Shift of the Balance of Power in Europe: 1560-1648

Shift of the Balance of Power in Europe between 1560 and 1648

Between the 16th and 17th century, Europe underwent a series of religious wars, commonly referred to as the European wars of Religion that was triggered by the German Knight's disapproval of the Protestant Reformation that was steered by the Roman Emperor in the Holy Roman Empire around 1517. Although the Knights revolted against the reformation that early, the war intensified in 1545 after the Catholic Church stepped in with a Counter-Reformation implementation to counter Protestantism. At around the same time, civil war had broken out in France led by the likes of Phillip II who equally opposed the spread of Protestantism, Francis I and Catherine de' Medici who were fighting to regain nobility ( Hunt, Martin, Rosenwein, & Smith, 2016). Revolt in the Netherlands led to a decentralized system of governance and the rise of Burghers, that is, the middle class. These wars were characterized by theological disputes within the Western Christendom, between the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches, and ultimately resulting into the creation of three separate traditions, i.e., Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism. With the nobles dominating the wars, Austrian Habsburgs lost their influence over Germany. Since these wars were put to an end with a treaty known as the Peace of Westphalia, there were rules and principles to adhere to. This led to a shift in political power resulting from the pope barring participation in the affairs of the German religious running, and the Roman Empire granted freedom to over three hundred individual states thereby allowing them their sovereignty. Another result of the civil wars the decline of the Spanish political power leading to ultimate political power balance. While the fights led to a massive loss of human life, the treaty signed afterward was worth it since it brought an end to religious wars and led to balance in the political powers (Hunt, Martin, Rosenwein, & Smith, 2016).

References

Hunt, L., Martin, T., Rosenwein, B. & Smith, B. (2016). The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, A Macmillan Education Imprint.