In the 1600's Germany burned half the Country to get rid of the Jesuits
The claim that Germany "burned half the country" in the 1600s specifically to get rid of the Jesuits is inaccurate. However, Germany did suffer catastrophic population losses of up to 40% during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), a conflict where the Jesuits played a notable role in the Catholic Counter-Reformation.
The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
Devastation: This war was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history, fought primarily in Central Europe (within the Holy Roman Empire, which included modern Germany). Some regions lost over half their population due to a combination of battle, famine, and disease.
Causes: The war stemmed from deeply entrenched tensions between Catholic and Protestant factions following the Reformation. It was a complex mix of religious passion and power politics, drawing in major European powers like Sweden, France, and Spain for dynastic and political reasons, not just religious ones.
Jesuit Role: The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was founded in the mid-16th century as a key force of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. They were influential confessors and educators for many Catholic rulers, including Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, whose staunch Catholic policies in Protestant Bohemia helped trigger the war. The Jesuits were indeed accused by Protestants of inciting unrest and meddling in politics, but they did not unilaterally cause the entire war or its destruction.
Expulsion of the Jesuits
The Jesuits were eventually expelled from various European countries, but this occurred much later, in the mid-to-late 1700s, long after the Thirty Years' War ended. The expulsions were primarily driven by political conflicts between national monarchies seeking to centralize power and the Jesuits, who were seen as owing their primary allegiance to the Pope in Rome.