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T
H E
HABSBURG
dream of
a un ified Empire em–
brac in g the ent i re
Chr istian world has
been thwar ted by the forces
of nationa lism and rel igious
enmity.
T he Schmalkaldic Wars be–
tween the Lutheran princes of
the Holy Roman Empire and
Catholic princes led by Emper–
or Charles V have ended in
1555 with the Peace of Augs–
burg. Now, both Roman Catho–
lics and Luthcrans are officially
recognized with i n
the Empire.
But this compromise
peace has many short-
THE
HISTORY
OF
EUROPE
&
THE
CHURCH
PARTSEVEN
become but a hollow name. The
French philosopher Voltaire will
shortly describe it as "neither holy,
nor Roman, nor an empire." Yet
the outward forms and titles of the
Empire are continued.
The Sun King
Further threatening the existence
of the Holy Roman Empire is the
rising power of France.
In 1661 young King Louis XIV
assumes active personal control of
the state affairs of France. Louis
has a strong sense of royal mission.
He wants to become the foremost
prince of Europe. He envisions
himself as the heir of
Charlemagne and seeks
to resurrect the Frank–
ish Empi re under his
leadership.
comings and satisfies
no one completely.
And
it
docs not recog–
nize Calvanism, a faith
that spreads rapidly in
the latter half of the
16th century.
Political rivalries
among the numerous
petty princes are sharp–
ened by religious dif–
ferences among thcm.
In 1618 the uncertain
peace collapses and the
most ter rible of all reli–
gious connicts brcaks
NAPOLEON
AND
THEPOPE
R uling from his
g rand palace at Ver–
sailles, Louis' royal
control is absolute.
"L'état c'est moi,"
he
declares- " 1 am the
state!" He is popularly
known as " T he Grand
Monarch," and as
le
Roí Soleil- "the
Sun
King."
Under
Louis,
France's influence in
Europe expands. The
French army becomes
out-the Thirty Years'
War.
The Thir ty Vears' Wa r
It
begi ns as a con flagration
between Catholic and Protestant,
but quickly grows into a life-and–
death national struggle between the
French Bourbons and Austrian–
Spanish Habsburgs for the
mastery
of Europe!
Not since Attila the Hun has
Europe seen such butchery and
destruction. l n this war,
al/
are los–
ers.
In 1648 the Pcace of Westpha1ia
ends the war and restores a precar–
ious peace to the Continent. But
the German countryside is ruined.
1t
will take a century to recover.
The war has dcalt a heavy blow
to the Holy Roman Empire. From
now on, the Empire has no history
of its own. It has become a loose
collection of separate rival states.
32
by
Keith W. Stump
Editor's Note: We continue our series
of articles on the centuries-long rela–
tionship between Europe and the
Church . Six installrnents have covered
the story to the death of Ernperor
Charles V in 1558. Part Seven surveys
the following two-and-one-ha/f centu–
ries. to Napoleon's dernise at Waterloo
in 1815.
By the year 1700, Germany is a
patchwork of more than 1,700
independent and semi-independent
princes and nobles. T hey are vassals
of the Habsburg Emperor in name
only.
Without a united and subservient
Empire, the Emperor's position in
Europe is weak. Prospects for rea1iz–
ing the ideal of a .single European
Empíre- a unified Christendom–
appear exceedingly dim.
T he " Ho1y Roman Empire" has
the strongest in Eu–
rope. The French mon–
archy reaches its ze–
nith.
Lou is embarks on a long series of
wars aimed at maintaini ng France's
domination of the Continent. This
policy ultimately leads to disaster.
The grcatest of these is the War of
Spanish Succession (1701-14), in
which Louis loses the fight to
secure the crown of Spain for his
grandson. I t is the culmination of
the rivalry between Bourbon and
Habsburg. An impoverished
France is reduced to a second-rate
European power- for a time.
The Rise of Prussia
Meanwhile, another European
power is on the rise-the Protes–
tant state of Brandenburg, soon to
be known as Brandenburg-Prussia,
or,simply Prussia.
Prussia is ru1ed by the Hohen–
zol1er ns, a fami l y of German
The PLAIN TRUTH