#TodayInHistory The 3rd defenestration of Prague, when Bohemian Protestants threw the Catholic representatives of the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II in 1618, begins the 30 years War in Europe, one of the largest Protestant-Catholic conflicts ever.

What started out as a Protestant vs Catholic conflict, turned into a major conflict involving all the major powers in Europe, that would impact it's history in many ways. It was more a rivalry between the French and Habsburgs for supremacy in Europe.

The 30 years war was mainly due to the insistence of the Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II, in imposing Catholicism on his Protestant domains. The Prague defrenestation was the turning point, as the Catholic states, joined against the Protestants.

Though the Catholic state of Bavaria initially managed to crush the Bohemian revolt, the involvement of other major Protestant kingdoms, turned the tide, as the war now turned into a major conflict.

The Swedish Protestant ruler Gustavus Adolphus, led the Protestant charge, supported by France. Again though the French were Catholic, they supported the Protestants mainly due to their rivalry with the Habsburgs.

What started out as a Bohemian protest against Catholic dominance, escalated into a full scale war, that would devastate Europe, resulting in high mortality rates, from disease and hunger. As well as bankrupting all the major powers.

The War finally came to an end with the Treaty of Westphalia, that resulted in following
1) Rise of the Bourbons in France
2) Habsburgs authority eroded
3) Sweden became a great power
4) Formation of Dutch republic leading to a golden age in their history.