86 Years of Killing: Europe's Wars of Religion Explained

Between 1562 and 1648, Europe killed millions of its own people over communion theology, papal authority, and which prince ruled which territory. The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre alone killed between 5,000 and 30,000 people in days. The Thirty Years' War may have killed 8 million in central Europe and erased half the population of some German regions. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 ended the killing and invented the modern sovereign state. Watch the next video in the playlist: the Bible itself and how its canon was decided. ▶ Watch next: Men Were Burned for Translating This Book: How English Got the Bible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZdoQbB180k 📺 Full playlist: Heretics, Kings, and the Bible: A History of Christianity https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlIAFxS29649uSipGQOgELRjHwsm3Aib8 Chapters: 0:00 A Royal Wedding and a Massacre 4:36 Why the Massacre Made Sense to Its Architects 9:29 Henry IV and the Edict of Nantes 13:57 The Dutch Revolt: Eighty Years Against Spain 18:02 The Thirty Years' War: Four Phases 23:52 The Human Cost and the Peace of Westphalia 29:14 What Survived: Diaspora, Sovereignty, and the Modern Echo 33:57 Quiz Time 36:17 Key Takeaways #ChurchHistory #BibleHistory #christianity --- Disclosure The avatars and voices in this video are AI-generated. All content -- research, scripts, lesson design, and the custom video engine -- is created by a CISSP, CISM, and PMP certified professional with a Master's in Project Management, a B.S. in Information Technology, and a Doctorate in Business Administration in progress. This channel exists to make learning accessible and straightforward. Educational history series. This channel does not represent any church, denomination, government, or academic institution. Sources for every historical claim are cited in the script. Religious belief is personal — this series presents the historical record, not theology.