The disaster, now inevitable, is completed with the successful capture of the Palatinate by the Catholic mercenary Spinola. To the brink of collapse, the union of the Evangelical League reflects seriously on abdicate to the fight. But Felipe II, carried away by their iracundias loses a valuable opportunity and instead of showing prudent and conciliatory, seen in the weakness of the enemies the perfect pretext to dominate them even more. Making evident his hatred to the Protestants, initiates a series of persecutions which supported by the Inquisition, end up with the lives of thousands of men, even women and children. The insanity of what is supposed to be a Godly man and instigated by Christian ideals, severely disappoint Protestants who take forces of weakness for hatching a new plot. Exasperated by oppression, its leaders gathered in some arcane plaza Bohemia they seek to reorganize the struggle towards the emperor.

The volunteers, who are already counted in the thousands, are integrated to the remnants of the defeated army in White Mountain led this time by the Calvinist and general Ernest Von Mansfeld, a fanatic that has well earned its nickname of the Attila of Christendom. Vigorous, refined and convinced that the truth was in the doctrine of Calvin, swears to avenge the insults received by Catholics. Philip II, who believes the victory, secured late receives the news of the formation of a new army. At that time, the head of the Hydra again branches off and thinks planning a new offensive. In the spring of 1622, met Christian, Duke of Brunswick, Jorge Frederick, margrave of Baden Durlach and Mansfeld. Its slogan was clear: or the victory or defeat. It was finally the second thing. His army of nearly 20,000 men was annihilated at the battle of Hochst (today Germany) and August 1623, Christian of Brunswick was crushed by count Tilly in Stadtlohn (current Westfalia, Germany), where only a third of the army of 21,000 men of Mansfeld managed to escape from the battle.

Without supplies, nor human resources, financing, Mansfeld Army finally dispersed in 1624. The definitive defeat and conquest of the region of the Palatinate gave Felipe II needed to govern rampant juncture. The final chains that moderated his vanity, broke down years earlier (1621), when in order to fulfill its commitments with its allies, it trampled the strata of the political organisation in your country. It is here when the war, which in principle was only Germany, went on to become a continental war.