Ferdinand III was Archduke of Austria from 1621, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and of Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 to his death.
Christoph Simon von Thun (1582-1635), teacher of young Ferdinand III
Portrait of Ferdinand's wife Maria Anna of Austria, by Diego Velázquez
Emperor Ferdinand III with the electoral princes, Copperplate engraving by Abraham Aubry, Nuremberg 1663/64
Thirty Years' War
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The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle, famine, or disease, while parts of present-day Germany reported population declines of over 50%. Related conflicts include the Eighty Years' War, the War of the Mantuan Succession, the Franco-Spanish War, the Torstenson War, the Dutch-Portuguese War, and the Portuguese Restoration War.
Left to right: The Defenestration of Prague (23 May 1618) The death of Gustavus Adolphus at Lützen (16 November 1632) Dutch warships prior to the Battle of the Downs (21 October 1639) The Battle of Rocroi (19 May 1643)
"Winter's King", Frederick V of the Palatinate, whose acceptance of the Bohemian Crown sparked the conflict
The Catholic counter-offensive; Tilly's campaign during the Bohemian revolt and Palatine campaign
Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria whose seizure of the Palatinate expanded the war