Protestant Reformation teachings against Catholic Church doctrines.

Edict of Nantes

: The Edict of Nantes was a law issued by King Henry IV of France in 1598 that granted substantial rights and protections to the Huguenots, a Protestant minority in predominantly Catholic France.

Ferdinand II

: Holy Roman Emperor from 1619 to 1637. He was a staunch Catholic and tried to suppress Protestantism in his territories, which led to the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War.

French Wars of Religion

: The French Wars of Religion were a prolonged period of war and popular unrest between Catholics and Huguenots (Reformed/Calvinist Protestants) in France between 1562 and 1598.

German Peasants' War

: The German Peasants' War was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was the largest peasant rebellion in Europe's history.

Habsburgs

: The Habsburgs were one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses of Europe, ruling over various territories across Central Europe, Spain, and even parts of America from 15th century until early 20th century.

Henry of Navarre

: Henry of Navarre, also known as King Henry IV of France, was a monarch who ruled from 1589 to 1610. He is best known for ending the French Wars of Religion and issuing the Edict of Nantes, which granted religious freedom to Protestants.

Holy Roman Empire

: The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Western, Central and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.

King Henry IV

: King Henry IV was the monarch who ruled France from 1589 until his assassination in 1610. He is best known for issuing the Edict of Nantes which granted religious freedom to Protestants.

Martin Luther

: Martin Luther was a German theologian who initiated the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly on issues like indulgences and papal authority.

Ottoman Empire

: The Ottoman Empire was a state that controlled much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa between the 14th and early 20th centuries. It was founded at the end of the 13th century in northwestern Anatolia by Osman I.

Peace of Augsburg

: The Peace of Augsburg, signed in 1555, was an agreement between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (and his allies), and the forces of Lutheran princes which effectively ended religious warfare within the Empire.

Schmalkaldic League

: The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance formed by Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during mid-16th century to defend themselves against Emperor Charles V's drive to re-Catholicize Germany.

Schmalkaldic Wars

: The Schmalkaldic Wars were a series of conflicts that took place in the mid-16th century between the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Thirty Years' War

: A series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. It was one of the longest, most destructive conflicts in European history, involving many of the great powers of Europe.

2.4 Wars of Religion

7 min readjanuary 5, 2023

Minna Chow

Minna Chow

Sharii Liang

Sharii Liang

Minna Chow

Minna Chow

Sharii Liang

Sharii Liang

In this guide, we'll give a brief overview of some of the major religious conflicts of the age.

The key idea is that matters of religion influenced and were influenced by political factors. These religious conflicts often had political interests; political conflicts often mixed religion into them.

An example of this is how the religious changes sweeping Europe interacted with the existing political tension between the noblitiy and the monarchy. For years, nobility and monarchies did their best to limit the other’s power. With the rise of religious reforms, many nobles switched to Protestant sects while many monarchies remained devout Catholics. (This was the case in France.) In some countries (read: England) the monarch became Protestant (Anglican) while a large group of nobles remained Catholic.

Let's go by region as we discuss the Wars of Religion.

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Martin Luther and Reformation

German Religious Conflicts

The two major religious conflicts you need to know in the area that's roughly modern-day Germany are the and the . The most important thing about the is the that concluded them.

German Peasants' War (1524–25) 

In Germany, ’s ideas influenced German peasants to revolt (German Peasants’ War). Hundreds of thousands of peasants rose up against their land owners to fight for social equality and religious/economic freedom. The violence of these peasants horrified Luther, and he actually supported the aristocrats in putting down the revolt through any means necessary.

Schmalkaldic Wars (1546-47) and the Peace of Augsburg (1555)

In the (which was neither Holy, nor Roman), the rulers were faced with two problems: an expanding on the East and the rise of Protestantism in the West. In the West, would confront about his at the , but it was much too late. Luther’s ideas had spread, and there was nothing could do about it.

The Habsburg rulers were the largest, most influential family in Europe. You could find them in practically every royal family. They were the rulers of the and devout Catholics. When the German states and the princes under them converted to Protestantism (forming a group known as the ), (current ruler of the HRE) fought them in the before coming to a resolution known as the (1555) . From then on, German princes could choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism only (no Calvinism!)

The Peace of Augsburg

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FPeace-of-augsburg_1555.jpg?alt=media&token=c473fcd8-ddfc-4f3a-9c19-32287869ba45

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

French Religious Conflicts

The major conflict here is the .

