de burg , ▁ 1 2 ▁bishop rics ▁and ▁over ▁ 1 0 0 ▁religious ▁houses ▁around ▁the ▁German ▁states . ▁The ▁Ed ict ▁resulted ▁in ▁a ▁great ▁transfer ▁of ▁power ▁and ▁property ▁away ▁from ▁the ▁Protest ants ▁to ▁the ▁C athol ics , ▁and ▁in ▁effect ▁bro aden ed ▁a ▁divis ive ▁religious ▁struggle ▁into ▁that ▁plus ▁a ▁d yn astic ▁struggle ▁for ▁power , ▁as ▁seen ▁from ▁the ▁view point ▁of ▁many ▁smaller ▁German ▁princes , ▁who ▁might ▁otherwise ▁have ▁stayed ▁neutral . ▁ ▁Other ▁states ▁were ▁greatly ▁affected ▁when ▁the ▁mer cen ary ▁arm ies ▁march ed ▁through ▁neutral ▁states ▁or ▁rav aged ▁them ▁in ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁their ▁for aging ▁exped itions . ▁ ▁Th ous ands ▁of ▁Protest ants ▁fled ▁to ▁Protest ant ▁controlled ▁states , ▁generally ▁bro aden ing ▁the ▁war , ▁and ▁central ▁Germany ▁was ▁rav aged ▁repeatedly , ▁by ▁some ▁estimates ▁losing ▁between ▁ 2 5 % ▁and ▁ 5 0 % ▁of ▁its ▁pre - war ▁population ▁because ▁the ▁compet ing ▁arm ies ▁contin ually ▁took ▁the ▁food — the ▁majority ▁of ▁civil ian ▁death s ▁being ▁caused ▁by ▁the ▁tw in ▁side - effect s ▁of ▁fam ine , ▁and ▁death s ▁from ▁en demic ▁dise ases ▁under ▁populations ▁weak ened ▁by ▁fam ine . ▁ ▁The ▁greatest ▁impact ▁was ▁in ▁n ortheast ▁Germany . ▁It ▁was ▁here ▁that ▁Ferdinand ' s ▁power ▁was ▁at ▁its ▁weak est . ▁Ferdinand ▁appointed ▁Imperial ▁administr ators ▁to ▁take ▁over ▁the ▁sec ular ized ▁states ▁and