三十年战争(1618～1648年)
Thirty Years' War
由於宗教、王朝、领土及商贸竞争等多种原因引起的欧洲地区一系列断断续续的冲突。全面的战争主要是由奥地利哈布斯堡王室控制的罗马帝国和由瑞典、荷兰反天主教势力支持的新教诸侯之间发生的斗争。其中也包含了与哈布斯堡王室联合的反法势力。冲突爆发於1618年，但是未来的皇帝斐迪南二世在其统治区域对罗马天主教施压，导致新教贵族起义。「布拉格扔出窗外」事件（Defenestration of Prague）是此次战争的导火线。战争的战场集中在德国诸侯国，因争夺战利品导致这些诸侯国遭到严重破坏。天主教联盟早期的胜利与瑞典的军事积累相抵消。西伐利亚和约（1648）标志着「三十年战争」的结束。此後，欧洲的势力均衡已经被完全打破。法国成为主要的西方强权国家，而神圣罗马帝国的诸国也完全独立，建立了由独立国家组成的现代欧洲框架。
English version：
1618～1648年
Thirty Years' War
Series of intermittent conflicts in Europe fought for various reasons, including religious, dynastic, territorial, and commercial rivalries. The overall war was mainly a struggle between the Habsburg-controlled Holy Roman Empire and the Protestant principalities that relied on the chief anti-Catholic powers of Sweden and the Netherlands. It also involved the rivalry of France with the Habsburg powers, which formed anti-French alliances. The conflicts began in 1618 when the future emperor Ferdinand II tried to impose Roman Catholicism on his domains and the Protestant nobles rebelled; the war was sparked by the Defenestration of Prague. The battlefield centered on the principalities in Germany, which suffered severely from plundering armies. Early successes by the Catholic League were countered by military gains by Sweden. When the bloodshed ended with the Peace of Westphalia (1648) , the balance of power in Europe had been radically changed. France emerged as the chief Western power and states of the Holy Roman Empire were granted full sovereignty, establishing a framework for a modern Europe of sovereign states.