Thirty Years War

One of the most momentous and destructive wars in European history, the Thirty Years War has long been studied for its diplomatic, political, and military consequences. Yet the actual participants in this religiously motivated, seemingly endless conflict have largely been ignored. Hans Medick and Benjamin Marschke reveal the Thirty Years War from the perspective of those who lived it. Their introduction provides important insights into the roiling religious and political landscape from which the war emerged, as well as a thoughtful examination of the war's stages and enduring significance. An unprecedented collection of personal accounts, many of them translated for the first time into English, combine with visual sources to convey directly to students the experience of early modern warfare. Incisive document headnotes, maps and illustrations, a chronology, questions to consider, and a bibliography enrich students' understanding of this fateful war.

Na příkladu historických vojenských řádů konkrétních armád je možné charakterizovat některé aspekty života tehdejších vojáků, běžné dobové problémy vojsk a případné vnitřní konfliktní situace, ke kterým v nich často docházelo. Cílem tohoto příspěvku je komparace řádů římského císaře Maxmiliána II. a švédského krále Gustava II. Adolfa, a na jejich základě nastínění některých prvků vojenského práva, uplatňovaného ve vojenských táborech třicetileté války.

This article traces the plight of the widows of Scottish soldiers who participated in the Thirty Years' War. Contrasting a number of strategies the women used in two main contrasting legal systems (Dutch & Swedish), this article offers an alternative to the usual worn narrative that women were abandoned or had no agency. Indeed from the wives of generals to the common soldiers it is clear that women could rely on a combination of kith and kin structures and state and crown intervention to recover pensions and property. Some widows made the long journey to the state they petitioned to claim their rights, others returned home from abroad.

This is a pilot project for a much larger survey on the topic and the authors welcome feedback on it.

THE SWEDISH ARMY ON THE TERRITORY OF THE ŻARY-TRZEBIEL LAND OWNERSHIP DURING THE PERIOD OF THE THIRTY YEAR'S WAR IN A LIGHT OF THE GERMAN HISTORIOGRAPHY FROM THE 19 AND 20TH CENTURIES

This article presents the actions of the Swedish army in the Żary-Trzebiel Land Ownership (Herrschaft Sorau-Triebel) on the territory of the borderland between Silesia and Lusatia in the period of th Thirty Year's War in the context of German historiography. It shows the demographic and economic results of the actions which would affect the people living in the landed estate for a long thim after the Peace of Westphalia had been signed.
The source material was based on the studies of some German authors from the 19 and 20th centuries tightly connected with the history of the Land Ownership and the towns of Żary and Trzebiel

„Forms of War 1600-1815“ is the title of the Bavarian Army Museum’s latest permanent exhibition, opened in 2019 and housed in the New  Castle of Ingolstadt. With exhibits from the museum‘s own collection and some important loans, it illustrates the forms of warlike violence in the early modern period. Focal points are the fighting in the major battles on open fields, the siege and defence of fortresses, and the so-called “small war”, which placed a heavy burden on the countryside and the population in the vicinity of the major conflicts.
The book is an introduction to the subject and also provides some information about the redesign of the museum rooms. All the exhibited items are documented in text and pictures, most of them are published here for the first time.

For early modern Lutherans Heinrich Schütz's Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich? would have evoked fears of religious persecution. Its text, from the narrative of Paul's conversion in Acts 9, appears in seventeenth-century devotional writings and confessional polemics about persecution. Moreover, recently uncovered archival evidence shows that Schütz performed his concerto in 1632 at a state-sponsored political festival marking the first anniversary of the Battle of Breitenfeld, a major Protestant victory in the Thirty Years War. Here Schütz's concerto clearly stoked fears of persecution, because the celebrations touted the battle as a victory over Catholic oppression. The political context in 1632 might also explain some of the piece's most notable features. Its unusually brief text and vivid music do not illustrate the whole story of Saul's conversion but solely the moment at which Christ intervened to put a stop to persecution. Schütz's listeners would have heard in Saul's example a parallel to the victory they were celebrating in 1632 and the persecution they feared from their Catholic and imperial adversaries. This performance of Saul, the only one known from Schütz's lifetime, shows how his music partook in a broader campaign of Protestant propaganda designed to reinforce the confessional and political divisions that fueled this phase of the war.

