The Lives of the Peasants in the 17th Century

The Lives of the Peasants
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The Lives of the Peasants
The 17th century was a period mixed with misfortunes and fortunes in equal measure. It was a duration riddled with the Little Ice Age, plagues, economic hardships, religious discord, wars, and on the positive side, advancement in modern science, medicine, transportation, food, and trendy fashion. Most societies were clustered into classes, with the wealthy landowners occupying the upper ruling noble class. The middle class comprised the gentry, yeomen, and merchants and the lower class or commoners included laborers, tenant farmers, and craftsmen (Lambert, 2021). Even though the lower class was predominantly rural and illiterate, the trade gains that occurred during this period impacted their lives. The Protestantism rise, the expansion of cities, and trade enabled some commoners to acquire independence and wealth.
Conversely, a world already ravaged by the little ice age and civil wars was disrupted by economic collapse and inflation for some commoners. Ultimately, a religious discord between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants would result in a devastating war that haunted 17th century Europe for thirty years. This essay will majorly focus on the war that happened between 1618 to 1648, resulting in a lot of deaths, political disorder, social breakdown, and a complete economic collapse.
The famous defenestration of Prague executed by the Bohemian nobility in 1618 against Ferdinand II's religious decree marked the beginning of the thirty-year war (History.com Editors, 2009). There was a tussle between the primarily protestant Holy Roman Empire northern Bohemian states with Ferdinand, who wanted to take away their religious freedom. When Emperor Ferdinand II ascended to the helm of the Holy Roman Empire state leadership, his first action was to contravene the 1555 Peace of Augsburg by forcing citizens to adhere to Roman Catholicism (History.com Editors, 2009). The treaty had allowed the realm's states princes to ascribe to Catholicism or Lutheranism/Calvinism.
The war primarily fought in central Europe is one of the most brutal and most protracted conflicts in human history. It claimed more than 8 million casualties resulting from the battle itself, diseases, harsh weather conditions, and famine. The war, which began as a disagreement between the Protestants and the Catholics of the Holy Roman Empire states, spilled over to neighboring countries and took a new trajectory. As the war progressed, it would eventually evolve from a religious conflict to Europe's sup...