French Wars of Religion (1562 - 1598)

In France, Catholics fought against the Huguenots (another term for French Calvinists). This tension was even prominent in the aristocracy and monarchy. Protestant nobles struggled with a Catholic monarchy, and this discourse rippled down to the lower levels of society before culminating into the St. Bartholomew Day’s Massacre (1572), a major religious massacre that exacerbated the conflict.

The French Wars of Religion would eventually result in the War of the Three Henrys. One of those three Henrys, , became . Originally a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism and drafted the , granting rights of religious liberty to the Huguenots

🎥 Watch: AP European History - French Wars of Religion

Flag of the Catholic League

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FFlag_of_the_Catholic_League_(French_Wars_of_Religion).svg.png?alt=media&token=105b718e-0039-4f19-974f-335f8b70bebd

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

“Paris is worth a mass.”

  • King Henry IV (Henry III of Navarre)

The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648)

The Thirty Years' War was a major religious conflict that doesn't quite fit in any one region, so it's getting its own catagory.

In (the equivalent of the present day Czech Republic), the election of a new king would cause a division between Catholics and Protestants. Afraid that the new Catholic king, , would strip away Protestant rights, some Bohemian leaders elected Frederick V, a Protestant. 

Although it was certain that would end up on the throne, since he was personally chosen by the previous King, that didn’t stop Protestant opposition. In fact, the supporters of Frederick V were so peeved, they threw some of ’s Catholic representatives out of a 69 feet high window! (Miraculously, the representatives lived.) This event, called the Defenestration of Prague (defenestrate = a fancy word for throwing someone out a window), sparked Europe’s bloodiest religious war, the Thirty Years’ War.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Fdefenestration.jpg?alt=media&token=2ff03d2e-b393-49a7-bc09-f0c0b9c715d8

In the Thirty Years’ War, Denmark, Sweden, and France all exploited the conflict in for their own agendas. What started off as a religious war would expand into a political one as Denmark joined on the side of the Protestants to protect religious freedom in his, and other kingdoms, as well as expand his land. Sweden had the same reasons as Denmark for joining, but France, despite being Catholic, joined on the Protestant side due to a rivalry with the . (For more information about the specifics of the war, consult the table below.)

ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia. While the allowed German princes to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism, the Peace of Westphalia granted the option to choose to other princes, bishops, and local leaders. The peace destroyed any remaining medieval ideas of universal Christianity, and sped up the decline of the .

The Thirty Years' War In Detail

Phase

Place & Time

Important Players

Beginning Event

Ending Event

Bohemian

, 1618-1625

, Johann Tserclaes of Tilly, Frederick V, Count Ernst von Mansfeld

The Defenestration of Prague

Battle of White Mountain (Catholic victory)

Danish

Germany and Denmark, 1625-1629

, Albrecht von Wallenstein, Christian IV 

Frederick V flees to Holland & Denmark supports Protestants

Peace of Lübeck (Catholic victory)

Swedish

Germany, 1630-1635

Gustavus Adolphus, Wallenstein, Cardinal Richelieu

Invasion of Germany by Sweden’s king

Death of Swedish King, Gustavus Adolphus, in battle

French AKA

Franco-Swedish

Germany, 1635-1648

Cardinal Richelieu, HRE, Maximilian of Bavaria

France gets directly involved in the fighting

Peace of Westphalia, 1648

🎥 Watch: AP European History - Thirty Years' War

Manipulative States

Certain countries sought to exploit religion for their own gains. They saw it as a reason (or justification) to achieve national unity or more power. Below, we'll detail some of the ways states used religious turmoil to their advantage.

Spain: The Spanish Inquisition

Spain was the Catholic Church’s biggest supporter. Ruled by Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, it took this time of religious turmoil to get rid of all the Muslims and Jews in the nation. The Spanish Inquisition sought out any people who weren’t Catholic and gave them two options: convert or leave.  

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Finquisition-wheel.jpg?alt=media&token=3720b858-19a2-4271-8923-d13bb9c97eee

Image Courtesy of Getty Images

England: Henry VIII Changes The Church

In England, King Henry VIII faced a dilemma that would forever change the country: how was he going to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, if the Pope wouldn’t let him? 💔 His solution was to leave the Catholic Church and create his own.

