Wars of Religon

Catherine de’ Medici

Catholic representative of Henry IX who saw Huguenots as threatening to her power

Massacre of the Vassy

The first massacre of French Huguenots in 1562

Henry IV

Ruled from 1589-1610, French monarch seen as the leader of the Huguenots

War of the Three Henrys

Religious conflict from 1585-1589 between Henry III, Henry of Guise, and Henry IV

How did Henry IV try to gain acceptance as king?

By converting to Catholicism

Edict of Nantes

Signed on 1598, granted Huguenots more freedom as means to prevent religious conflicts

Phillip II

Spanish monarch seen as the defender of Catholicism

The Peace of Augsburg

Signed in 1555, allowed the ruler of a land to determine if it was Protestant or Catholic

Defenestration of Prague (1618)

Event where Protestants threw Catholic messengers out of a window, beginning the Thirty Years’ War

How did the purpose of the Thirty Years War shift as time went on?

The main motivation went from religious to political

Bohemian Phase

Protestant forces defeated at the Battle of White Mountain

Danish Phase

King Christian IV of Denmark joins the Protestant cause due to alliance with England

Swedish Phase

King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden joins Protestant cause, causing major gains due to his military knowledge

Why did France support the Protestants, despite being a Catholic country?

To weaken Hapsburg influence

French Phase

France officially joins the war

Peace of Westphalia

Ended the Thirty Years War, extension of the Peace of Augsburg that recognized Calvinism as a religion and weakened the Holy Roman Empire