West vs East: Bohemia Style

Since the foundation of the dynasty, the House of Luxembourg had faced the challenges of both the West and well as the East. The challenges of ethnic diversity, struggles for sovereignty, and problems with succession riddled the Habsburg family. With the extension of their status outside of Bohemia and into the entire continent of Europe, their rule became even more complicated. As eventual rulers of the Americas, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and much of Eastern Europe every decision the family made had lasting consequences. This is most relevant during the period of the Renaissance.
Religion has probably been the most important aspect in the Westernization and modernization of Bohemia. The region had always been composed of many different ethnic groups, including the Roman, Celtic, German, and Slavic cultures. Christianity was the channel that introduced Western ideology, architecture, language, etc. into Bohemia and the rest of the East. The Reformation of the Catholic Church changed forever this balance of cultures in Bohemia and the rest of the East.
The Catholic Reformation, a period of religious changes—and, well, reformation—occurred after the famous protests of Martin Luther. As a result, Protestant religious flourished throughout Europe. The two most important Protestant religions in regards to this class include the Lutheran and Calvinist religions. At the same time, the Catholic Church faced new competition and Catholic governments, such as the Hapsburg dynasty, faced a new dilemma: toleration or forced religion?
Across Eastern Europe each country tended to have different policies toward religious toleration. Poland, for example, despite being a mostly Catholic state, allowed toleration officially and legally through the “Warsaw Confederation.” This allowed many different religious groups including “Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Jews in addition to the various Protestant groups” (Wandycz, 53) to practice their beliefs without fearing persecution—a very radical idea for the time. The Hapsburg dynasty, although being Catholic, unofficially allowed religious toleration in most of their territories, unlike the Spanish parts of the empire which answered to the Reformation with inquisition and torture of heretics. I believe that this religious toleration practiced in most Habsburg territories is what allowed the empire to remain as strong as it was, at least until the outbreak of the 30 Years War.
An interesting consequence of the Reformation was the strengthening of nationalism. Protestant churches published bibles in local languages, and the Catholic Church quickly followed suit. These scriptures published in the vulgar tongues of the people helped unite and formalize bonds between different cultural groups. Whether increased strengthening of nationalism was actually beneficial or not to imperialists such as the Habsburgs is unclear.
Another difference between the West and the East laid in the basic foundations of society. Although historically all of Europe had at one point been ruled by fiefdoms, during the sixteenth century Western Europe began to part with this practice and instead moved toward monarchial absolutism. In Eastern Europe autocracy instead of absolutism took hold. Bohemia, for example, “comprised the three estates of lords, knights, and burghers.” (Wandycz, 63)  The Habsburgs, however, increasingly tried to follow the Western practice of highly centralized government, leading to resistance from the people.  This was a key weakness of the dynasty.
From its inception, the Habsburg dynasty had faced cultural and political struggles that became exemplified in the sixteenth century by the rapidly changing religious and political atmospheres of the time. The increasing distance between the East and the West, and the Habsburgs role in the center of the two regions, led to instability and conflict.

Europe in Crisis: Leading up to the 30 years war

According to the reading by C.V. Wedgwood, the years leading up to the 30 Year War in Europe were full of chaotic and dangerous collisions of religious differences and family loyalties, facilitated by a weak governing structure in Germany.

Toward the end of the sixteenth century, religious factions increased in number and strength in Europe. There existed the two largest divisions, Catholics and Protestants, the latter mostly divided between Calvinists and Lutherans. Religious affiliation was incredibly strong at the time, and Wedgwood explained that "loyalty to a cause or to a religion, even to a master was commonly more highly esteemed than loyalty to a country. (pg 15)" The people cared more about their religious freedom than political ties, wreaking havoc for leaders of the time.

Another aspect contributing to the complexity of the time was the rivalry between families, most importantly the Hapsburgs. At this time the Hapsburg dynasty controlled Spain, Austria, most of Italy, and the Spanish Netherlands, most of the New World, and all of these territories were under Catholic rule. A northern sector of the Netherlands was won by Dutch Protestants, but after a twelve-year truce the Spaniards were legally allowed to try and reclaim the land. At this time most of Europe was already bracing itself for a Protestant vs Catholic showdown in the Netherlands. What most of Europe didn't realize was the intense heat that was brewing in the Holy Roman Empire.

Not only were the Hapsburgs in control in Spain, but they also controlled the crown in Bohemia. Bohemia served as part of the complex conglomeration of small territories ruled by princes in the Germanic Holy Roman Empire. The empire was divided between all three religious sects, and it was decided that each prince could determine the proper religion for his territory. This did little to relieve tensions between the three major religious factions. In Bohemia, which was ruled by a Catholic Hapsburg but primarily a Protestant population, tensions began to flair when searching for an heir to the throne. Hapsburgs wanted to keep the crown in the family, but the Bohemians--and most others--were strongly opposed the increasing Hapsburg influence in European politics. To make matters worse, the only two legitimate options were air-headed and inconsistent Frederick, a Protestant, and Ferdinand--Catholic, Hapsburg, and Brutal.

At the beginning of the conflict Hapsburgs fared well because of their Catholic background. Europe was strongly divided religiously, and even many rulers who were frankly sick of Hapsburg influence preferred a Catholic ruler to a Protestant. Secondly, Protestants were greatly divided into Calvinists and Lutherans, and unable to trust let alone work together. These factors led to the success of the Hapsburg dynasty, with all of its possessions and riches, at least at the beginning of the conflict.