History

i n cl uded and Br andenbu r g. Gustavus Ado l phus won a ser i es of m ajor v i ctor i es agai n st Im per i al f or ces, wh i ch gr eat l y i nh i b i ted Catho l i c f or ces. H owever , af ter h i s death , and a m ajor def eat i n the Bat t l e of Nör d l i ngen , con t i nued Swed i sh par t i ci pat i on i n the war was under ser i ous doubt . T h i s l ed Fr an ce to i n ter vene d i r ect l y agai n st Im per i al f or ces i n 1635. W h i l st the Swed i sh i n ter ven t i on was som ewhat con f essi onal , the Fr en ch i n ter ven t i on was who l l y p r agm at i c. I f Im per i al f or ces won the war , then they wou l d be si gn i f i can t l y m or e power f u l , wh i ch wou l d l eave Fr an ce su r r ounded by two host i l e H apsbu r g power s, a posi t i on that wou l d su r el y l ead to the u l t im ate dem i se of Fr an ce. T he Fr en ch i n ter ven t i on caused Fer d i nand to sw i f t l y m ake peace w i th al l Germ an states? he w i thd r ew the Ed i ct . I t i s at th i s po i n t that the war ceased to be a Germ an ci v i l war , d r i ven by con f essi onal d i f f er en ces, and becam e a war between d i st i n ct Eu r opean states Saxony

abou t the estab l i shm en t of a bal an ce of power . T he con cl usi on of the con f l i ct w i th the Peace of Westphal i a i n 1648 r econ f i rm ed Pr otestan t r i gh t s, r ecogn i sed Cal v i n i sm as a r el i gi on , and add i t i onal l y guar an teed the r i gh t of r el i gi ous f r eedom to con f essi onal m i nor i t i es. T h i s peace ended con f essi onal con f l i ct th r oughou t the H o l y Rom an Em p i r e, m ak i ng i t the l ast con f essi onal war .

12

13