The Thirty Years’ War eventually claimed at least four million lives …
It was one of the most destructive wars in European history. The Thirty Years’ War eventually claimed at least four million lives. It was part of the European wars of religion, which arose in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Several wars which began long before it, and several other wars which ended long after its termination, would eventually become connected with the massive “Thirty Years’ War.” This means that it was part of a series of conflicts that rocked the European world – and some of them spilled over into other parts of the world as well. Thus, this might be a good time to look at a few of these forgotten conflicts, and what they can tell us about early modern Europe. Some of these conflicts began back during the Renaissance and the Reformation, while others continued into the Age of Enlightenment. But all of them would leave casualties behind them, leaving a trail of destruction from one end of the Continent to the other.
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden at the Battle of Breitenfeld, 1631 – part of the Thirty Years’ War
The Sack of Magdeburg, 1631 – part of the Thirty Years’ War
The prior Eighty Years’ War (or “Dutch Revolt”), and the Dutch-Portuguese War
The carnage has origins in many places, especially in the Habsburg Netherlands. These were then controlled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburg monarchy. This might seem surprising, because the Habsburgs would become more famously associated with Austria (or the “Holy Roman Empire”) later on. Nonetheless, the Habsburg “Philip the Second” was then sitting on the throne of Spain. Philip the Second was a Catholic, and had control over certain parts of the Netherlands. But Philip’s rule was alienating many Calvinists there, and even alienated some of his fellow Catholics as well. As Wikipedia puts it, the causes of the war also included “centralisation, excessive taxation, and the rights and privileges of the Dutch nobility and cities.” (see source) This was why some of his fellow Catholics, along with the Protestants, were a little unhappy with his reign. Thus, around 1566 or 1568, a rebellion began. It would become known as the “Eighty Years’ War” – a precursor to the later “Thirty Years’ War.” Incidentally, the Eighty Years’ War is also sometimes called the “Dutch Revolt.” The Holy Roman Empire (namely, Austria) sometimes supported its fellow Habsburgs in Spain. But, by 1588, the rebellion was going somewhat badly for Spain. Thus, the Calvinist-leaning “Dutch Republic” was created in that same year: 1588. But the Dutch soon found themselves at war with another power: namely, Portugal. Thus, the Dutch-Portuguese War began in 1598. The international situation was getting complicated for them. The earlier “War of the Portuguese Succession” had united the monarchies of Portugal and Spain. This may explain why the two nations were still allied with each other at this point. But the Dutch-Portuguese War (also called the “Spice War”) would mainly be fought in other parts of the world. Specifically, two mighty Dutch corporations (and their fleets) invaded Portuguese colonies in the Americas, in Africa, and in the East Indies. And things were just getting started.
The Battle of Gibraltar, 1607 – part of the Eighty Years’ War (or “Dutch Revolt”)
The Battle of Guararapes (Brazil, circa 1649) – part of the Dutch-Portuguese War
Thirty Years’ War itself, the War of the Mantuan Succession, and the Franco-Spanish War
In the sixteenth century, the Reformation had created religious conflict within the Holy Roman Empire (a.k.a. Austria). The empire had been partially split into Catholic and Lutheran states. However, Protestantism continued to expand beyond those boundaries. The Austrian (and other) Habsburgs were rivals with the monarchy of France as well. In 1618, a Catholic emperor’s rule of Bohemia was replaced by the rule of a Protestant. The Catholic emperor quickly regained control of Bohemia. However, this was enough to spark the “Thirty Years’ War” itself. The conflict began in that same year: 1618. The Thirty Years’ War quickly became an international conflict, when many European nations (mostly German states) lined up on the side of the Bohemian Protestants. The “Thirty Years’ War” also soon became connected with the Dutch Revolt (or “Eighty Years’ War”), when the Dutch Republic joined the Protestant side – while the Spanish Habsburgs stood by their fellow Habsburgs in Holy Roman Austria. The conflict started out mostly as a civil war within the Holy Roman Empire. It was briefly intertwined with the “War of the Mantuan Succession,” which lasted from 1628 to 1631. One might see this as a sort of “proxy conflict” in Northern Italy, with both sides being supported by aforementioned European powers. But, in 1635, France joined the war by allying with Sweden – allowing itself to fight against its Habsburg rivals. Specifically, France declared war on Habsburg Spain in 1635. Thus, the “Franco-Spanish War” began in that same year: 1635.
