How Did The Thirty Years War Affect Western Europe

While extremely influential, The Thirty Years War had a devastating effect on Western Europe. Approximately eight million Europeans died. Germany, where the majority of the battles occurred, suffered huge economic losses. Governments required large funds to supply their armies, so they heavily increased taxation for the working class. This resulted in revolts in many countries, particularly France. Following the war, Christianity also began to decline. What caused The Thirty Years War altered the course of Western Christendom and set the course for the decline of Biblical faith in Western Europe.

Initially, the Thirty Years War began as a religious war. In 1618, the main conflict emerged, when The Holy Roman Emperor, Phillip II, attempted to force Catholic conversion on his subjects. Outraged at his tyranny, many of the protestants within his kingdom began rioting. In Prague, they gave a demonstration by throwing several governors out of a palace window. As the violence elevated, other countries began to join in. Some, such as Spain, joined in support of the Catholics. Others, including Sweden and England, intervened on behalf of the protestants. Already war was causing serious problems within Europe. Rulers had increased taxation due

This war marked the end of an era; Europeans fought no more religious wars, although many more politically motivated wars occurred. Overall, The Thirty Years War seems pointless and bloody. Instead of a single country earning a definitive victory, the European powers reached a complete standstill. No religious affiliation managed to convert an entire kingdom. This war mostly just caused excessive bloodshed and economic ruin. Tension grew between many countries, and civil unrest threatened to escalate into revolts. To this list of negative results, we can add that Western European Christianity fell into decline as a direct result of The Thirty Years