WAR & CONQUEST THE THIRTY YEARS WAR 1618-1648 1 V1V2 WAR & CONQUEST THE THIRTY YEARS WAR 1618-1648 CONTENT Historical Background Bohemian-Palatine War (1618–1623) Danish intervention (1625–1629) Swedish intervention (1630–1635) French intervention (1635 –1648) Peace of Westphalia SPECIAL RULES DEPLOYMENT Belligerents Commanders ARMY LISTS Baden Bohemia Brandenburg-Prussia Brunswick-Lüneburg Catholic League Croatia Denmark-Norway (1625-9) Denmark-Norway (1643-45) Electorate of the Palatinate (Kurpfalz) England France Hessen-Kassel Holy Roman Empire Hungarian Anti-Habsburg Rebels Hungary & Transylvania Ottoman Empire Polish-Lithuanian (1618-31) Later Polish (1632 -48) Protestant Mercenary (1618-26) Saxony Scotland Spain Sweden (1618 -29) Sweden (1630 -48) United Provinces Zaporozhian Cossacks BATTLES ORDERS OF BATTLE MISCELLANEOUS Community Manufacturers Thanks Books Many thanks to Siegfried Bajohr and the Kurpfalz Feldherren for the pictures of painted figures. You can see them and much more here: http://www.kurpfalz-feldherren.de/ Also thanks to the members of the Grimsby Wargames club for the pictures of painted figures. Homepage with a nice gallery this : http://grimsbywargamessociety.webs.com/ 2 V1V2 WAR & CONQUEST THE THIRTY YEARS WAR 1618-1648 3 V1V2 WAR & CONQUEST THE THIRTY YEARS WAR 1618-1648 The rulers of the nations neighboring the Holy Roman Empire HISTORICAL BACKGROUND also contributed to the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War: Spain was interested in the German states because it held the territories of the Spanish Netherlands on the western border of the Empire and states within Italy which were connected by land through the Spanish Road. The Dutch revolted against the Spanish domination during the 1560s, leading to a protracted war of independence that led to a truce only in 1609. France was nearly surrounded by territory controlled by the two Habsburg states (Spain and the Holy Roman Empire), and was eager to exert its power against the weaker German states; this dynastic concern overtook religious ones and led to Catholic France's participation on the otherwise Protestant side The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) was fought primarily in of the war. what is now Germany, and at various points involved most Sweden and Denmark were interested in gaining countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts control over northern German states bordering the in European history. Baltic Sea. The origins of the conflict and goals of the participants were complex, and no single cause can accurately be described as the The Holy Roman Empire was a fragmented collection of largely main reason for the fighting. Initially, the war was fought largely independent states. The position of Holy Roman Emperor was as a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics in the mainly titular, but the emperors, from the House of Habsburg, Holy Roman Empire, although disputes over the internal politics also directly ruled a large portion of Imperial territory (the and balance of power within the Empire played a significant Archduchy of Austria, as well as Bohemia and Hungary). The part. Gradually, the war developed into a more general conflict Austrian domain was thus a major European power in its own involving most of the European powers. In this general phase, right, ruling over some eight million subjects. The Empire also the war became more a continuation of the Bourbon–Habsburg contained several regional powers, such as Bavaria, Electoral rivalry for European political pre-eminence, and in turn led to Saxony, the Margravate of Brandenburg, the Palatinate, Hesse, further warfare between France and the Habsburg powers, and the Archbishopric of Trier and Württemberg (containing from less specifically about religion. 500,000 to one million inhabitants). A vast number of minor A major impact of the Thirty Years' War was the extensive independent duchies, free cities, abbeys, prince-bishoprics, and destruction of entire regions, denuded by the foraging armies petty lordships (whose authority sometimes extended to no more (bellum se ipsum alet). Episodes of famine and disease than a single village) rounded out the Empire. Apart from significantly decreased the populace of the German states, Austria and perhaps Bavaria, none of those entities was capable Bohemia, the Low Countries and Italy, while bankrupting most of national-level politics; alliances between family-related states of the combatant powers. While the regiments within each army were common, due partly to the frequent practice of splitting a were not strictly mercenary in that they were not guns for hire lord's inheritance among the various sons. that changed sides from battle to battle, the individual soldiers Religious tensions remained strong throughout the