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Thirty Years War Essay

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It required vast armies of mercenary troops and this was a large drain on state resources. All countries involved in the war went nearly broke because of the size of their respective armies and this in turn had a devastating impact on the economies as a whole.
As part of the Peace of Westphalia, the diplomatic relations between European countries became stronger and more powerful, especially between the defeated Holy Roman Empire and the Protestant states. Western Europe went through dramatic changes because of the fall of the House of Hapsburgs, who were occupying the throne of the Holy Roman Empire for over two hundred years. Religion became majorly less important in Western Europe, which let the notion of secular nations break through. …show more content…

The Peace of Westphalia allowed religious toleration in Germany. After its was agreed upon, all the princes within Germany obtained the right to declare their provinces as either Catholic, Lutheran or Calvinist without fear of being reprimanded and oppressed by the Holy Roman Empire . While this is not to say that the close of the war completely mended relations between diverse faiths, this separation made it so that this was the last real religious war fought. The Treaty of 1648 stipulated that “That there shall be a Christian and Universal Peace, and a perpetual, true, and sincere Amity, between his Sacred Imperial Majesty, and his most Christian Majesty” , which indicates the unity between Protestants and Catholics. This statement does not make a difference between the two religions but put it as one. In fact, Christianity refers to believing in Jesus Christ, which both religions do. It was now a time to remember that the two religions have the same roots and that a peace needed to be achieved. The Treaty of Westphalia also stipulated that “that those of the Confession of Augsburg, and particularly the Inhabitants of Oppenheim, shall be put in possession again of their Churches, and Ecclesiastical Estates, as they were in the Year 1624” which is a remembrance to the Kingdom of Bohemia before Archduke Ferdinand decided to abolish the religious freedom of the state. Religion and politics became increasingly separated. The Pope was ignored and played no part in

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