Religious Wars and European Expansion

Reformation and Repercussions

What is a Huguenot?

French Reformed Christians (Calvinists)

Especially popular among the nobility, middle class, and intelligentsia◦Means of opposing the

monarch◦Between 40-50% of nobles

More commonly found in cities and towns

Heavily criticized most Catholic traditions

French Wars of Religion

Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, ends war between Spain and France, 1559

The War of the Three Henrys Three major groups

◦ Catholic – Valois (monarchy)◦ Ultra-Catholic – Guise

(aristocrats)◦ Huguenot – Bourbon (Navarre)

Ongoing battles for control and influence within France

Brought to a head with St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre◦ 5,000 - 30,000 Protestants killed

in Paris and provinces◦ Undetermined plot source

And the winner is…Henry

With the elimination of Guise by Catherine de Medici, Valois and Bourbon prepare to battle it out

Bourbon prepares to take the throne, but is France (Paris) ready for a Huguenot king?

“Paris is worth a Mass” – Henry of Navarre

Henry IV of France →

• Middle class merchants dominate political life inthe Netherlands• Wealthiest area of Europe, due to confluence oftrade and Dutch naval superiority• Part of the Holy Roman Empire and HapsburgBurgundian lands• Calvinism made deep inroads changing the natureof Spain’s relationship with the Netherlands• Charles V was native Fleming, thus acceptable tothe Dutch; his son Philip, who inherited the landswas not acceptable because he spoke no Dutch orFrench

Trouble in the Netherlands

Dutch Revolt (80 Year’s War)

Under leadership of William the Silent (Orange), Dutch successfully fought off the Spanish◦ William was Stadholder of the

Netherlands (appointed by Charles V)

◦ Calvinists went on an iconoclastic rampage in Antwerp, raising the ire of Philip II of Spain (nationalistic and religious difference fused)

United Provinces of the Netherlands (northern portion), Dutch-speaking, Calvinist gained independence, not officially recognized until after 1648.

Philip II’s Legacy

Determined to stamp out heresy, Philip ordered duke of Alva (Iron Duke) to suppress Calvinists, leading to Council of Blood where many leading Calvinists were killed

Sent thousands of troops to suppress Dutch, resulting in spread of potatoes

Spent lavishly from Spanish gold revenues from the New World

Defeated Turkish navy at Lepanto, 1571

Sought to maintain tax base of the Netherlands, Spanish subjects mostly were not as wealthy as Dutch

Built El Escorial

England’s involvement

England supplied money and troops to keep the Dutch fighting Spain◦ Proxy war◦ Aroused ire of Spain◦ Philip was former suitor of Elizabeth,

spurned because of his Catholicism Mary, Queen of Scots, executed for

treasonous plot to assassinate Elizabeth◦ Philip had sought Mary’s hand◦ Elizabeth had been excommunicated by

the Pope Pius V (solidifying English Protestantism)

Spanish Armada, 1588◦ What is the truth of this tale?◦ Spanish primacy rooted in New World

wealth?

Thirty Years’ War (TYW): 1618-48

Beginning: Defenestration of Prague

Protestant Union vs. Catholic League

Jesuits advocated war◦ Confessors to major rulers

Ferdinand II, HRE – moves to consolidate Catholicism in the Empire

Bohemian phase (1618-25) – Bohemian resentment of Hapsburg domination over after Battle of White Mountain (Germanification of Bohemia)

TYW goes international

Denmark, then Sweden, then France get involved in successive stages on Protestant behalf.◦ Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden becomes

Protestant champion◦ The rub? France is officially Catholic◦ Political concerns override religious ones

War starts as religious feud, ends as political quagmire reverting to status quo ante bellum

Social effects:◦ Musketry changes warfare◦ 33-40% of Germanic populace die during

the war

Peace of Westphalia War ends with Peace of

Westphalia, 1648◦ Recognizes tripartite

religious split◦ Independence for Dutch◦ HRE reduced as political

power, divisions of empire entrenched

◦ France expands at expense of HRE

◦ Loss of papal prestige and influence

◦ German lands riven by religious and political disagreements, preventing unity until well after the French Revolution

Effects of Exploration

Golden Century (Siglo de Oro)◦Wealth brought inflation◦Repudiation of debts◦Flowering of art◦Great building projects

Spain enmeshed in many wars

Increasing significance of African slave trade

Poland and Sweden

Jagiellon dynasty – personal union of Polish and Lithuanian crowns◦ Elective monarchy◦ Rivalry with Swedish house

exacerbated by intermarriageSwedish power (Protestant)

◦ Independent from Danes, 1523 Gustav Vasa

◦ Included Finland◦ Emerges strengthened from war

with Poland and Baltic states◦ Gustavus Adolphus – led Sweden

into continental power and Thirty Years’ War

Russia from Muscovy

Eastern Orthodox people – since conversion of princes of Kiev, especially Vladimir the Great

Mongol invasion and supremacy from 1220’s until emergence of Muscovite princes in the 1480’s◦ Mongols named various Russian princes as

their chief tribute and tax collectors◦ Muscovite princes made this part of their

goals, to gain title “Grand Prince” Saw themselves as heirs to Byzantine

empire (Third Rome)◦ Ivan III, challenged Mongol authority in

1480’s taking title of Tsar, and Autocrat of all Russias; married to the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XII

◦ Autocrat recognized no other power in his lands

Russian Absolutism

Ivan III – creates the service nobility (compare to nobles of the robe, Fr.)

Ivan IV – “the Terrible”; hated boyars, 1st to take title “tsar”; bound serfs to the land to prevent the loss of agriculture

His tyrannical rule was followed by “Time of Troubles”

Emergence of Romanov house, 1613

Old Believer schism brought Russian Orthodox Church more closely into alignment with the tsar

Witches, Literature, Art

Witch hunts emerged in 17th century as common◦ Older, unmarried women often targets

Scapegoats for trouble Charged with worshiping the Devil, eating infants,

casting spells, other inexplicable phenomena Wealthy men’s mistresses Baroque art

◦ Painting – Catholic◦ Overwhelming majesty and awe◦ Please refer to European Art 1400-1700 for visual examples

Literature Essays – Michel de Montaigne, skeptic, wrote speculative

works, “On Cannibals” English literature blossomed

◦ Shakespeare◦ Marlowe◦ KJV