Man crash course has always been like a safe form of entertainment ya know? Like the intro, everything, just makes me feel safe and comfortable, I listen to crash course while I’m studying related topics, just to get me in that fun learning mode. I used to listen to crash course to fall asleep cause it’s so consistent and informative while not being boring
"Unlike the Hundred Years War, the Thirty Years War did last for 30 years." While John isn't wrong, it is worth noting that, because of the international character of the Thirty Years War, that statement is only true when talking about the German states of the Holy Roman Empire. The war also included the Spanish and the Dutch fighting in the Eighty Years War, the Polish-Swedish War, and others beside. Seriously, the history of the Thirty Years War is a cluster**** of epic proportions.
DietrichvonSachsen 😢 Indeed so! Add the English Civil Wars (there were two) that also involved Scotland and Ireland hardly anywhere in Europe was unaffected. Include the Anglo - Dutch War and it appears that no nation was immune to war with any other nation during this period of history.
WHEN THEY FACE DEATH THEY'RE ALL ALIKE, NO RIGHT OR WRONG RICH OR POOR NO MATTER WHO THEY WERE BEFORE GOOD OR BAD THEY'RE ALL THE SAME REST SIDE BY SIDE NOW *HAS MAN GONE INSANE*
The realistic human hands in the "though bubble" section fit surprisingly well. Like if Eldritch abominations were playing with the contenders of the war. Great stuff.
Nice video, shame that you barely mention anything that happened in Eastern Europe. In 17th century both Russia and Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth went through destructive wars and civil wars. Moskov was sacked. And Wars in 17th century killed up to 30% of population of Polish Kingdom (more destructive than II World War), which lead directly to 3 partitions of PLC in 18 century.
Heck, the Commonwealth didn't need to be involved in 30 years war to be as (if not more) affected by warfare and famine as the rest of Europe. Also, this series largely ignores Eastern Europe, because it's adressed mostly to American students, to whom Eastern European history is irrelevant.
@@nimajneb1219 Wait a minute. I've never suggested that the Americans are dumb. I merely stated that this series is aimed at them - and what they learn in schools.
Man, this topic (Crisis of the 17th Century) requires more than a crash course considering the multitudes of violent deadly events causing human suffering on an epic scale globally. Issues like the Witch hunts which peaked during this time. Issues like 41% of the population of Ireland being wiped out, the English civil wars, French civil wars (which the great general Viscount Turenne fought in), the Great Northern War, the slow collapse of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. Also aside from Western Europe, China was utterly devastated by the 4 decade long transition from Han Ming rule to Manchu Qing rule, such that over 25 million people died, 3 times the casualties of the Thirty years war. Regions like Henan lost 7/10 of their entire population to disease, drought and violence. Heck even in Africa, there was a Mauritanian Thirty Years war between the Arabs and Berbers. Truly one of the most interesting times to learn about.
Ah, good ol' defenestration! The scriptwriter's method of choice for dispatching your villain in a G to PG-13 film. Unless you show the landing. Then it is very R-rated.
The causes of the war were complex. There are many historians that argue that when the Protestants seized all church property that that caused the war. Had they not, there may not have been battle or at least not to the scale we saw. So yes, there are different interpretations for the cause or causes (more than one) of the war. For John Green to say religion (a term used for everything from druidism to Catholicism) caused the war, is just a poor choice of phrasing at best.
No wonder my people on my father's side of the family migrated to the midwest from Germany in Stuttgart, Baden Baden and the black forest. If they could't farm anymore, everything was too expensive and there was war everywhere it explains why about 15 people came over here. They came over her around 1780 and some even fought in the US Civil War.
Hey John, thanks for explaining this century for me - it really helps. I still am not convinced the "Wars of Religion" were about religion. It seems that political ambitions were at the root of the 30 years war, and religious difference was simply used to permit the violence which would have been censured without it. As with France, eventually they didn't need to bother to pretend the war was for religious reasons. I also think the whole 'taking land away from people for the Catholic church' doesn't tell the whole story: these monasteries were violently occupied by rulers using the protestant reformation to do openly what they had been trying to do on the sly always: steal wealth that was given for religious reasons so that they could use it for worldly reasons, like war. That's my view.
The real terror of the casualties you can see if you look at the per-capita deaths. Millions died (estimates range from 3 to 10) out of a European population of 80 million. It's unfathomable.
4:05 SECOND Defenestration of Prague. It sounds silly, but the First Defenestration Of Prague brought on the Hussite wars, which were between Catholics and Protestants in the 1500s, and they featured the first use of mobile artillery (wagons with cannons mounted on them), the early models of Pike&Shot, pikes, in general, proved their worth on the battlegrounds of the Hussite wars, so it is kind of a big difference. It's kind of like the First and Second world wars - the first invented all the stuff and yes was a big deal everywhere but it was just a bunch of "local" wars, then the second turned out to be far bigger, and improved on and used the inventions of the first one.
And now I think I know why high school history skimmed past this whole war almost as if it were a footnote. Partly because it's obviously *hugely* complex. Partly because I don't think the faint of heart could have withstood hearing about it. I am by no means the toughest person when it comes to hearing and understanding disastrous things. I cried at this week's Animal Wonders video, for instance. But this made my stomach turn even as I tried my best to pay attention. And this happened hundreds of years ago, yet reminds me so strongly of things happening right NOW. It physically hurts me to think about that.
