How Did The Thirty Years War Affect Europe

In the beginning of the 17th century, life was extremely fragile and barely balanced. This state of living was quickly turned upside down by the devastation caused by the Thirty Years’ War. This war started in 1618 and lasted until 1648. The Holy Roman Empire consisted of hundreds of principalities. The prince of each principality decided what religion everyone living there would have to conform to. As faiths in different areas began to shift, truces began to deteriorate, creating lots of disturbance. The Thirty Years’ War had both political and religious causes that had long lasting effects in Europe.
One of the main causes of the Thirty Years’ War was religious disputes. The religious disputes started with the Calvinists seeking recognition. One part of the Edict of Restitution said, “...only

One long-lasting effect of the Edict of Restitution was that landowners had their land returned to them that had been lost to the Protestantism since 1552. Next, the Peace of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years’ War in 1648, “marked a turning point in European history. For the most part, conflicts fought over religious faith receded.” Also, the faiths in various principalities shifting, caused Lutheran princes to form the Protestant Union in 1608, and the Catholics to retaliate with forming the Catholic League in 1609. Furthermore, one of the most drastic effects of The Thirty Years’ War was that approximately, “one-third of urban residents and two-fifths of the rural population,” to die. However, having learned from this devastation, the French nearly tripled their army by the end of the seventeenth century. Lastly the Augsburg Agreement of 1555 permanently added, “Calvinism to Catholicism and Lutheranism as legally permissible creeds,” giving Calvinists recognition they wanted. The Thirty Years’ War and the effects had a drastic impact on