Thirty Years War Assignment

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For the following assignment you will assume the identity of a governing head of one of the European states (you picked one in class) which became embroiled in the general wars of the first half of the 17th century. You should take some time to research and think about the questions below from the perspective of your state and be prepared to share and discuss your answers with the class with a 10 minute presentation. You should provide a single sheet of notes for the class that includes: 1) a brief overview summary statement of the fortunes of the state during the period, and 2) major historical information, the basics (peoples, places, events), that we should know about your state’s involvement in the wars.

Your task, then, is twofold:

A)      ORIENTATION: familiarize yourself with the state of your state in the early 17th century. Where are you located? Any strategic significance to your territories? How large is your population? What type of government do you run? Who are your friends and enemies? What are your main economic interests? Etc. ALSO: please include in your presentation mention of ONE particularly important individual from your state during the period (c.1610-1660) and explain his/her importance for the era.

B)      THE WARS: you may wish to address the following questions. These will be presented to the class.

  1. Who or what do you perceive as your biggest threat PRIOR to your involvement in the wars? Why?
  2. Why do you ultimately become involved in the  European wars between 1618-48?
  3. What could you possibly hope to gain by dragging your state into the conflict? What were your war aims when you entered the conflict?
  4. What is the situation of your state in 1648 (i.e. what have you lost or gained)?
  5. How do the Treaty of Westphalia, Treaty of Osnabrück, Peace of Münster and/or the Treaty of the Pyrenees affect your situation in Europe. (Please indicate at least one section of the treaties which relate to you directly.)
  6. What is your general situation when the dust settled? Who or what was your biggest threat following the conclusion of the wars in 1648/1659?

Note:  In order to complete this assignment it will be necessary to consult outside sources. There are some of my own on reserve in the library. You do not need to put together a power-point, but may if you wish. DO NOT simply put your notes on a PP slide!

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