Ever wondered, how the rich and densely settled hanse land of Mecklenburg and Pommerania could become the almost depopulated wilderness it is today? Loosing 75% of your population during the 30 years war, followed by the lengthy reconquest from the Swedes, Napoleon, the soviet conquest in WWII and finally the depopulation of the unification... it's a lot that this landscape had to take, but the tombstone basically was planted during the 30 years war.
Hello, I really enjoyed this part. I just want to point out, that The Defenestration of Prague in 1618 wasn´t the second but actually the third one, since there was also a defenestration in 1483, however it was "less" important (though still some people died). I´m lookind forwards to the next part. :)
In the area I am from (Eastern Bohemia) around 50% of total population was lost during the 30 years war. No all perished though: as a consequence of the counter-reformation, many people had to leave their homes to avoid forces conversion to the catholicism..
John Greene forgot to mention, that the consequence of the Defenestration of Prague tends to be a very long and very devastating religious war: in 1419, it sparked the Hussite wars which lasted until 1434, claimed great many lives and left meny places in the Czech kingdom (and beyond) torched and ruined.
My 8th Great Grandfather on my mother's maternal side, Johann Peter Nickum, was born in Ulmet, Pfaltz, Germany October 5th, 1715 and married his wife on April 29th, 1745 in Irtzeiler, Palatine, Germany, when it was still the Holy Roman Empire. They first came to the New World aboard the ship Samuel, taking off from Rotterdam, Netherlands to Deal, England and then finally to Philedelphia, Pennsylvania. Johann is listed in Pennsylvania German Pioneers by Hinkle & Strassburger. They lived in Berks Co. Pennsylvania until they moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland where he would eventually be buried. Three of his sons (Michael Nickum Sr., Johann George, and Peter Nickum) were a part of the Revolutionary War. 🇺🇸
So if you think George R. R. Martin's style of writing the horrors of war are too gruesome, just watch the bit starting with 9:50 ''Roasting people alive, torturing people's genitals until victims died and raping girls to death became standard behaviour by then''
Chris Frank I only bring it up because a portion of this episode is dedicated to discussing the 30 years. The most potent effects of the 30 years war were the creation of sovereignty in western states along with the formation of the idea of nationhood which is why I though it be worth mentioning...
0:17 It’s a view of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church in Quebec City from a 1759 sketch by military artist Richard Short, “Quebec City after the War.” The war being the Conquest of New France by Britain and its American colonies. Restoration completed in 1816, it’s still there today on Place Royale. My erudition and pedantry aside, it’s still a good illustration of the ravages of war in the early modern era.
There hasn't been a new Crash Course European History in a couple of weeks. Is it coming back? Can't wait to learn about the Scientific Revolution. Such a good show!
Interesting note to end on. It makes me think about the saying that "necessity is the mother of invention." Does prosperity encourage some complacency? Have big shifts in thought that challenged orthodoxy and revolutionized our lifestyles taken place in times of prosperity?
Also notable: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms across the British Isles, 1639-1651, including the famous English Civil War of 1642-1651, which saw the execution of King Charles I and the rise and fall of the Commonwealth of England and Oliver Cromwell.
Ferdinand II : Do either of you recognise this? *[shows picture of Gustavus Adolphus]* German Catholics: The King of Sweden. Ferdinand: You know him? German Catholics: Know him? He's been terrorising us all summer!
@@WombatKnul yeh, they were so wealthy that the farmers didn't even have to plant grain or other low earnings crops because they could just import them from the baltic sea. thats how big of an overflow of food and wealth they had. And then im supposed to believe that while this was going on every other nation in Europe was starving?
@@god5620 I think you know your version is also a bit 'short through the corner' as we like to say in the Netherlands. But I do indeed agree with your statement that the narrative of this show tends to push a distorted view of the past that primarily focusses on the negative aspects of the time and exaggerates them.
A bit sad that you didn't mention that the thirty years war set at the tail end of the eighty years war between the Netherlands and Spain. Especially because the early dutch republic was an example of an early "modern" democracy and stuff
The 1640s were pretty bad for everyone. Huge, bloody rebellions against the Mogul Empire rocked India, killing hundreds of thousands. The Manchu tribes conquered China and overthrew the Ming Dynasty, killing millions (with a death toll worse than the 30 Years War). The English Civil War raged on, the huge Fronde rebellion rocked France, the Kongo Kingdom collapsed in central Africa, large famines struck Mexico and Peru. It was a bad, bad time around the world except for maybe the Netherlands, Japan and Russia.
It's always such a good idea for zealots to be in charge. And I don't just mean religious zealots, I mean anyone who is so absolutely committed to an ideal that they no longer care about people.
As an English adult I’m affronted you say England was involved in this in this war. English history is war hungry enough without unnecessarily adding to it.
1:33 Actually, recent research has shown that the Little Ice Age was likely caused largely by reforestation of depopulated areas in the new world. Weird, innit.
Hey man, lay off the guy who named the Hundred Years' War. It's called poetic licence. As an author, you should appreciate that. '116 years' war' doesn't have the same ring
Meanwhile, religious freedom in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had been guaranteed sinced 1573, but it's hard to tell if the writers of this series are aware that the PLC or anything else East of Germany ever even existed.
PLC was hardly in the better shape at the time. The wars it got to endure in the period were more destructive than both world wars, just like with 30 years war.
@@peachykeen3194 The thing is, this series is targeted at young American students, to whom the Eastern European history is not needed at their curiculum.
Why is it not needed? If America preaches itself to be such a tolerant democratic society, I would think that the PLC, with its elected leader and religious freedoms in an age of absolutism and persecution, would be highly relevant.
