The Thirty Years War (New York Review Books Classics)

War is hell, just imagine it lasting for an entire generation with armies crisscrossing the same ground again and again producing famine, depopulation, and disease all in the name of religion, nationalism, and then finally simple greed. C.V. Wedgwood’s The Thirty Years War covers nearly a half century of history from the causes that led to the conflict through its deadly progression and finally it’s aftereffects.From the outset Wedgwood sets the German domestic and the continental political situations in focus by stating that everyone was expecting war but between Spain and the Dutch while the German economy was on the decline due to the rise of new trading patterns over the course of the last century. It was only with the succession of the Bohemian throne and the ultra-Catholic policies of the Ferdinand II after his election that started the war everyone knew was coming, sooner and further east than expected. The war began as a purely religious conflict that saw the Catholic German princes led by Emperor Ferdinand crush the Protestant opposition because many of the Protestants decided not to help one another until it was too late due to political conservatism that Ferdinand used to his advantage. It wasn’t until Gustavus Adolphus and the Swedes entered the conflict a decade later that the conflict turn slowly from religious to international and an extension of the Bourbon-Habsburg in which the former used first allies then their own troops to prevent the encirclement of France by both branches of the Habsburgs. The negotiations for the end of the war took nearly five years and would change as events in the field would change strategies until finally allied members of the Bourbon and Habsburgs would cut deals with the other side to quickly break deadlocks and achieve peace but how it took almost six years to stand down the armies to prevent chaos.Wedgwood’s narrative historical style keeps the book a very lively read and makes the war’s progress advancing even when she’s relating how the continuous fighting was affecting the German population. She is very upfront with the men, and a few women, who influenced the conflict throughout it’s course from the great kings of Ferdinand II, Christian IV of Denmark, and Gustavus to the great princes Maximillian I of Bavaria, John George of Saxony, and Frederick Henry of Orange to the mercenary generals that gained in importance as the conflict continued like Albrecht von Wallenstein to finally the political masterminds of Richelieu and Mazarin. With such a large historical cast, Wedgwood’s writing keeps things simple and straight for the read thus allowing the conflict’s long drawn out nature to fully impact the reader and how it affected those out of power. And in describing the aftereffects, Wedgwood disarms many myths about the effects of the war that over three hundred years became considered fact.The Thirty Years War by C.V. Wedgwood is an excellent narrative history of a conflict that saw the end of one kind of conflict and the beginnings of another with interesting personalities that fought and conducted policy around it while also showing the effects on the whole population. If you’re interested in seventeenth-century history or military history, this book is for you.

