Final answer:
The amusing event that began the Thirty Years' War was the 'Prague Defenestration,' where Bohemian Protestants defenestrated Catholic officials, leading to a Europe-wide conflict resolved by the Peace of Westphalia.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Defenestration of Prague: The Spark of the Thirty Years' War
The event that precipitated the Thirty Years' War was the Prague Defenestration. This incident occurred when Bohemian Protestant nobles threw two Catholic regents and their secretary out of a window of Prague Castle in May 1618, following the election of the staunchly Catholic Ferdinand II as Holy Roman Emperor. The defenestration was a protest against the infringement of Protestant rights, and although the men survived the fall, the act symbolized the religious and political discontent in the region. It led directly to the Bohemian Revolt and the wider conflict that would engulf much of Europe for the next thirty years, drawing in nations such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, and France.
The war was not simply a religious conflict but also a struggle for political power among European states. The Peace of Westphalia, which ended the war in 1648, marked a turning point in European history, leading to a new balance of power and the recognition of state sovereignty. Though the conflict began with the defenestration event, it ultimately reshaped the political and religious map of Europe.