Spanish Armada leads to The Thirty Years' War

I believe we all remember what was discussed in class on Friday but if you forgot here is a helpful diagram (created by Katie) to refresh your memory.

But if you were not in class on Friday (Maura) here is a bit more depth into the topic of Spain and the Spanish Armada.  As a result of religious strife in the Netherlands, Queen Elizabeth of England sent money and troops to aid Protestant rebellion against the catholic suppression from Spain. Elizabeth became involved because of decreased trade of wool, the death of William the Silent, and the collapse of Antwerp.

Angered by these actions, Spain became determined to invade England with her great and powerful Spanish Armada. Spain planned to invade through the English Channel. When ideas were put into action, the Spanish Armada, though small and swift, was defeated by the English because of storms, spoiled food, and inadequate ammunition. This defeat prevents Philip II from uniting western Europe with religious force. Phillip's loss is one of the many reasons of religious tensions in the Thirty Years' War.

The Thirty Years' War became the became the breaking point for religious tension that was building in Europe during the early to middle 1600's.
Though the Peace of Augsburg states the faith of the prince is the religion of the subjects, many groups, such as the Calvinists, disregarded this proclamation. As these events became more heated, two groups were formed, the Protestant Union and the Catholic League.

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Tension broke initially in Bohemia, the first phase of the Thirty Years' War. The Bohemian civil war fought over religious liberty and independence from the Habsburg rule. The Catholic League led by Ferdinand fought with the Protestant Union ruled by Frederick within Bohemia. Ferdinand won at the Battle of the White Mountain and continued to forcible convert the entirety of Bohemia with Jesuit missionaries.

The second (Danish) phase, with the ineffective Danish King Christian IV, resulted in multiple victories for Catholicism. On the Protestant side, General Wallenstein was the first sign that this war of religion was straying from its initial purpose. Wallenstein became more focused on generating his own army and empire with the aid of emperor Ferdinand.

The third (Swedish) phase, with the help of the Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus, began small victories for the protestant side at Breitenfeld and Lutzen. But with the death of Gustavus and the defeat of the Swedes at the Battle of Nordlingen, the French needed to step in.

With the French came the final phase, where the Protestant French came to aid the Swedes. After countless years of fighting, peace arrived in October 1648. The Peace of Westphalia recognized independent authority of 300 German princes and allowed Calvinism, Catholicism, and Lutherism to coexist (only under the Augsburg Agreement).

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