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 new political order that is now known as
Westphalian sovereignty
.