Thirty Years' War
Emperor Mattias, who had no children, wanted to give the throne of the Holy Roman Empire to Ferdinand II when he died. To ensure that the transition would work, he wanted to make Ferdinand the Crown Prince of Bohemia, a country that was part of the Holy Roman Empire, in the meantime. Some of the Protestant leaders of Bohemia thought that Ferdinand would take away their religious rights. They liked the Protestant Frederick V, Elector of the Palatinate better. However, some of the other Protestants supported Ferdinand. Enough people preferred Ferdinand that in 1617, he was elected to become the Crown Prince of Bohemia.