This text is a translation of the Czech paper "Polní opevnění v období třicetileté války v dobových vojenských plánech" presented on June 10, 2019 in Prachatice at the "Polní vojenská opevnění od třicetileté války" conference, organised by the Prachatice museum.
Summary: Manuscript military plans from the period of the Thirty Years' War represent a very interesting, but so far relatively little researched authentic source of information about the contemporary military. The authors of these plans were not only specialized military engineers, but in some cases also skilled army officers. The aim of this paper is to present this topic through examples depicting the most common types of field fortifications on selected contemporary military plans from the collections of Czech and European archives.

"So in an unexpected twist, it is now possible to confirm that many soldiers in the later Thirty Years’ War were, in fact, veterans of the English Civil War."

This article gives an overview for the arrival and motivations of soldiers from Great Britain who served in the Thirty Years' War. While highlighting the well understood service of Scots, it especially adds to our understanding of English recruits. It will surprise many that from both kingdoms, the 1640s saw large scale recruitment particularly to the Dutch and French armies.

„Formen des Krieges 1600-1815“ ist der Titel der 2019 neu eröffneten Räume des Bayerischen Armeemuseums im Neuen Schloss Ingolstadt. Mit Stücken der Sammlung und einigen bedeutenden Leihgaben zeigen sie die Formen kriegerischer Gewalt in der Frühen Neuzeit. Schwerpunkte sind die Kämpfe auf freiem Feld in den großen Schlachten, die Belagerung und Verteidigung der Festungen und der so genannte Kleine Krieg, der im Umkreis der großen Auseinandersetzungen Land und Leute schwer belastete.
Das Buch bietet eine Einführung in das Thema und informiert über die Neugestaltung der Museumsräume. Alle ausgestellten Stücke sind in Bild und Text dokumentiert, zum großen Teil werden sie hier erstmals publiziert.

1526 yılında Macaristan’ın Kanuni Sultan Süleyman tarafından fethi ile ciddiyet kazanan Osmanlı-Avusturya münasebetleri, neredeyse üç asır boyunca Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun en yoğun uluslararası meşguliyeti olacaktı. XVI. yüzyıl boyunca Avusturya Habsburgları aleyhine ilerlediği söylenebilecek bu mücadelede, iki taraf arasında 1606 yılında imzalanan Zitvatorok Antlaşması ile yeni bir denge sağlanmıştı. Bu denge üzerine kurulu Osmanlı-Avusturya ilişkilerine odaklanan mevcut çalışmada, XVII. yüzyılın ilk yarısında Osmanlılar ve Habsburglar arasında vukubulan siyasi-askeri-diplomatik gelişmeler mercek altına alınacaktır.
Çalışmanın öncelikli amacı, yerli ve yabancı kaynakları kullanarak Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun Safevilerle mücadeleyle, Avusturya Habsburglar’ının ise Otuz Yıl Savaşları ile meşgul olduğu dönemde birbirlerine karşı izledikleri politikayı anlamlandırmaktır. Bu meyanda çalışmanın merkezine Sultan IV. Murad’ın hükmüne denk gelen 1623 ilâ 1634 yılları arasındaki sınır müzakereleri ve büyükelçilik teatileriyle yoğun olan dönem yerleştirilmiş, böylece savaşın olmadığı bir dönemde ilişkilerin nasıl seyrettiğini aydınlatmak hedeflenmiştir.
Çalışmanın ikinci bir gayesi de genel geçer yargılarla ele alınagelmiş Osmanlı diplomasi pratiklerinin hususi bir kesitini detaylı incelemek olmuştur. Bu meyanda XVII. yüzyılın ilk yarısında genel olarak Osmanlı diplomasisinin nasıl işlediği farklı kategoriler altında, hem dönemin Avrupa sefaretnameleri hem de Osmanlı kayıtları bir araya getirilerek ve özellikle Avusturya örnekleri vurgulanarak mercek altına alınmıştır. Keza yine Yeniçağ Osmanlı diplomasi tarihinin nispeten gözardı edilen bir alanı olan, Osmanlı taşrasındaki ve karşı başkentlerdeki diplomasiyi anlamak adına Osmanlı Budin’i ve Viyana’daki diplomatik çerçeve tasvir edilmiştir.
Üçüncü bölümde ise ilk iki bölümün kurmuş olduğu kronolojik, kurumsal ve kavramsal bağlam içerisinde bir vaka analizi yapılmıştır. Literatürde nispeten yeri olsa da Osmanlı tarihçiliği kapsamında daha önce değerlendirilmiş olmayan 1628-29 tarihli Hans Ludwig Kuefstein büyükelçiliği detaylı olarak ele alınmıştır. Bu bölümde ayrıca Kuefstein ile mübadele edilen Recep Ağa’nın Viyana’daki günlerine de eğilerek ikili ilişkilerin gözardı edilen bir diğer zaviyesine de odaklanılmıştır.
Nihayetinde mevcut çalışma 1606 Zitvatorok Antlaşması’nı takip eden dönemde Osmanlı diplomasisinin Habsburglar’a müstesna bir yaklaşım sergilediğini iddia etmektedir. Ayrıca, savaş ve kriz odaklı ikili ilişkiler haricinde de karşılıklı münasebet ve diplomasinin nasıl işlediğini hem taşraya hem de merkeze odaklanarak sorgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Osmanlı-Habsburg ilişkileri, Yeniçağ diplomasisi, Sultan IV. Murad, 17. yüzyıl, Otuz Yıl Savaşları (1618-1648)

ABSTRACT

Ottoman-Habsburg Diplomatic Interactions and the Ottoman Diplomacy during the First Half of the Seventeenth Century

Dramatically escalating in the aftermath of the Battle of Mohacs (1526), the tension between the Ottomans and the Austrians would claim the utmost importance in Ottoman foreign relations for almost three centuries. Throughout the sixteenth century, the struggle seemed to continue in favour of the Ottomans until the Treaty of Zsitvatorok (signed in 1606) set up a balance between the two parties. Built upon the background of this balance, the present study will seek to highlight political, military and diplomatic developments taking place between the Ottomans and the Austrian Habsburgs during the first half of the seventeenth century.
The primary aim of this work is to understand the bilateral relations between the Ottomans and the Habsburgs at a time period when the former were tied by the hostilities with the Safawids, while the latter found themselves enmeshed in the Thirty Years War. In that line, the period between 1623 and 1634, which corresponded to Sultan Murad IV’s reign (r. 1623-1640), is chosen to scrutinise the busy traffic of diplomatic exchanges and border negotiations in the absence of large scale warfare.
The second target of the study is to present in detail a specific aspect of the early modern Ottoman diplomacy (with a limited time frame and with separate examples from a variety of European states) that has traditionally been dealt with in rather generalising terms: the actors and dynamics of Ottoman diplomacy during the
first half of the seventeenth century are analysed on the basis of European embassy reports and Ottoman fiscal evidence, with a particular focus on the Habsburg examples. Furthermore, further underrated areas of early modern Ottoman diplomacy, that is, the diplomacy conducted in the Ottoman province of Buda and the Habsburg capital (Vienna), are also depicted.
The third chapter is a case study built upon the chronological, institutional and conceptual contexts of the first two chapters. Even though the existing literature provides enough of references for the Istanbul embassy of Hans Ludwig Kuefstein in 1628-29, it is studied in detail for the first time within the scope of Ottoman history. This chapter focuses also on Recep Ağa (the Ottoman counter ambassador exchanged with Kuefstein) during his days in Vienna in order to bring into light a neglected aspect of bilateral relations, that is, the Ottoman envoys in Europe.
Ultimately, the study at hand asserts that the Ottoman diplomacy subjected the Habsburgs to an exceptional treatment in the aftermath of the 1606 Zsitvatorok Peace Treaty. While doing so, it also questions the functioning of diplomatic interactions beyond conflict- and crisis-ridden bilateral relations by focusing on both the provinces and the centres.

Keywords: Ottoman-Habsburg relations, early modern diplomacy, Sultan Murad IV, seventeenth century, the Thirty Years War (1618-1648)

Abstract :
The main concern of the present study is to make a foreign policy analysis of the Ottomans on the one hand and to try demonstrating how policy-making might have affected the Ottoman take during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) on the other. Under the light of former studies and primary evidence, it tries to prove that there were concrete instances of Ottoman military intervention in the war. Second, it also seeks to answer why the Ottoman Empire should be regarded as a player on the scene of this continental political crisis, even though they remained largely non-participant: In this vein, it points out to the psychological effect of the Ottoman power on the European states, which is clearly reflected on contemporary European diplomatic reports.


L’objet de cet article est, d’une part, d’analyser la politique étrangère ottomane et, d’autre part, de tenter de montrer comment le processus de prise de décision a affecté l’attitude ottomane pendant la guerre de Trente Ans (1618-1648). En se fondant sur l’historiographie et sur des sources contemporaines des événements, on s’efforce de montrer qu’il y eut à certaines périodes intervention militaire de la Porte. Il s’agit également de se demander en quoi l’Empire fut, de facto, un acteur de cette crise politique continentale, alors qu’il n’en fut pas partie prenante. Sur ce point, l’étude souligne le poids psychologique de l’Empire ottoman pour les États européens du temps, ce dont témoignent les rapports diplomatiques européens.

A slightly extended version of the M.A. Thesis, Boğaziçi University, History Department, 2015.


The main concern of this study is to make a foreign policy analysis of the Ottomans, and to try demonstrating how policy-making might have affected the Ottoman take during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Under light of former studies and primary evidence, I will try to prove that there were concrete instances of Ottoman military intervention in the war. Second, I’ll try to answer why the Ottoman Empire should be regarded as a player on the scene of this continental political crisis, even though they remained largely non-participant, by pointing out to the psychological effect of the Ottoman power on the European states, relying on contemporary diplomatic reports. Lastly, I present the study of a primary source:  The final ambassadorial report of Paul Strassburg, the envoy of Swedish King Gustav II Adolph in Constantinople in 1632 and 1633, is translated from its original Latin transcription and evaluated in its historical setting.

In this article an overview is given of the composition of the Swedish army in the build up to Gustav II Adolf's landing in German in 1630. The paper gives a glimpse of the size and scale of the Swedish army with consieration given to the foreign component within it. The article was one of several concerning Sweden published in Desperta Ferro. Revista de Historia Militar Y Politica, vol.27 (2017). Intended for a general readership, it nevertheless draws on the latest research findings to indicate the scale of the military endeavour.

Scholars citing the article should follow the link to the published article if they have access to the Spanish language.

A pre-study concerning history of the painting taken from Prague to Sweden
during the Thirty Years War is the Aim of this thesis.
An investigation of previous research concerning the looting of the paintings, until 1648 in royal
and noble collections in Prague. These became throught a plunder part of Swedish collection and
some remained in Sweden until today. The purpose is to prepare and present an examination of
this topic for future research. Whose collections possibly came to Sweden from Prague? The
peace negotiations were already done, and by attacking Prague Sweden had no change of
changing the outcome of these negotiations. Why did than did the looting take place? Was it the
monetary value of the art works that was interesting, are we dealing a demonstration of power,
what were the possible intentions of looting Prague? What was the destiny of the collections
after arriving to Sweden, how were they perceived? These questions will be discussed.
Published resources on this topic will be consulted, but the most important part of this thesis is
the investigation of archival resources. Material such as inventories and letters are briefly
studied and presented.
This research opens possibilities for a future research of the history and historical as well as
contemporary narrative of the paintings taken form Prague, many which are today part of
Swedish public collections

Johann Major (1564–1654) war Pfarrer, Professor der Theologie und Superintendent in Jena. Er entfaltete in ereignisreichen und leidvollen Zeiten, die von der Konsolidierung der lutherischen Theologie nach der Reformation, vom Dreißigjährigen Krieg und von mehreren Pestjahren geprägt waren, großen Einfluss für die Theologische Fakultät Jena, die Gesamtuniversität und die Stadt Jena.

Der Band erhellt die Persönlichkeit Johann Majors in ihren verschiedenen Aspekten: seine Biographie, seine (wissenschafts-)politische Stellung, sein kirchliches Amt und seine Theologie. Die interdisziplinären Beiträge bieten einen außergewöhnlich vielfältigen exemplarischen Einblick in die Kirchen-, Kunst- und Profangeschichte der lutherischen Orthodoxie und des Barock

The Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) remains a puzzling and complex subject for students and scholars alike. This is hardly surprising since it is often contested among historians whether it is actually appropriate to speak of a single war or a series of conflicts. Similarly emphasis is also put on the different motives for going to war, as conflicting religious and political interests were involved.

This Research Companion brings together leading scholars in the field to synthesize the range of existing research on the war, which is still fragmented and divided along national historical lines, and to further explore the complexities of the conflict using an innovative comparative approach. The Companion is designed to provide scholars and graduate students with a comprehensive and authoritative overview of research on one of the most destructive conflicts in European history.

