Austria was located in central Europe, surrounded by German States in North-west, Italy in South, France in West, Russia in North-east and Ottoman Empire in South-west. Habsburg was the ruling family and traditionally well connected to Roman Catholic Church. Habsburg has been Holy Roman Emperor dated back to 1278. Habsburgs steadily increase their lands through strategic marriages, gaining Burgundy, the Netherlands and eventually Spain and Southern Italy, as well as lands belonging to Hungary.
Charles V of Austria allowed the princes of each German state to choose their state’s religion during the Reformation. Many German states adopted Protestantism, causing tension within the Holy Roman Empire. In 1556, he was forced to abdicate and the vast Habsburg Empire was split in two, Habsburg Spain and German land controlled by Habsburg Austria. The Habsburg-controlled Holy Roman Empire sought to re-establish its imperial authority against the protestant German princes. There were a series of wars from 1618-1648. Initially a civil war between rival religious factions in Germany as a result of Reformation, the 30 years War became a battle for European supremacy.
Holy Roman Empire was first ruled by Charlemagne (742-814 B.C.). But by the end of 16th century, the empire included much of Germany, part of the Netherlands, Bohemia (Czech Republic), and many states in Italy. By the end of 30 years War there had been a shift in power among the states. France became the greatest land power, replacing Spain in European continent. Also there emerged a system of sovereign states with fixed geographical boundaries and states of the Holy Roman Empire were granted full sovereignty. It was recognized that citizens were bound to the laws of their own government, instead of Roman Catholic Church. The German states remained as shattered sovereign states but not unified as a single country. They had their own laws and own army. These changes marked the decline of the Holy Roman...