The Thirty Years’ War begins with the Defenestration of Prague: In the capital of Bohemia, several (three or four by most accounts) representatives of Crown Prince Ferdinand (a Catholic) are “defenestrated” (thrown out of a window), onto a garbage pit by Lutheran and Calvinist nobles—who refuse to accept a Catholic king.
Postscript: A year later, when the time had arrived for the Crown to be passed, Ferdinand realizing he must rule by force quickly crushed the nobles. Holland (modern day Belgium and Nederland)—Protestant enclave of Catholic Spain—quickly took up arms against Ferdinand, as they feared their continued existence was at stake. Fighting eventually engulfed all of Europe as Protestant Denmark, England, Holland, the Holy Roman Empire, Scotland and Sweden were pitted against Catholic France and Spain.
[restored 9/21/2024]
Subsequent Events:
References:
Thirty Years’ War – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War
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