Many of the era’s major powers, including Spain, France, Sweden, and Austria, were drawn in. The result was the Thirty Years’ War, the most violent and destructive episode in European history until the two world wars of the twentieth century.
新教徒和天主教徒都转向日后成为德国的领地内宗教盟友寻求支持。许多当时的列强，包括西班牙、法国、瑞典和奥地利，纷纷卷入其中。结果是三十年战争（Thirty Years’ War）&mdash;&mdash;欧洲历史上最暴力、破坏力最强的事件，直到20世纪才被两次世界大战超越。