European wars of religion European wars of religion The European wars of religion were a series of religious wars waged in 16th and 17th century Europe. The wars were fought in the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation (1517), which disrupted the religious order in the Catholic countries of Europe. However, religion was not the only cause of the wars, which also included revolts, territorial ambitions, and Great Power conflicts. By the end of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), Catholic France was allied with the Protestant countries against the Catholic Habsburg monarchy. The wars were largely ended by the Peace of Westphalia (1648), establishing a
Treaty of Madrid (1670) Treaty of Madrid (1670) The Treaty of Madrid (also known as the Godolphin Treaty) adopted in July 1670 was a treaty between England and Spain 'for the settlement of all disputes in America '.<ref name="SP 108/470"></ref> The treaty officially ended the war begun in 1654 in the Caribbean, in which England had conquered Jamaica. The treaty was highly favourable to England, as its ownership of territories in the Caribbean Sea was confirmed by Spain. The Anglo-Spanish war had begun in late 1654; in Europe the conflict ended with the Treaty of the Pyrenees (between France and Spain) and Charles II's