One political consequence of religious upheaval in the period 1450 to 1750 was the Thirty Years' War, which ended with the Peace of Westphalia, and the loss of power by the Pope against protestant leaders in northern Europe.
The Thirty Years' War was a war fought on continental Europe from 1618 to 1648. It began as a religious dispute between Protestants and Catholics within the Holy Roman Empire. Gradually, most European countries were drawn into the fighting, many for reasons unrelated to religion. On the Catholic side were the Holy Roman Empire, the Catholic League and Spain; on the Protestant side a number of countries included France, Sweden and Denmark. Most of the battles were fought in central Europe, especially Germany. The war ended with the signing of the Münster Treaty, part of the Peace of Westphalia.
