The most important of these was sweden, which became, under gustavus adolphus, the empires unlikely scourge. The thirty years war was a very confusing conflict on many levels, and to attempt any account of it in barely 200 pages is almost foolhardy. What began as a local, religious conflict became more and more continental and political with each expanding phase of the war. Researchers catalogue the grisly deaths of soldiers in the.
Despite its age first published in 1938, this is still one of the best english language narratives of this most complex of wars, tracing the intricate dance of diplomacy and combat that involved all of europe in the fate of germany. Wilson discusses specifically what is meant by the term mercenary in the context of the thirty years war. This lecture is from the teaching series handout church history about the teaching series, handout church history dr. Next month sees the release of the devils playground a pike and shotte supplement covering the thirty years war. Dec 15, 2014 the thirty years war 16181648 the thirty years war began when ferdinand ii attempted to curtail the religious activities of his subjects, sparking rebellion among the protestants. Prezi s director of product marketing on working from home and finding balance. The holy roman empire was a fragmented collection of largely independent states, which, after the protestant reformation in the 16th century, was divided between catholic and protestant rulership. I felt that the if the battles had been discussed in much more depth it would have pushed this book over into the category of impossibly boring military history, but fortunately there is much more of an attempt to. The thirty years war was a war fought primarily in central europe between 1618 and 1648.
Whats more, the war is also important for what its come to symbolize, an all destructive fury, a kind of benchmark by which later wars have been measured. What originally commenced as a feud between the protestant and the catholic countries, within the area previously known as the holy roman empire, gradually. The bohemian revolt was crushed in the battle of white mountain 1620, and the. Order of battle for the battle of breitenfeld 1631 r. The thirty years war was a european continental war that took place from 16181648 thirty years. Today it is estimated to be one of the lengthiest and most violent conflicts in european history. The thirty years war is considered within its own context, rather than merely as a poor relation to the linear or napoleonic periods. Discover librarianselected research resources on thirty years war. Melvyn bragg and guests discuss the devastating war across the holy roman.
The enigma of the thirty years war is a wellreceived biography one of the war. As the states of the holy roman empire fractured along religious lines, all of europe was plunged into a bloody conflict that lasted three decades, decimated populations, and annihilated communities. Apr 22, 2016 that depends on your current knowledge of the subject, and the level of detail youd like to have. The thirty years war from 1618 to 1648 produced an amazing amount of casualties. Dame wedgwood was the third woman to be appointed member of the order of merit on the strength of her biographies of among. The thirty years war 161848 is a central episode in early modern history. The main article for this category is thirty years war. The thirty years war began with a naive ruler asserting these rights in an area that only partially belonged to the empire, though the emperor reacted harshly to this and used it as a reason. In the mid1600s, the group that was least dependent on the labor of serfs war a russia b the kingdom of poland.
Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of europe, and, when it ended, the map of europe had been irrevocably changed. Brothers francesco iv 1612, ferdinando 161226 and vincenzo ii 162627, the last three dukes of mantua from the direct line, had all died. Thirty years war, 161848, general european war fought mainly in germany. The battle of sablat also cost the protestants an important ally savoy, long an opponent of habsburg expansion. Battles of the thirty years war by guthrie abebooks. Whats more, the war is also important for what its come to symbolize, an alldestructive fury, a kind of benchmark by which later wars have been measured. With a concise history of the 16181648 conflict, more specific rules with which to recreate the battles of the war and all the flavour and detail youve come to expect from our publications. If youre looking for an overview, the entry in my favorite singlevolume military history book, lynn montruss war through the ages is excellent, i.
The thirty years war had complex and diverse origins but religion was perhaps the most important, and religious motivation was an integral part of the political, economic, and dynastic policies that formed and reshaped the course of. Its casus belli was the extinction of the direct male line of the house of gonzaga in december 1627. What began as a local, religious conflict became more and more continental and political with each expanding. The war consisted among the major powers of europe, with. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It is difficult to determine when the thirty years war really began. Pages in category thirty years war orders of battle the following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total. Sep 26, 2016 the thirty years war was a european continental war that took place from 16181648 thirty years. What are the best history books for the 30 years war. Historical fiction 1600 1700, books on the thirty years war 16181648, and war widows. The thirty years war was a series of wars between various protestant and catholic states in the fragmented holy roman empire between 1618 and 1648.
Drawing on a huge body of source material from different languages and countries throughout europe, it provided a clear and comprehensive narrative and analytical account of the subject. Europes tragedy is a history of prodigious erudition that manages to corral the byzantine complexity of the thirty years war into a coherent narrative. Imperial armies of the thirty years war 1 osprey publishing. From white mountain to nordlingen, 16181635 contributions in sociology, by guthrie, william p. It was a series of battles fought over most of europe, although the primary battleground was germany.
Thirty years war index thirty years war books the thirty years war, c. Jun 06, 2017 the thirty years war was really a series of wars, waged from 1618 to 1648. The first period of the war imperial triumphs 16181630 in 1618, the protestants of bohemia refused the bohemian crown to the archduke ferdinand, and chose for their. Mar, 2017 battles of the thirty years war march, 2017 march 10, 2017 charles atkins the 17 th century oversaw the modernization of war, from upgrades in weaponry to revaluations of battle tactics, from the replacement of old arms with new ones to the invention of new army procedures and formations. The thirty years war christian history christianity today. The thirty years war 16181648 the thirty years war began when ferdinand ii attempted to curtail the religious activities of his subjects, sparking rebellion among the protestants. This was the first major battle of a decadeslong conflict nominally between protestant and catholic states in europe. The war consisted among the major powers of europe, with sweden, france, spain and austria.
