What was the Thirty Years War fought over?

Question

and what were the main battles and events?

Answer 1

The Thirty Years' War began as a conflict between Protestants and Catholics, but the real reasons were much more prosaic.

Spain (or, more precisely, the Hapsburg dynasty) sought to restore its hegemony over the Netherlands and possibly expand it into German states to unite most of Europe under its rule.

France (or, more precisely, the Bourbon dynasty) was surrounded (and felt threatened) by two countries (Spain and the Holy Roman Empire) controlled by the Hapsburg dynasty, and would side with anyone who wanted to weaken the Hapsburgs, never mind their religion; hence, France's alliance with Protestants.

Sweden and Denmark each sought to expand south by gaining control over northern German states along the Baltic coastline. Sweden's ambitions were partially necessitated by the fact that Swedish king Sigismund (who was also the king of Poland) was deposed in Sweden in 1599 by his uncle, Charles IX, but remained the king of Poland and continued his attempts to reclaim the Swedish throne until his death in 1632 (the series of wars originally started by Sigismund continued well into 1660s), so Sweden had to retaliate.

Answer 2

The Thirty Years War in Europe (1618 - 1648) has often been called "the real First World War".

Some fought the war for religious reasons (Catholic vs Protestant), some for conquest, some for consolidation of power of an ethnic or national group.

The Peace of Westphalia (1648) that came out of the war was a collection of peace treaties that established what would be allowed between nations in the world up to the present day. That is, interior conflicts were agreed to be insufficient reason for military invasion by an outside state. And secular reasons trumped religious ones from 1648 on.

The Thirty Years War is one of the most important events of European History, and of world history. The "modern world" began with the end of the Thirty Years War.

Answer 3

it was basically a fight between Protestants and Catholicis; everyone went to the future Germany to fight. For the Protestants, you had England, Netherlands, Sweden and Bohemia; while on the Catholic side, you had Austria-Hungary, France, and probably Spain. I forget the exact list; but it was basically four wars of 7-8 years each; when one set of combantants tired, two more tag-teamed in.

Answer 4

Religion was the cause

Look up Wallenstein and Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden