The Thirty Years War

The Thirty Years' War began in 1618 (Davis 563). This war began with politics and religion, which, when combined over war, result in a bloody outcome.


Religion was a major reason for the Thirty Years' War. The Peace of Augsburg was an important factor in starting the war. Ever since it was issued in 1555, the arguments over religion raged even though peace had been brought to the land. In the Peace of Augsburg it declared that Lutheranism was the only Protestant religion that would be allowed to be practiced (Davis 504).

The Thirty Years' War mostly took place in the area we now know as Germany. obviously sparked by political means as well as religious. The Peace of Augsburg allowed the rulers to choose which religion would be practiced in their state. If a Protestant Lutheran lived in a Catholic state they could leave and go to a Protestant state. However, Lutheranism was not the only branch of Protestantism.


The Thirty Years' War began in Bohemia after Ferdinand the First, who was Catholic, was made king of Bohemia and Hungary. The majority of Bohemia was Protestant and all the residents of Bohemia held pride in their independence (Jerome Blum, Cameron, Barnes 207). It was in May 1618 when a few of the Bohemian nobles rebelled against Ferdinand by throwing three Catholic officials out of a window in the Hradschin Castle. The drop was around fifty feet. The Catholics were claiming that angels had saved them from dying. However, the Protestant party had said that they had landed in a pile of poop that just happened to be right outside the window (Jerome Blum, Cameron, Barnes 207-8).


The war began in 1618 (Davies 563) and ended in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia, which was a victory for the Protestants in Germany an a defeat for the Catholics. This peace allowed both Lutheranism and Calvinism to be legal religions and supported the Peace of Augsburg (Jerome Blum, Cameron, Barnes 212).


Religion and politics were the two major factors in the Thirty Years' War, which began in Bohemia and ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 (Jerome Blum, Cameron, Barnes 211). One reason the Thirty Years' War can be considered religious as well as political is because The Peace of Augsburg was very important in the Thirty Years' War.

Blum, Jerome, Rondo Cameron and Thomas G. Barnes. The European World a History. Boston; Little, Brown and Company, 1996.

Davies, Norman. Europe a History. New York: NY; Oxford University Press, Inc., 1996.

Renaissance Music

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance music were very different. Most of the people of the Renaissance preferred vocal music. However, there were many instruments during the Renaissance period.


The music of the Renaissance was very different from that of the Middle Ages. Music also changed during the Renaissance, because it had become more blended. Unlike the composers of the Middle Ages, who would have a variety of notes within their music, the writers in the Renaissance began to write music so that it would flow together and harmonize.


The most popular music in the Renaissance was vocal music. This kind of music was used in the church and in secular music as well. The music writers of the Renaissance wrote music in a way that the notes in the music would work in harmony with each other.


Ottaviano de'Petrucci came up with the idea that the printing press could be used for music, and because of this idea everyone could have music. This was a big impact on society because if everyone could buy music all classes could have it and those who had an education were required to learn to sing, dance and play an instrument. A few instruments used in the Renaissance were the recorder, the flute, the fife, and the tabor pipe, which is very much like a recorder, however, it only has three holes. Reed instruments, such as the shawm, rackett, dulcian and the crumhorn, were also used. A few of the Renaissance dances were the branle, a dance that is performed by a group of people who form either a circle or a chain, and the pavan is a dance that is to be danced to with instruments.


The music of the Renaissance was very different from that of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance music flowed more easily than the music of the Middle Ages. Even though vocal music was very popular during the Renaissance, instruments were also played during this time, to which certain dances could be performed.

Events Leading up to the Reformation

The Reformation took place because of Martin Luther's reaction to the indulgences, which caused many people to turn from the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther spoke out and taught against the indulgences(Koenigsberger64), and eventually nailed the 95 thesis on the church door.


The indulgences were sold in order to get money to rebuild Saint Peter's Church. They were purely based on good works, and were sold with the lie that if you bought one, you would get out of purgatory, or whoever you bought and indulgence for would get out of heaven. One of the men hired by Pope Leo X to sell these indulgences, was Johan Tetzle. However, not everyone bought this lie.

The monk and professor at the university in Wittenberg, Marin Luther, disagreed with the idea of the indulgences. Luther believed, and taught, that you can only be saved by believing in Christ Jesus. This was problematic for pope's position, because if you didn't need anybody to intercede for you for salvation, the pope would not have such a high position (Koenigsberger 64). The 95 thesis was Martin Luther's response to the indulgences (Graham-Dixon 207).


Martin Luther nailed the 95 thesis to the door of the Castle Church on October 31, 1517. Then in 1521, Martin Luther was brought to the Diet of Worms Council. However, the 95 thesis were copied by the printing press and was translated into the German language from the Latin it was written in.


The main cause of the Reformation was Luther's reaction to the indulgences sold by the church. Martin Luther's strong disagreement and objection to the indulgences was expressed through his teaching (Koenigsberger 64), and on October 31, 1517, when he nailed the 95 thesis to the church door.


Graham-Dixon, Andrew. Renaissance. BBC Worldwide Ltd, 1999.

Koenigsberger, H.G. Early Modern Europe 1500-1789. Longman Inc; NewYork, 1987.

Battle of Tours

The Battle of Tours began on October 10, of the year 732. It was an important event in European history.


