The Reformation- John Calvin

John Calvin was a big part of the Reformation. He had new ideas that were the opposite of Martin Luther's, and developed a lot of followers in the process. Calvin had strong predestination beliefs and thought that man could only approach God in faith through Christ and not just by attending church or through pilgrimages. He also believed that the New Testament and baptism were created to help Man find guidance when seeking God and faith. Calvin's ideas appealed to many people resulting in many followers. He was a large part of the Reformation and his ideas resulted in the new religion of Calvinism.

Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War was caused by political and religious problems, much like any other conflicts during this time. There were strong tensions between Catholic and Protestant states that caused initial conflict, however a revolt against Habsburg rule in 1618 started the actual warefare. This caused a widespread war across Europe involving more countries such as Spain and the Netherlands who previously had a truce between them, which expired in 1621. After the war was over, it had caused much economic devestation and also a very large population decline. A series of treaties called the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 eventually ended the fighting in the empire for good.