Was the Thirty Years War a religious war? The long answer is no, the short answer is that religious issues were rarely far from the forefront of the conflict, especially before 1635. By the late 1620s, the Emperor had arrived at a point where the reorganisation of his Hereditary Lands in Austria and Bohemia simply wouldn't do. He'd need, instead, to reap the fruits of his victory by reorganising the religious makeup of the entire Holy Roman Empire! The Edict of Restitution had a shaky birth, but its the aftermath brought a storm upon the Habsburgs like never before. This is the story of that Edict - how it came about, why the Emperor wanted it, and why nobody told him it would ruin any chance of peace for another twenty years.**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!4) For everything else, visit our website!5) For merchandise including tees and mugs, all you have to do is click here!6) Get our new Thirty Years War book, For God or the Devil!
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