Siege of Casale Monferrato, 1630 – part of the War of the Mantuan Succession
The Battle of Rocroi, 1643 – part of the Franco-Spanish War
The Portuguese Restoration War, the Torstenson War, and the various peace deals
At this point, the prior alliance between Spain and Portugal began to break down somewhat. Spain was still very much at war with France, and Portugal was still at war with the Dutch Republic. But, in 1640, there was a Portuguese revolution to challenge its “Iberian Union” with Spain. The Portuguese allied themselves with France and England, and even made some amount of peace with the Dutch Republic. They were still technically at war with the Dutch, but they were also allied against their mutual enemy of Spain (funny how that works). Meanwhile, Portugal declared war on Spain. The war is known by many names, but its most common English name is the “Portuguese Restoration War.” There was also a war in Northern Europe (basically Scandinavia). It was called the “Torstenson War.” It was a war between Sweden and Denmark-Norway. This conflict was fought from 1643 to 1645. Thus, it formed a somewhat-brief part of the larger “Thirty Years’ War.” But, in January 1648, the aforementioned “Eighty Years’ War” (the Dutch Revolt) finally ended. Spain retained the Southern Netherlands, but recognized the Dutch Republic as an independent nation. In October of 1648, the “Thirty Years’ War” also ended. Spain again recognized Dutch independence, and there was now greater autonomy for states like Bavaria and Saxony. The Franco-Spanish War ended in 1651, after some sixteen years of fighting. France got some minor territorial gains, but both sides were too financially exhausted to continue the war further. There would also be a Northern War (sometimes called the “Second Northern War”) from 1655 to 1660. This would be a post in and of itself, so I mention this here only as context. But the Dutch-Portuguese War would continue until 1663. By the time that this particular conflict ended, it had been going on for more than sixty years. As Wikipedia puts it, “Portugal repelled Dutch attempts to secure Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola, but the Dutch disrupted the Portuguese trading networks in Asia, where they captured Malacca, Ceylon, the Malabar Coast, and the Moluccas. In Africa, the Dutch conquered the Portuguese Gold Coast, Arguin and Goreé.” (see source) And the “Portuguese Restoration War” would continue until 1668. By the time that this terrible conflict ended, it had been going on for nearly thirty years. As Wikipedia puts it, “The war established the House of Braganza as Portugal's new ruling dynasty, replacing the House of Habsburg who had been united with the Portuguese crown since the 1580 succession crisis.” (see source)
Battle of Montijo, 1644 – part of the Portuguese Restoration War
The siege of Brno, 1645 – part of the Torstenson War
Conclusion: All of these conflicts, in one way or another, left their mark upon history
When you consider this assortment of conflicts as a sort of “unified whole,” they had together been fought for more than a century – since there is much overlap between the (various) respective dates of their fighting. For more than a century, at least one of these conflicts was being fought somewhere in Europe – and, at many times, it was multiple conflicts simultaneously. Such can be the nature of the beast with these things. The “Thirty Years’ War” itself would prove the bloodiest of the wars, claiming at least four million lives. Some other conflicts connected with it went on for longer durations, but the “Thirty Years’ War” itself was the bloodiest part of the fighting. Europe struggled to recover from the mess, as many of its maps and throne-holders had now been changed somewhat. And all of these conflicts, in one way or another, left their mark upon history.
If you liked this post, you might also like:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment