It was formed on 14 May 1608 by Frederick IV, Elector Palatine in order to defend the rights, land and safety of each member . It included both Calvinist and Lutheran states, and dissolved in 1621. The union was formed following two events.
Why was the Protestant Union Important?
Protestant Union, in German history, an alliance of German Protestant leaders of cities and states, founded in 1608 for the avowed purpose of defending the lands, person, and rights of each individual member .
Why did France join the Protestant League?
No longer able to tolerate the encirclement of two major Habsburg powers on its borders, Catholic France entered the Thirty Years’ War on the side of the Protestants to counter the Habsburgs and bring the war to an end.
Who were the Protestant princes?
- John the Steadfast of Wettin, Elector of Saxony.
- George the Pious of Hohenzollern, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.
- Ernest I the Confessor of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of Lüneburg-Celle and his brother.
- Francis, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of Gifhorn.
- Philip I the Magnanimous, Landgrave of Hesse.
Who led the Protestant League?
A Catholic League, headed by Duke Maximilian I . 1573–1651, elector (1623–51) and duke (1597–1651) of Bavaria, one of the outstanding figures of the Thirty Years War and an ardent supporter of the Counter Reformation.
Who won 30 Years war?
The war finally ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Austria was defeated, and its hopes for control over a Catholic Europe came to nothing. The Peace of Westphalia set the religious and political boundaries for Europe for the next two centuries.
When was the war between Catholic and Protestant?
The war lasted from 1618 to 1648 , starting as a battle among the Catholic and Protestant states that formed the Holy Roman Empire. However, as the Thirty Years’ War evolved, it became less about religion and more about which group would ultimately govern Europe.
How many Protestants were killed in France?
Mass slaughters continued into October, reaching the provinces of Rouen, Lyon, Bourges, Bourdeaux, and Orleans. An estimated 3,000 French Protestants were killed in Paris, and as many as 70,000 in all of France . The massacre of Saint Bartholomew’s Day marked the resumption of religious civil war in France.
Why did France support the Protestants in the 30 years war?
France had both political and religious motivations for becoming involved in the 30 years war. The 30 years war was an effort to stabilize the power of the Holy Roman Empire and to suppress the growing anti Catholic movement of the Protestant Reformation .
What was the Protestant League?
Protestant League may refer to: League of Torgau (1526–1531), the earliest league of Protestant princes against the Catholic League of Dessau, succeeded by the Schmalkaldic League. ... Heilbronn League (1633–1635), a league of western and southern Protestant German states under Swedish and French guidance.
What was the name of the Protestant alliance?
Protestant Union, also called Evangelical Union or Union of Auhausen, German Protestantische Union, Evangelische Union, or Union von Auhausen , military alliance (1608–21) among the Protestant states of Germany for mutual protection against the growing power of the Roman Catholic states of Counter-Reformation Europe.
Who opposed the rule of Charles?
Charles V was opposed by Protestants in Germany over which he ruled. The Schmalkaldic League, a group of Lutheran princes and leaders was formed in...
Who won the war of the Protestant League?
Structural origins. The 1552 Peace of Passau ended the Schmalkaldic War between Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire, while the 1555 Peace of Augsburg tried to prevent future conflict by fixing existing boundaries.
How long did the reformation last?
Historians usually date the start of the Protestant Reformation to the 1517 publication of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses.” Its ending can be placed anywhere from the 1555 Peace of Augsburg, which allowed for the coexistence of Catholicism and Lutheranism in Germany, to the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty ...
When was the Protestant Union formed?
The Protestant Union, also known as the Evangelical Union, Union of Auhausen, German Union or the Protestant Action Party, was a coalition of Protestant German states. It was formed on 14 May 1608 by Frederick IV, Elector Palatine in order to defend the rights, land and safety of each member.
