History Documentary with no narration published by ZDF in 2004 - English language
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Wars attributed to sanctity have an endless history. It continues today, when Islamic fundamentalists are still convinced that their inhuman terrorism is "holy war" (jihad) in the name of Allah. Calls for jihad are often heard from today's radical Islamists, while many Americans believe in a divine mission for the U.S. military-but the trail of war waged in God's name reaches back over 1,000 years.
In the modern world, many people regard the idea of a holy war as a contradiction. Killing thousands of people seems to be far from holiness. However, religion and war have gone hand in hand for a long time. There has always been fighting, plundering and killing in the name of God. For example, violence played a crucial role in the spread of Islam. The Crusades, when Christian knights repeatedly attacked the Middle East, are regarded as religiously motivated wars par excellence. Finally, in the 17th century, the Thirty Years' War followed, which plunged Germany in particular into murderous chaos...
This three-part series takes a deep look into the history of holy wars - from the Crusades, to Islamic warriors and to Luther's Reformation. "The Holy Wars" examines the historical relationship between militarism and strictly interpreted religion. With penetrating scholarly analysis and an energetic visual style, series provides a wide-ranging perspective on orthodoxy, empire, cultural domination, and the resistance they can incite.
Directed by Dirk Pohlmann ; Medi-Cine Medienproduktions GmbH for ZDF Enterprises in Association with 3sat and Phoenix Kanal
2) Christians against Christians
Corruption, loose morals, depravity - the German monk Martin Luther had enough of this and demanded a pure church and a pure faith. His goal was nothing less than a revolution: the Reformation of the church and the ousting of the "depraved" popes. Instead, the freedom within every Christian believer was to be expressed. The first example was the Peasants' Wars. Christianity once again became divided after the downfall of Byzantium: there were now Catholics, Lutherans and Reformed, for the rebels soon went their own way. The new longing for a purer Christianity soon led to the biggest catastrophe in Europe, the Thirty Years' War. It was not foremost a religious war, although it was easier to kill more mercilessly without a legitimation than have to worry about "eternal life." Europe lost half of its population during this period. The horror of the roving hordes of soldiers, the plunge into the most terrible atrocities that humans are capable of, caused the educated to doubt the beneficial power of religion. The separation of church and state is the result of the European experience of so-called religious wars.
Outlining the provincial causes and ravaging effects of Europe's Thirty Years' War, this program illustrates the ability of religious fervor to inflame nationalism and drive the quest for power. With background on Martin Luther's split with the Catholic Church and the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Dr. Helmut Neuhaus of Friedrich Alexander University offers detailed analysis of the Hapsburg-Bohemian conflict, the shifting alliances of Catholics and Protestants, and the mercenary campaigns of Wallenstein-leading to a comparison with large-scale natural disaster. The program clearly identifies the three-decade inferno as an inspiration for later divisions of church and state.
