The Thirty Years War is considered the first modern "World War". It was actually many wars, declared and undeclared,
lasting from 1618 to 1648 throughout central Europe.
The war was fought mainly against the House of Austria:
the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors Ferdinand II and III,
along with Ferdinand III's cousin Philip IV. Their opponents
included France, Sweden, the Danish and Dutch. The war was also partly a religious war among the Catholics,
Lutherans and Calvinists. Ferdinand II and his ally
Maximillian I represented Catholicism while Frederick V of
the Palatinate represented the equally militant forces of
Calvinism. Ultimately, political and economic exhaustion led to stalemate and negotiation, thus the end of the war.
Background to the Thirty Years War
The Bohemian Phase
The Palatinate Phase
The Danish Phase
The Swedish Phase
The French Phase