1. A series of costly, devastating wars, inflamed by religious motives, raged in Europe in the period between the 1560s and 1650s.
2. The most devastating war was the Thirty Years' War. It was brought to an end by the Peace of Westphalia, which signified major international changes and a new period of relative calm.
3. New weapons, tactics, and armies revolutionized war during the period.
4. Throughout Europe tensions created great internal unrest, often breaking out in revolt and civil war.
5. During the mid-seventeenth century, new political patterns were established that would hold for some time.
