Year(s) | Event | Key Figures / Dynasties | Significance |
1555 | Peace of Augsburg | Charles V (Habsburg), Holy Roman Empire princes | Legalized Lutheranism in German states; “Cuius regio, eius religio” principle established. |
1556 | Charles V abdicates | Philip II (Habsburg Spain), Ferdinand I (Habsburg Austria) | Split Habsburg dominions into Spanish and Austrian branches. |
1562–1598 | French Wars of Religion | House of Bourbon (Protestant Huguenots) vs. House of Guise (Catholic) | Religious civil war; ended with Bourbon victory and Edict of Nantes granting tolerance. |
1566–1648 | Dutch Revolt / Eighty Years’ War | Habsburg Spain vs. House of Orange-Nassau | Protestant Netherlands gained independence; major blow to Spanish dominance. |
1571 | Battle of Lepanto | Holy League (Habsburg Spain, Venice, Papal States) vs. Ottoman Empire | Halted Ottoman naval expansion in the Mediterranean. |
1580 | Iberian Union | Philip II (Habsburg Spain & Portugal) | Temporary unification of Iberia under Spanish crown, expanding global empire. |
1588 | Spanish Armada defeated | Philip II (Habsburg Spain), Elizabeth I (Tudor England) | Ended Spanish naval supremacy; England’s rise as maritime power began. |
1598 | Edict of Nantes | Henry IV (Bourbon France) | Granted limited rights to Protestants; attempt to end religious conflict in France. |
1603 | Union of the Crowns | James VI of Scotland (Stuart) becomes James I of England | Personal union of England and Scotland under House of Stuart. |
1610 | Assassination of Henry IV | Bourbon dynasty | Political instability in France during early 17th century. |
1618–1648 | Thirty Years’ War | Habsburg Austria & Spain vs. Protestant states (Sweden, Dutch, Bohemia, etc.) | Catastrophic conflict reshaping Europe; intertwined religious and dynastic rivalry. |
1620 | Battle of White Mountain | Habsburg Austria vs. Bohemian rebels | Cemented Habsburg control over Bohemia; harsh Counter-Reformation measures imposed. |
1628 | Siege of La Rochelle | Louis XIII (Bourbon), Cardinal Richelieu | Suppressed French Huguenots; strengthened central monarchy. |
1632 | Death of Gustavus Adolphus | House of Vasa (Sweden) | Turning point in Thirty Years’ War; Sweden’s role as Protestant champion diminished. |
1643 | Battle of Rocroi | Bourbon France vs. Habsburg Spain | Decisive French victory; marked decline of Spanish military dominance. |
1648 | Peace of Westphalia | Multiple European powers | Ended Thirty Years’ War; established modern state sovereignty; weakened Habsburg influence in Germany. |
Reformation & Religious Wars (1550–1648)
Created
Aug 10, 2025 10:02 AM
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