Thirty Years War

The Thirty Year's War (1616-1648) was a series of wars mostly fought in Central Europe involving and affecting most of the countries in Europe. Although the first few years of the seventeenth century were relatively peaceful, however, in the empire, it was an unpredictable beginning to most brutal war of all time fought solely because of religion. It is said to be one of the most destructive wars in all of European history and also one of the longest wars ever recorded. It all unfolded when the Habsburg Emperor Rudolph II promised toleration for Protestants in Bohemia. When his Catholic cousin, Ferdinand, achieved the Bohemian Throne he refused to honor Rudolph II's promise. This caused the Bohemians to rebel in 1618 sparking a chain of reactions and a tremendous war that will forever be remembered in European History. The war did have multiple outcomes both positive and negative. The Thirty Year's War represented a positive and negative turning point in Europe, positive because it inspired the creation of the Peace of Westphalia (which in turn created a new system for dealing with wars) and negative for it devastated Germany for many years to come.

The Thirty Year's War represented an extremely negative turning point for Germany. The wars for the most part were fought in Germany which would leave it in an extremely crippled state up until the nineteenth century. Germany endured the long, brutal war and all of its harsh effects even after the war was over. The war's and all of their effects such as the diseases and destruction, wiped out more than a third of Germany's population. The widespread conflict also had an incredibly negative impact on the economy of Germany and the resources. It made the continent wide trade depression even worse and brought an end to the great sixteenth century boom. Many people were homeless and put out of work which led them to resort to banditry and violence in order to survive. To top it all off the Empire was weakened and