The Battle of Tours, or Battle of Poitiers, was in 732. This battle was between the Muslims and France. The Frankish leader was Charles Martel, with twenty to thirty thousand men against the Muslim leader Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, who had eighty thousand men.


The Battle of Tours took place because of the Muslim invasion. The Muslims had conquered Egypt, Syria, and North Africa before they continued on to their attempt to conquer Western Europe, and to bring an end to the Christian Europe. Charles Martel, the King of France (Mills54), chose to fight the Muslims from higher ground, making his enemy charge up the slope in order to attack the Franks. This is one of the few times that infantry was able to defeat cavalry.


Charles Martel, or The Hammer, was the victor in the Battle of Tours on October 10, 732. The loses on both sides are not known, however, some of the chronicles estimate the loses of the Franks to be about one thousand five hundred, and the Muslims to have had ten thousand loses. The victory of Martel helped stop the invading Muslims and helped the Western European Christian states to grow, or develop.


The Muslims moved through Egypt Syria and North Africa as an unstoppable force. However, when they arrived at Tours in 732, they were stopped by the King of France and his army (Cantor 136), on October 10, 732.


Cantor, Norman F. The Civilization of the Middle Ages. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.; New York, NY, 1963-93.

Mills, Dorthy M.A. The Middle Ages. G.P. Putnam's Sons; New York, 1935.

Louis XIV

Louis XIV was born in September 1638 and was the ruler of France for seventy-two years. Louis XIV died in September 1715.


Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638. He was the son of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Louis' father died when he was only four years old. However, he was not allowed to rule until he was thirteen years of age.


During his reign, Louis XIV, or the Sun King, made a court in Versailles, the area that inspired Charles III of Naples and Sicily, hired Luigi Vanvitelli to create the design of his palace(Della Croce, Sacerdoti, 170). He also "brought absolute monarchy to its height." (source). Louis XIV ruled over England for seventy-two years, which was one of the longest reigns of his period.


Louis XIV,died on September 1, 1715. During his funeral, the words "'Dieu seul, mes feres,' intoned Bishop Massilon, 'Dieu seul est grand' (my brothers, God alone is great)", were spoken to start the "funeral oration"(Davies, 627). After his death one of his great grandsons inhereted the throne, becoming Louis XV.

LouisXIV was born on September 5, 16 1638. He reigned for seventy-two years, and died on September 1, 1715.



Davie, Norman. Europe a Histor. Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.: New York, NY, 1996.

Della Croce, Maria Laura, Annie Sacerdoti. The Great Book of Italy. Barnes & Nobel: New York, 2004.

The Black Death

The Black Death lasted from 1348-1350 AD. The Black Death had a great effect on the population of Europe.


The Black death, or Bubonic Plague, was a disease that swept through Europe, infecting twenty-five to fifty percent of its population by the time it receded. This plague had a great impact on the labor, since it was killing off many of Europe's citizens (Cantor 563). The plague caused its victims to have headaches, fevers and chills. They would also break out with buboes, which tended to form on the neck, armpits and the groin area. The Black death ravaged Europe from 1348 to 135.

The plague is believed to have come out of Asia, and then was carried by the Mongols into Europe through war and trade. many people believed that the plague was an airborne disease, so they used strong scents that overpowered the smell of the dead. However, the citizens of Europe didn't know the real carrier of this disease.


The carriers of this disease were rats. A person would get infected when a flea, carried by a rat, would bite them. The plague can also be spread through contact with an infected person or animal. It could be spread by merely touching an animal or infected person.



The Black Death lasted from 1348-1350 AD. It is believed that the Black plague came out of Asia and was spread by the Mongols. The cause of the plague is believed to be the flea bite. Because of this major outbreak of disease, there were not many areas that were untouched by the plague (Davies 411).

Cantor F. Norman. The Civilization of the Middle Ages: A Completely Revised and Expanded Edition of Medieval History. Harper Collins, 1963-93.

Davies Norman. Europe: A History. Oxford University Press Inc; 200 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 1996.

The Tudor dynasty

The Tudor dynasty began in 1485 (Blum Cameron Barnes, 61). The Tudor Dynasty was established after the War of Roses.


Henry VII became the king of England by defeating the Yorkists in the War of Roses. He was then married to Elizabeth of York. Through this marriage the Lancastrians and the Yorkists were gathered under one banner. Under Henry VII England became very strong.


While Henry VII governed England as a business man, Henry VIII is known for many accomplishments in the military, personal, religious and political areas. During his reignHenry made himself the 'supreme head' of Engalnd's church(Koenigsberger 60). Henry VIII is also known for his wives, Catherin of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymore, Anne of Cleves, Kathrin Howard and Kathrin Parr, and his horrible actions toward them.


Elizabeth I was also very important to the Tudor dynasty. Elizabeth earned her people's love during her reign. She also succeeded in the political area and chose her statesmen well. During her reign she also crushed rebellions and fought against invasions, and encouraged art and literature in her kingdom.


The Tudor dynasty began in 1485 (Blum Cameron Barnes, 61). Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I played very important roles in making England a strong state in Europe.

Blum, Jerome, Rondo Cameron, Thomas G. Barnes. The European World: A History. Little, Brown and Company, 1966.

H. G. Koenigsberger. Early Modern Europe 1500-1789: A History of Europe. Longman Inc.; New York, 1987.