Europe in 1618 was riven between protestants and catholics, bourbon and hapsburgas well as empires, kingdoms, and countless principalities. Gerstner examines the twists and turns of church history, addressing major theological developments along the way. One of the most decisive battles of the thirty years war 6 nov 1632 participants swedenprotestant union vs holy roman empire. The thirty years war 16181648, in particular, was one of the largest battles of the century, and it was responsible for creating new dynasties and destroying others, with. Vol 2 163548 nils ahnlund gustavus adolphus the great daniel defoe memoirs of a cavalier fictional account of thirty years war and english civil war.
For the avid reader of military history, the thirty years war has everythingeuropean realpolitik, religious conflict, dramatic characters, military innovation and violence enough to satisfy the most lurid imagination or touch the coldest heart. The enigma of the thirty years war is a wellreceived biography one of the war s chief generals. Books on the thirty years war 16181648 score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The thirty years war was a war full of bloody, while battles and glorious victories of each party were so temporal, and then the political situation was soon flipped over.
The 17 th century oversaw the modernization of war, from upgrades in weaponry to revaluations of battle tactics, from the replacement of old arms with new ones to the invention of new army procedures and formations. There are hundreds of books that give detailed accounts of the great battles of breitenfeld. Whereas the earlier half of the war was dominated by a few climactic battles white mountain, lutter, breitenfeld, and nordlingen, the later period consisted of a more drawnout struggle between more evenly. The thirty years war is sometimes also called the european civil war. May 27, 2012 cicely veronica wedgwood, the thirty years war. Europe exploded into war and for 30 long years princes and generals jockeyed for position while the common folk saw their land. Historians typically portray the thirty years war as the last and goriest of europe. It continues to provide a narrative and analytical account of the war. It began as a fight about religion the protestants and catholics were the two groups that disagreed.
The battle of white mountain, also called battle of white hill, november 8, 1620. Best books on the thirty years war five books expert. See also battle of white mountain november 8, 1620. List of books and articles about thirty years war 16181648. Wikimedia commons has media related to battles of the thirty years war. There are hundreds of books that give detailed accounts of the great battles of breitenfeld and luetzen, but this is the first ive encountered that gives such detailed information about later battles like rheinfelden, 2nd breitenfeld, and jankau. Continuing where the author left off in battles of the thirty years war, this companion volume details the military aspects of the final years of this important early modern conflict. Thirty years war 161848, in european history, a series of wars fought by various nations for various reasons, including religious, dynastic, territorial, and commercial rivalries. With a concise history of the 16181648 conflict, more specific rules with which to recreate the battles of the war and all the flavour and detail youve come to. This category contains historical battles fought as part of the thirty years war 1618 1648. The thirty years war edited by geoffrey parker is much shorter than the wilson text, but worth checking out. The war originated with dual crises at the continents centre. Its destructive campaigns and battles occurred over most of europe, and, when it ended, the. But this book succeeds, at least in setting the stage and following the people and politics.
Ultimately, a culmination of events led to the tension between the countries of the ottoman empire. Though it was primarily centered in germany, several other countries became involved in the conflict, including the french, spanish, and swedish. It raged between small fiefdoms of protestants and catholics swirling around the holy roman empire or western rome. History of europe history of europe the thirty years war. This history of the catholic armies of the hapsburg empire that fought in the thirty years war explores the role of infantry and artillery during the last major religious war in mainland europe. The thirty years war is thought to have claimed between 4 and 12 million lives. The thirty years war, a combination of numerous religious, political and economic factors, was probably the most defining moment in european history until the first world war, and so it should be ripe with royal drama, thrilling exploits, military spectacles and political intrigue. It remains one of the longest and most brutal wars. After angry protestants tossed three representatives of the holy roman empire out the window of the royal castle in prague, world war spread from bohemia with relentless abandon, drawing powers from spain to sweden into a nightmarish world of famine. Most of the fighting took place in the holy roman empire, although the war grew to include european powers outside of the empire. The thirty years war is a name given by historians to a series of conflicts in central europe, which occurred in the years 16181648. Mar 18, 2015 next month sees the release of the devils playground a pike and shotte supplement covering the thirty years war. The thirty years war was a 17thcentury religious conflict fought primarily in central europe. That depends on your current knowledge of the subject, and the level of detail youd like to have.
The campaigns covered in this volume include the defeat of the bohemian and german protestants 16181623, the danish war 16251629, the victories of the swedes under gustavus adolphus 16301632, and the. Aug 10, 2016 the thirty years war from 1618 to 1648 produced an amazing amount of casualties. The thirty years war was fought from 1618 until 1648. Approximately 40 battles were fought during the thirty years war. Most of the early battles of the thirty years war were.
The first edition of the thirty years war offered an unrivalled survey of a central period in european history. The thirty years war was a time of great turbulence in the german book market. This revised edition of geoffrey parkers text incorporates recent research whilst retaining the range and depth of coverage of the first edition. Wilson is doorstopper of a book the thirty years war edited by geoffrey parker is much shorter than the wilson text, but worth checking out geoff mortimers wallenstein. This is a manifestly important book about the later thirty years war. Eventually major powers entered the war, spain, sweden, dutch forces, germany, saxony, bavaria, and france all poured resources and soldiers into this. At seven in the morning on may 20, 1631, 18,000 soldiers loyal to the holy roman emperor ferdinand ii stormed the ancient german city of magdeburg. Subsequently important events of the thirty years war from the period 1618 to 1635. Prior to the war s beginning on may 23, 1618, europe was in a state of religious, political, and imperial turmoil.
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