Top 10 Events from the Development of Monarchies and Religious Wars
1. Edict of Nantes
2. Peace of Augsburg
3. The Thirty Years’ War
4. Peace of Westphalia
5. Absolutism
6. Peace of Utrecht
7. War of Three Henries
8. St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
9. English Civil War
10 The Great Northern War
- The Edict of Nantes was issued by the French king Henry IV, which gave Huguenots freedom in public and public worship in 150 cities in France.
- 1598
- The Edict of Nantes helped restore peace in France and helped lead the way to French absolutism.
2. Peace of Augsburg
- The Peace of Augsburg allowed each German state ruler to decide the state’s religion and was also Charles V finally acknowledging Lutheranism as an official religion.
- 1555
- The Peace of Augsburg ended a long religious war in Germany by the freedom to decide what each state’s religion would be.
3. The Thirty Years’ War
- The Thirty Years’ War was a war over power, territories, and religion throughout Europe that is divided into four phases: the Bohemian phase, the Danish phase, the Swedish phase, and the French phase.
- 1618-1648
- The Thirty Years’ War destroyed the economy throughout Europe, caused a large decrease in population, and also led to many power shifts.
4. Peace of Westphalia
- The Peace of Westphalia is known for being the cause of the end of the Thirty Years’ War.
- 1648
- The Peace of Westphalia allowed recognition of the independence of 300 German princes and their ruling, and also brought to attention once again the emperor’s limited authority.
5. Absolutism
- Absolutism is the idea that there is one sovereign ruler that holds and exercises complete power.
- 16th to 18th centuries
- Absolutism was helpful in Europe because it provided peace and stability in a ruler for the subjects to focus on and follow and helped modernize the states, but Europe was also at a disadvantage because Absolutism allowed for the rulers to do whatever they wanted whether it was good or bad.
6. Peace of Utrecht
- The Peace of Utrecht was a series of agreements that ended the War of Spanish Succession.
- 1713
- The Peace of Utrecht ended the war and meant that Louis’ grandson Philip could be the king of Spain as long as the French and Spanish crown were never joined.
7. War of Three Henries
- The War of Three Henries was a religious conflict between Henry III, Henry of Navarre, and Henry Guise and was a French civil war sparked by the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.
- 1587-1589
- The War of Three Henries was the last of the French Religious wars and resulted in Henry of Navarre converting to Catholicism and becoming Henry IV of England, and the death of both Henry III and Henry Guise.
8. St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
- The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre was an attack on the Calvinists by Catholics in Paris on the day Saint Bartholomew’s Day, which was also the day that Margaret of Valois was supposed to marry Henry of Navarre to reconcile Catholics and Huguenots.
- 1572
- The massacre resulted in 1000’s of protestants being murdered, and led to the War of the Three Henrys.
9. English Civil War
- The English Civil War was a conflict that started as a result of Charles I’s refusal to cooperate with the English parliament and was between Charles I’s armies and Oliver Cromwell’s supporters.
- 1642-1651
- The English Civil War led to the execution of Charles I and the start of Oliver Cromwell’s reign as a dictator and a break in the monarchial rule in England.
10 The Great Northern War
- The Great Northern War was a conflict involving Russia, Poland, and Sweden, who battled over the control of the Baltic region.
- 1700-1721
- The Great Northern War led to many alliances between European countries in the Baltic Region until they were able to decrease Sweden’s power – Russia emerged as a dominant power in the Baltic.