10/17 Ch. 13: Reformations and Religious Wars
Due 10/17; Pages 397-402
Questions/Terms | Notes |
1) What were the causes and consequences of religious violence, including riots, wars, and witch hunts?
| Overview:
→Spain won the war, and France fell into great struggle
→ They both believed that people from different faiths should be feared because they were “agents of Satan”.
French Religious Wars
→ Corruption was a result of this poverty (people bought public offices)
1) Hugenots: French Calvinists who lived in major French cities 1) French Civil Wars (religious wars): result of strong religious fervor (Calvinism) and a weak French monarchy (weak sons of Henry II); Calvinists vs Catholics who both believed that their opposition was polluting France. → Clash between Catholic royalist lords and Calvinist anti-monarchial lords -Calvinists smashed Catholic art (statues, stained-glass, etc) as a way to purify the church; known as iconoclasm (the destruction of religious images) 1) Catherine de’Medici: wife of King Henry II of France; originally from Italy, but reigned as Queen of France from 1547 to 1559. →Dominant mother who controlled her weak sons in the monarchy after the death of Henry II 1) St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre: a savage Catholic attack on Calvinists in Paris that occurred on August 24, 1572; Huguenot leaders who were going to attend Henry IV and Margaret of Valois’s wedding were massacred by the king’s soldiers. → Result of a Catholic fear of a Protestant takeover in Paris; the massacre led to a renewal of the wars of religion 1) Henry IV (Henry of Navarre): Protestant that married King Henry II’s daughter, Margaret of Valois; this marriage was meant to reconcile Catholics and Huguenots, but instead a massacre occurred. → Eventually became a politique -His willingness to sacrifice religious principles to political necessity saved France. 1) Politiques: a small group of moderates of both faiths (Catholic and Protestant) who saved France from complete destruction in the religious wars. → Believed that only the restoration of a strong monarchy could reverse the trend toward collapse. -Accepted the Huguenots as an officially recognized+organized group 1) Edict of Nantes: issued by Henry IV in 1598 that granted liberty of conscience and liberty of public worship to Huguenots in 150 fortified towns. → Prepared the way for French absolutism in the 17th century by helping restore peace The Netherlands Under Charles V
1) Philip II: son of Charles V who had grown up in Spain, but gained control of the Netherlands after his father abdicated; Catholic
1) Dutch revolt: Spanish authorities attempted to suppress Calvinist worship and raise taxes in the 1560s, leading to revolt. → Philip II attempted to pacify the Low Countries by sending 20,000 Spanish troops under the Spanish duke of Alva -Alva misinterpreted his commands and thought that pacification meant ruthless extermination of Calvinists (tensions heightened) 1) Union of Utrecht & United Provinces of the Netherlands: formed by the seven northern provinces and led by Holland. →declared its independence from Spain and formed the United Provinces of the Netherlands (the north was Protestant, the south remained Catholic) -Not accepted by Philip II -England allied with the northern United Provinces and sent money and troops to help them in the war. -Spain eventually agreed to recognize the independence of the United Provinces in 1609 1) Spanish Netherlands: (the future Belgium), came under the control of the Spanish Habsburg forces. The Great European Witch-Hunt
→ changed from a person who used magic to get what they wanted to a person who was used by the Devil to get what he wanted. 1) Witchcraft: the practice of using magic/being used by the Devil to do unholy acts. Witches became the ultimate heretics and enemies of God. -During the 16th and 17th centuries, an estimated 40,000-60,000 people were executed for practicing witchcraft. → Between 75%-85% of those tried and executed were women -Women were targeted in witch hunts because 1) misogyny or hatred of women from men, 2) demonologists emphasizing women’s powerful sexual desire, 3) women were viewed weaker than men and could therefore be tempted more easily by the Devil, 4) women were associated with nature, disorder, and the body, all of which were linked to the demonic, 5) their lack of power in society -Legal changes such as the change from an accusatorial legal procedure to an inquisitorial procedure led to massive witch trials. → people were more willing to accuse others because they didn’t have to take personal responsibility for their accusation -Less so called witches were executed in early modern Europe inquisitions (such as those in Spain) because judges believed that the suspect should be educated instead of executed. 1) Witch hunts: Christians (both Catholic and Protestant) who searched for witches in their society. Rounds of questioning involving 5-10 suspects were conducted to determine if they were witches or not. -Witch hunts and widespread panic were more common in the HRE, Switzerland, and some parts of France than Spain was for example because these nations consisted of small, jealous governments that were divided by religion; they thought that through persecuting witches they could demonstrate their concern for order. |
Ch. 15: Absolutism and Constitutionalism
“Thirty Years’ War”
Questions/Terms | Notes |
2) What were the crises and achievements of seventeenth-century European states?
| Overview:
→ Governments were then encouraged to take emergency measures to restore order; these measures turned into long-term reforms The Thirty Years’ War 2) Thirty Years’ War (Bohemian Phase, Danish Phase, Swedish Phase, French Phase): occurred from 1618-1648 and was the first military conflict on a European scale; started off as a religious battle but evolved into a more political war. The most destructive event in central Europe prior to the world wars. → Occurred due to 1) the loosely united policies under an elected emperor in the HRE, 2) the uneasy truce between Catholics and Protestants created by the Peace of Augsburg (Lutherans can practice their religion in the HRE), 3) the opposing Protestant Union and Catholic League, and 4) dynastic interests.
-The HRE Emperor (Ferdinand II) placed severe restrictions on Protestantism in its empire. He sought to annihilate the Calvinist nobility in Bohemia. Protestant forces were eventually defeated and Protestantism was eliminated in Bohemia.
-Albrecht von Wallenstein: mercenary general paid by the emperor to fight for the HRE against Christian IV of Denmark.
2) Gustavus Adolphus: the brilliant young king of Sweden who changed the trajectory of the Thirty Years’ War. → Challenged Catholic efforts and strengthened Protestant efforts. 2) Cardinal Richelieu: French chief minister who intervened on the Protestant side to undermine Habsburg power. 2) Peace of Westphalia (1648): ended the Thirty Years’ War in 1648; turning point in European history. → ended major conflicts fought over religious faith and recognized the independent authority of more than 300 German princes. -Augsburg agreement became permanent (Calvinism was now a legally permissible creed). Ended the Catholic Reformation in Germany, guaranteed that Germany would remain divided politically and religiously for centuries. -The United Provinces of the Netherlands (Dutch Republic) won freedom from Spain. Memory Device for Treaty of Westphalia (EF-CHIP) End of Wars of Religion France emerges as Europe’s most powerful country Calvinism added to the Peace of Augsburg Holy Roman Empire effectively destroyed Independence for the Netherlands and Switzerland Prussia emerges as a great power |