Question

Why did France, a Catholic country, help the Protestants during the Thirty Year's War?

Answer 1

France wanted to break the power of the Catholic Hapsburgs monarchs, who ruled in Spain, Austria, and the Holy Roman Empire. So, the helped the Protestants... :)

Answer 2

It was kind of a 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' thing. France wanted to break the power of the Catholic Hapsburgs monarchs, who ruled in Spain, Austria, and the Holy Roman Empire (modern Germany). One way to do this was to side with the Protestants, who also fought against the Hapsburgs in the Holy Roman empire.