This divorce began the English Reformation, and King Henry became the Supreme Head of the Church of England during this time. ♚ After his death, the nation would go through another rapid change back to Catholicism for a short while with Mary I (Bloody Mary!) until the English Reformation returned and culminated with Elizabeth I.

Rulers and Consorts of England

Name

Cause of Death

Any Children?

Position

King Henry VIII

Natural Causes

3 legitimate: Edward VI, Mary I, & Elizabeth I

King of England

Catherine of Aragon

Heart Cancer

Mary I

First Wife

Anne Boleyn

Beheaded

Elizabeth I

Second Wife

Jane Seymour

Childbirth

Edward VI

Third Wife

Anne of Cleves

Cancer

None

Fourth Wife

Catherine Howard

Beheaded

None

Fifth Wife

Catherine Parr

Childbirth

None that matter

Sixth Wife

Edward VI

Tuberculosis

None

King of England

Lady Jane Grey

Executed

None that matter

Queen of England

Mary I

Disease

None

Queen of England

Elizabeth I

Sepsis

None

Queen of England

The End of an Era

As the continent grew bloodier and bloodier, it was clear to everyone that a unified Catholic Europe was no longer possible. Various legal agreements created after conflicts allowed for religious plurality.

Even nations that weren’t involved in conflicts, like Poland and the Netherlands, had religious pluralism. Catholicism was still the main religion in these two states, with Phillip II of Spain persecuting non-Catholics in the Netherlands, but Calvinism and various Protestant sects were allowed. 🛐

Key Terms to Review (18)

95 Theses

: The 95 Theses were a list of propositions for academic debate written by Martin Luther in 1517, criticizing the Church's sale of indulgences and other practices. This document sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Bohemia

: A historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of what is now known as Czech Republic. During the time period we're discussing (17th century), it was part of Habsburg Monarchy and Holy Roman Empire.

Charles V

: Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to his abdication in 1556. He ruled over an extensive empire that included many territories in Europe and parts of the Americas.

Diet of Worms

: The Diet of Worms was an imperial council (diet) that took place at Worms, Germany in 1521. It's most famous for addressing Martin Luther and his Protestant Reformation teachings against Catholic Church doctrines.

Edict of Nantes

: The Edict of Nantes was a law issued by King Henry IV of France in 1598 that granted substantial rights and protections to the Huguenots, a Protestant minority in predominantly Catholic France.

Ferdinand II

: Holy Roman Emperor from 1619 to 1637. He was a staunch Catholic and tried to suppress Protestantism in his territories, which led to the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War.

French Wars of Religion

: The French Wars of Religion were a prolonged period of war and popular unrest between Catholics and Huguenots (Reformed/Calvinist Protestants) in France between 1562 and 1598.

German Peasants' War

: The German Peasants' War was a widespread popular revolt in the German-speaking areas of Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was the largest peasant rebellion in Europe's history.

Habsburgs

: The Habsburgs were one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses of Europe, ruling over various territories across Central Europe, Spain, and even parts of America from 15th century until early 20th century.

Henry of Navarre

: Henry of Navarre, also known as King Henry IV of France, was a monarch who ruled from 1589 to 1610. He is best known for ending the French Wars of Religion and issuing the Edict of Nantes, which granted religious freedom to Protestants.

Holy Roman Empire

: The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Western, Central and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.

King Henry IV

: King Henry IV was the monarch who ruled France from 1589 until his assassination in 1610. He is best known for issuing the Edict of Nantes which granted religious freedom to Protestants.

Martin Luther

: Martin Luther was a German theologian who initiated the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly on issues like indulgences and papal authority.

Ottoman Empire

: The Ottoman Empire was a state that controlled much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa between the 14th and early 20th centuries. It was founded at the end of the 13th century in northwestern Anatolia by Osman I.

Peace of Augsburg

: The Peace of Augsburg, signed in 1555, was an agreement between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (and his allies), and the forces of Lutheran princes which effectively ended religious warfare within the Empire.

Schmalkaldic League

: The Schmalkaldic League was a defensive alliance formed by Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during mid-16th century to defend themselves against Emperor Charles V's drive to re-Catholicize Germany.

Schmalkaldic Wars

: The Schmalkaldic Wars were a series of conflicts that took place in the mid-16th century between the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Thirty Years' War

: A series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648. It was one of the longest, most destructive conflicts in European history, involving many of the great powers of Europe.


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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.