8th November 1620: Battle of White Mountain fought near Prague in the early stages of the Thirty Years’ War

While the Battle of White Mountain allowed Ferdinand II to reassert Habsburg control over the region, initiating a harsh re-Catholicization process and stripping the Bohemian nobility of their lands and privileges, the war grew into a pan-European conflict that caused up to 8 million military and civilian deaths.

1st March 1562: Massacre of Vassy marks the beginning of the French Wars of Religion

The massacre at Vassy exacerbated religious tensions that had been simmering for years, serving as a rallying cry for both Catholics and Protestants, each side seeing the incident as justification for their cause. Within just a few weeks of the massacre, violence erupted across the country.