It did not. Greed and corruption did that. That wasn't Christianity. True Christian fervor would not do that. Read what Jesus taught.
It's sickening that people attribute that sort of stuff to Christianity when it goes against the clear teachings of Scripture. Just because someone does something on someone else's name doesn't mean that it's representative of that person.
But that won't stop alarmists from using that as an example of Christian fervor just to make true Christians look like a bunch of radical extremists.
It did, too.
Whether or not it was "real Christianity," or "what Jesus taught," is quite beside the point.
Greed and corruption certainly played a significant role, as did power politics.
But the major factor in the European religious wars was .... (ta daaaa) religious beliefs, differences in same, and people being willing to kill and die for them.
One hopes that, today, we have a better sense of how to deal with religious controversy. We tend to look with horror on idea that religious differences should lead to the deployment of national armies. We do not allow our politicians to relegate religious disputes, and we have a strong aversion to religious leaders who attempt to impose their beliefs on the nation at large.
Speaking from our current vantage point, it's tempting to try and separate the politics of the day from religious belief, but it would be incorrect to do so. Look at the motives and actions of Philip II of Spain, for example, whose political ambitions were informed by his religious beliefs (e.g., defense of Catholicism against the Protestants).
Well put.