The Peace of Augsburg was reaffirmed and expanded to include Calvinism, effectively ending the era of large-scale religious wars in Europe.
France emerged as the dominant power on the continent, while the Holy Roman Empire began a long, slow decline into a loose collection of independent states. thirty-years-war
Sweden, Denmark, and—most notably— France joined to weaken the Habsburgs. Interestingly, Catholic France fought on the Protestant side, proving that national interest (limiting German power) had become more important than religious solidarity. 3. The Human Cost The Peace of Augsburg was reaffirmed and expanded
The war was brutal. It introduced "total war" tactics where armies lived off the land, seizing crops and burning villages. It introduced "total war" tactics where armies lived
More people died from typhus and plague—spread by marching armies—than from actual combat. 4. The Turning Point: Gustavus Adolphus