Thirty Years War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

cardinal geezerhood War - Essay ExampleThe Thirty Year War marks the finale of its kind-a religious conflict fought under political guises. Unlike other religious wars, however, the Thirty Years War is known much more for its destruction, destitution, and lingering consequences completely this was effected by religion. Religion alone could have rendered possible all that was accomplished, but it was far from being the SOLE motive of the war. Had not private advantages and res publica interests been closely connected with it, vain and powerless would have been the arguments of theologians and the cry of the people would never have met with princes so willing to espouse their cause, nor the new doctrines have comprise such numerous, brave, and persevering champions. The Reformation is undoubtedly owing in a great measure to the invincible power of truth, or of opinions which were held as such. The abuses in the elder church, the absurdity of many of its dogmas, the extravagance o f its requisitions, necessarily revolted the tempers of men, already half-won with the promise of a better light, and favourably disposed them towards the new doctrines. The charm of independence, the rich plunder of monastical institutions, made the Reformation attractive in the eyes of princes, and tended not a little to strengthen their inward convictions (Schiller, 2006, p. 2).UndoubtedUndoubtedly, Europe had suffered through centuries of warfare before the Thirty Years War started in 1618 and the history of warfare, sadly, did not end after the Thirty Years War ended in 1648. In fact, shortly after the war in 1945, some historians tried to revise the traditional image of the Thirty Years War by...suggesting that the numerous complaints about the destruction of towns, the roughness of soldiers and in general about unmitigated plunder, pillage and atrocities should not really be taken seriously. Rather, it is argued, they are so many cases of special pleading by farmers and cit izens in order to get taxes and other impositions reduced (Asch, 2000, p. 291).Essentially, historians have attempted to scale down the level of destruction and destitution caused by the Thirty Years War by claiming that these farmers and citizens raised complaints and exaggerated their claims regarding the war in an effort to receive tax waivers and reductions (Asch, 2000). However, many historians have dismissed these claims. This dismissal may be partially due to a treatise released during the height of the Thirty Years War written by Franciscus Bonbra in which he describes some of the atrocities committed by mercantile soldiers They would rape any woman who seemed halfway attractive, plunder the houses, destroy the crops and beat and torture the peasants to extort money. In the end they would set the entire village on fire (Asch, 2000, p. 292). Bonbras treatise helped to lend credibility to the argument that the claims of destruction were valid since Bonbras treatise was writte n as a theoretical treatise rather than a petition seeking live on or tax waivers (Asch, 2000).In truth, the Thirty Years War left a wave of destruction unmatched until the 20th Centurys World Wars. The destruction, whether caused through scummy militaristic strategies, army composition, or overall famine and disease, led to several changes