What was a primary cause of the Thirty Years' War in Europe? 🔊
A primary cause of the Thirty Years' War in Europe was the conflict between Catholic and Protestant states within the Holy Roman Empire. Initially, tensions arose in the 1610s as Protestant groups resisted the attempts of the Catholic Habsburgs to impose religious uniformity. The conflict escalated with the Defenestration of Prague in 1618, where Protestant nobles threw Catholic officials from a window, igniting violent confrontations. Issues of power, territory, and religious differences between various European powers, including Sweden, France, and Spain, widened the conflict, transforming it into a brutal and protracted war lasting from 1618 to 1648, resulting in immense devastation and significant political realignment in Europe.
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