For too long the Thirty Years War has been for me little more than a name from history. I knew it occurred sometime in the seventeenth century (its actual dates were 1618 to 1648), that it was waged in Central Europe, and that it was devastating to the indigenous population. But that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn't even know who was fighting whom. Somewhere along the way I picked up that THE book on the Thirty Years War was the prosaically entitled THE THIRTY YEARS WAR written in 1938 by a twenty-eight-year-old English woman, C. V. Wedgwood (a descendent of the potter who founded the Wedgwood Company).So it was to Wedgwood's THE THIRTY YEARS WAR that I turned for my education on that slice of history. I learned more than I had anticipated. The book contains about 500 pages of detailed text. I set myself a goal of reading 50 pages per day, a target I managed to attain perhaps only every other day. I began to feel (obviously, facetiously) that reading THE THIRTY YEARS WAR was as interminable as was living through it for the few inhabitants of what is now Germany who did manage to live through it.Still, I am glad I read Wedgwood's account. It is history on a grand scale, magisterially written (the book brings to mind Edward Gibbon and his "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"). In his Foreword to this edition, Anthony Grafton calls Wedgwood "the greatest narrative historian" of the twentieth century. If by "narrative historian" Grafton means to refer to something other than the magisterial prose, I don't quite know what that would be. Perhaps he is alluding to another of his points about Wedgwood: that, as opposed to the "Why" histories of professional academics, she set out to write "How" history -- "detailed, vivid narratives that eschewed any effort to provide structural or social or economic explanations."Nonetheless, THE THIRTY YEARS WAR is not devoid of structural or social or economic considerations. Nor is it devoid of analysis. To be sure, though, primarily the book is a detailed account of what happened, in roughly chronological sequence. Included are profiles of the key players -- such as the Holy Roman Emperors of the German Nation Ferdinand II and his son Ferdinand III, John George of Saxony, Maximilian of Bavaria, Elector Frederick V of the Palatinate, Albrecht von Wallenstein, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and Cardinal Richelieu. Also included are moderately detailed accounts of the major battles (along with schematic maps) -- namely, Breitenfeld, Lützen, Nördlingen, Rocroy, and Jankau.The Thirty Years War was in part a religious war -- Protestants versus Catholics (and each of those religious factions was itself internally divided). It was in part a political war among shifting alliances of the various states of German-speaking peoples. It also was a political war between the Hapsburgs and the Bourbons, and as such it was a European war fought primarily on German soil. For Wedgwood, it is best summed up as an unnecessary, meaningless war:"The war solved no problem. Its effects, both immediate and indirect, were either negative or disastrous. Morally subversive, economically destructive, socially degrading, confused in its causes, devious in its course, futile in its result, it is the outstanding example in European history of meaningless conflict. The overwhelming majority in Europe, the overwhelming majority in Germany, wanted no war; powerless and voiceless, there was no need even to persuade them that they did. The decision was made without thought of them."

This is a rip-roaring read! It’s pacey and informed, yet easy for the amateur history buff to absorb and understand. It’s also full of interesting facts, for example, did you know that the phrase ‘is the pope a catholic, originated during the 30 years war? Me neither! The book is littered with Latin phrases, which I didn’t understand. But, with the Internet nowadays, it’s no hindrance to the enjoyment of the book. Once you get your head round the factions; the similar names (Frederick/Ferdinand); and the constant switching of sides, you will enjoy this tale of woe, pestilence and wanton destruction. If the 30 years war has a modern equivalent, you can see it in the rise of IS and AQ, or perhaps in Syria. If it was a warning from history on the pointlessness of unnecessary conflict, it hasn’t, IMHO, been heeded.

This book, despite having been written in the 1930s shows no signs of age. Despite more recent scholarly works (and I have no wish to disparage Peter Wilson's magisterial account of the wars) there is no book which more clearly sets out the events of this European tragedy. Wedgwood is quite clear that this was not simply a 'religious war.' and she presents the whole tapestry with writing of great power and sympathy. Anyone with any interest in this European war fought on German soil should read this book. It is difficult to imagine that it will ever be surpassed.

Would *definitely* recommend to anyone! Caroline Wedgwood makes the whole period come to life; anyone reading this would have thought she was actually there. A rare blend of first class scholarship of wide-ranging appeal, which mixes well-researched facts with a strong moral approach to the vicissitudes and horrors of the war. Wedgwood is equally skilled at microscopic analysis of battlefield movements and diplomatic exchanges as she is at zooming right out and providing a God's eye view of the whole 30 year period, its causes in the previous century, and its lasting echos down to the Europe of her own day.

Wedgewood had an innate talent for finding the drama in any event. 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. Wedgewood exposes all of these elements into a thrilling read, steeped in historical significance and weighty writing, which still maintains the informative aura of a well-researched scholarly effort on a key historical event. Anyone interested in the War and it's background should start with this book first, it's the middle-ground between storytelling and teaching.

Probably one of the most arcane, uninspiring and boring books I've ever read. Reads like a telephone directory. I think the author must have been given a topic to write about which he hated. It certainly feels like it. Have to admit, I only made it 2/3 the way through. Its SOLID!The charity shop got it... With my apologies.