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 Turin (1696) The war was formally ended by the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick which incorporated the Treaty of Turin. By splitting the Allies, Savoy's defection enabled Louis to obtain better terms at Ryswick than he might otherwise have done, for a relatively minor cost. France relinquished Pinerolo but Savoy's territories in Transalpine France were almost impossible to defend and were occupied by France again from 1704 to 1714. Victor Amadeus achieved his primary goals of recovering Pinerolo and Casale, while his daughter's marriage enhanced Savoy's position on the European stage. The cost was a devastated and impoverished country and "...a reputation for...cynical