Czechs call the following period, from 1620/1648 till the late 18th century, the "Dark Age." It is characterized by devastation by foreign troops; Germanization; and economic and political decline. The struggle between the Bohemian estates and Habsburg absolutism resulted in the complete subordination of the Bohemian estates to Habsburg interests. In the aftermath of the defeat at White Mountain, the Czechs lost their native noble class, their reformed religion, and a vibrant Czech Protestant culture. The German language became more prominent in government and polite society.