The Level of Devastation in the 30 Years War

The 30 years war held such sway over the german psyche. Even after the napoleonic wars and everything else, there was still nothing, nothing at all, that compared to what devastation happened in the 30 years war. The population of the holy roman empire in the year 16 hundred was between 18 to 20 million. And by 16 50, it was between 11 to 13 million. So by some accounts, it nearly half, by others, still a devastating loss of late.