second half of that made up the regiments for the most part probably were. The the 16th century. The Peace of Augsburg began to unravel, as problem of discipline was made more difficult still by the ad hoc some converted bishops refused to give up their bishoprics, and nature of 17th-century military financing. Armies were expected as certain Habsburg and other Catholic rulers of the Holy Roman to be largely self-funding from loot taken or tribute extorted Empire and Spain sought to restore the power of Catholicism in from the settlements where they operated. This encouraged a the region. This was evident from the Cologne War (1583–88), a form of lawlessness that imposed often severe hardship on conflict initiated when the prince-archbishop of the city, inhabitants of the occupied territory. Some of the quarrels that Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, converted to Calvinism. As provoked the war went unresolved for a much longer time. The he was an imperial elector, this could have produced a Protestant Thirty Years' War was ended with the treaties of Osnabrück and majority in the College that elected the Holy Roman Emperor – Münster, part of the wider Peace of Westphalia. a position that had always been held by a Catholic. In the Cologne War, Spanish troops expelled the former prince- archbishop and replaced him with Ernst of Bavaria, a Roman Origins of the War Catholic. After this success, the Catholics regained pace, and the The Peace of Augsburg (1555), signed by Charles V, Holy principle of cuius regio, eius religio began to be exerted more Roman Emperor, confirmed the result of the 1526 Diet of strictly in Bavaria, Würzburg and other states. This forced Speyer, ending war between German Lutherans and Catholics. Lutheran residents to choose between conversion or exile. Rulers of the 225 German states could choose the Lutherans also witnessed the defection of the lords of the religion (Lutheranism or Catholicism) of their realms Palatinate (1560), Nassau (1578), Hesse-Kassel (1603) and according to their consciences, and compel their Brandenburg (1613) to the new Calvinist faith. Thus, at the subjects to follow that faith (the principle of cuius beginning of the 17th century, the Rhine lands and those south to regio, eius religio). the Danube were largely Catholic, while Lutherans predominated in the north, and Calvinists dominated in certain Lutherans living in a prince-bishopric (a state ruled other areas, such as west-central Germany, Switzerland and the by a Catholic bishop) could continue to practice their Netherlands. However, minorities of each creed existed almost faith. everywhere. In some lordships and cities, the number of Lutherans could keep the territory they had captured Calvinists, Catholics, and Lutherans were approximately equal. from the Catholic Church since the Peace of Passau Much to the consternation of their Spanish ruling cousins, the in 1552. Habsburg emperors who followed Charles V (especially Those prince-bishops who had converted to Ferdinand I and Maximilian II, but also Rudolf II, and his Lutheranism were required to give up their territories successor Matthias) were content for the princes of the Empire to (the principle called reservatum ecclesiasticum). choose their own religious policies. These rulers avoided Although the Peace of Augsburg created a temporary end to religious wars within the empire by allowing the different hostilities, it did not solve the underlying religious conflict. In Christian faiths to spread without coercion. This angered those addition, Calvinism spread quickly throughout Germany in the who sought religious uniformity. Meanwhile, Sweden and years that followed. This added a third major faith to the region, Denmark, both Lutheran kingdoms, sought to assist the but its position was not recognized in any way by the Augsburg Protestant cause in the Empire, and also wanted to gain political terms, to which only Catholicism and Lutheranism were parties. and economic influence there, as well. 4 V1V2 WAR & CONQUEST THE THIRTY YEARS WAR 1618-1648 Religious tensions broke into violence in the German free city of John William's eldest male heir. Both claimants were Donauwörth in 1606. There, the Lutheran majority barred the Protestants. In 1610, to prevent war between the rival claimants, Catholic residents of the Swabian town from holding a the forces of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor occupied Jülich- procession, which provoked a riot. This prompted foreign Cleves-Berg until the dispute was decided by the Aulic Council intervention by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria (1573–1651) on (Reichshofrat). However, several Protestant princes feared the behalf of the Catholics. After the violence ceased, Calvinists in Emperor, a devout Catholic, intended to keep