Social Studies

MECS 9th Grade

Mr. Etienne
Lia Gil
 Thirty Year War
The Thirty Years' War was a war fought primarily in Central Europe between
1618 and 1648. It was one of the most destructive wars in all human history
and resulted in the death of 8 million people not only from military
engagements but also from violence, famine, and plague. Twenty percent of
the total population of Germany died during the conflict and there were
losses up to 50 percent in a corridor between Pomerania and the Black
Forest.

The war was fought by France, Spain, Holy Roman Empire, United Kingdom,
Kingdom of Scotland, Tsardom of Russia, etc. The Thirty-Year War started as
a battle among the catholic and protestant states that formed the holy
empire.

Causes of the Thirty Years War:

With Emperor Ferdinand II’s ascension to head of state of the Holy Roman
Empire in 1619, religious conflict began to foment. One of Ferdinand’s first
actions was to force citizens of the empire to follow to Roman Catholicism,
even though there was religious freedom granted as part of the Peace of
Augsburg. But after his decree on religion, the Bohemian nobility in present-
day Austria and the Czech Republic rejected Ferdinand II. They then showed
their displeasure by throwing his representatives out of a window at Prague
Castle in 1618. Ferdinand’s decision to take away their religious freedom
caused the primarily Protestant northern Bohemian states of the Holy
Roman Empire to want to break away and revolt; marking the first stage of
the Thirty Year’s War (movement was called the Bohemian Revolt). Soon,
armies for both sides were engaged in brutal warfare on multiple fronts.
Later on more and more countries got involved in the war.
 The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and
Muslims. The eight major Crusades expeditions occurred between the years
1096 and 1291. In the beginning the war was about religion but then turned
into a way to try to control Europe. The conflicts were bloody, violent and
often ruthless. They propelled the status of European Christians, making
them major players in the fight for land in the Middle East. In November of
the year 1095, at the Council of Clermont in southern France, the Pope
called on Western Christians to aid the Byzantines in recapturing the Holy
Land from Muslim control. This marked the beginning of the Crusades.
First Crusade (1096-1099): Four armies of Crusaders were formed from
troops of different Western European regions. They were led by Raymond of
Saint-Gilles, Godfrey of Bouillon, Hugh of Vermandois and Bohemond of
Taranto (with his nephew Tancred). In the first major battle between the
Crusaders and Muslims, Turkish forces crushed the invading Europeans at
Cibotus. Several other battles happened and the crusaders won and
conquered. But despite Tancred’s promise of protection, the Crusaders
slaughtered hundreds of men, women, and children in their victorious
entrance into Jerusalem.
Second Crusade (1147-1149): Having achieved their goal in an unexpectedly
short period of time after the First Crusade, many of the Crusaders departed
for home. Those who remained established four large western settlements,
or Crusader states, in Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch and Tripoli. Around 1130,
Muslim forces began gaining ground in their own holy war (or jihad) against
the Christians, whom they called “Franks”, and the crusaders lost the upper
hand. After Louis and Conrad managed to assemble their armies at
Jerusalem, they decided to attack the Syrian stronghold of Damascus with an
army of some 50,000 (the largest Crusader force yet). The combined Muslim
forces dealt a humiliating defeat to the Crusaders, decisively ending the
Second Crusade.

Iran–Saudi Arabia Proxy Conflict

The Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, also referred to as the Iran–Saudi
Arabia Cold War is the ongoing struggle for influence in the Middle East and
surrounding regions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia. The decades-old feud between them is exacerbated by
religious differences. They each follow one of the two main branches of
Islam - Iran is largely Shia Muslim, while Saudi Arabia sees itself as the
leading Sunni Muslim power.
 Opinion/Understanding
Is there ever a Godly reason to go to war?
God doesn’t want war, but if His people are being threatened and the
enemy or opponent refuse to solve the problem peacefully, then God would
let his people fight to defend their rights, their beliefs and their belongings
(Matthew 24:6). Also, when God wanted to give His children land there must
be a fight to obtain it (Deuteronomy 20:1-4). The enemies are not believers
of God nor His children so their ambition is evil and full of jealousy and God
is none of that.
Why are there religious wars?
A religious war is primarily caused by differences in religion. In my opinion
it’s a product of man’s lack of acceptance towards one another and
ignorance. People make up and add things to the Bible or a whole different
belief system not knowing they are just spouting lies and different forms of
blasphemy; this is what religion is mostly made of(James 1:26)(Psalms 43:1).
And religion as such makes a religious war.
Acts 24:14 God is not a religion. Religion is something made by man.
 Bibliography
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War
- https://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/civil_n2/histscript6_n2/thir
ty.html
- https://www.history.com/topics/reformation/thirty-years-war
- https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/crusades
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42008809
- https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Religion
- https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-
war/