Sultan Murad IV's reign made a tumultuous start in 1623, following the dethronement of his predecessor, Sultan Mustafa. Most of his juniority was spent under the auspices of his mother, the de facto regent Kösem Sultan, until Murad IV asserted his self rule in 1632. Europe, in the meantime, was struck by one of the largest military clashes seen on the continent by then (known as the Thirty Years War, 1618-1648), and a new actor emerged to make his imprint on the continental politics: King Gustav II Adolph of Sweden. It was under these circumstances that a Swedish envoy was sent to Constantinople in order to solicit permission from the Ottoman Porte for Transylvanian help against the Sweden's enemies in Germany. Fortunately for us, the king's envoy Paul Strassburg has left behind a valuable embassy report , similar to a relazione, covering his adventures on the route to the Ottoman Empire, his dealings in Constantinople and his observations regarding the political situation of the Otto-mans. Within the framework of this study, the embassy report will be contextualized with the help of contemporary accounts.

UNDERGRADUATE DISSERTATION: This dissertation seeks to shed light on an overlooked, yet important, aspect of early-modern England: the influence of manuscript newsletters on the history of the written word, specifically the dissemination of information. It is an original, comparative analysis between manuscript newsletters and printed corantos. Looking particularly at their common foundations in Anglo-centricity on their reporting of the Thirty Years’ War, to determine their contributions and influence upon the formation and emergence of the newsbook. It uses a variety of archival sources, both printed and manuscript from a range of collections. It will pay particular attention to the correspondence of Viscount Scudamore, because it covers the majority of the twenty years under review and will give a sense of perceptible change throughout the period.

Manuscript newsletters were a premium service, exclusive to the elite of society. They provided superior information compared to that of regulated print. This dissertation will seek to determine why this monopoly on useful information largely came to an end by 1640. It will argue that the heavy regulation during the 1630s provided the environment to allow for printed news to reinvent itself, and subsequently adopt the successful aspects formerly attributed to manuscript newsletters. This reinvention also coincided with the repeal of stringent regulation in 1638 and of the ecclesiastical agenda by 1640. Furthermore, England’s disconnectedness from the Thirty Years’ War allowed for this change in focus in such a short time. All of these developments eventually resulted in manuscripts largely becoming redundant by 1640, yet their legacy held within the emergent newsbook testifies to its influence during this period. Ultimately it will use this comparison to demonstrate the popularisation of printed news; which was enabled by, further encouraged, and helped to enforce the increasing complexity of the social hierarchy in England during the long seventeenth-century.

The new Thirty Years War began in the Middle East. Until now it is limited in its hot version to Syria and Iraq. The Syrian civil war became a proxy regional conflict, which remembers us the first phase of the great European conflict in Bohemia (1618 to 1623). That confrontation is going to extend because it belong to a long-term confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites, between regional and international powers. A new territorial division of the Middle East will erase the former Sykes-Picot agreement.

The letters of James Spens represent the only known corpus of letters written by a common soldier from the British Isles during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Mostly sent to his wife, mother and sister, they paint a rather different picture to that usually presented of the rough and ready common soldiery of the conflict. Written in rich Scots from The Dutch Republic, Sweden and the coast of Africa, they will be of invaluable interest to both historians and historical linguists alike.

REF information: The historical and linguistic introduction is 100% by Steve Murdoch. The transcriptions are the combined work of the three editors.

Ingolstadt war in der Frühen Neuzeit die bedeutendste Festungsanlage Bayerns. Darüber hinaus war sie als Sitz der ersten und damals einzigen Landesuniversität besonders exponiert. Viele Studenten und Professoren aus ganz Europa studierten und lehrten hier. Auch ihre Randlage an der Grenze zu Pfalz-Neuburg und dem Fürstbistum Eichstätt machte die Stadt zu etwas besonderem. Eine Eroberung hätte Bayern seines wichtigsten Donauübergangs beraubt und die Nachschublinien empfindlich gestört. Die Folgen wären für den bayerischen Kurfürsten vermutlich verheerend gewesen.
Diese Arbeit widmet sich jedoch nur teilweise der militärischen Bedeutung der Stadt während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges, sondern vor allem den sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen auf die Stadt und ihre Bewohner, seien es nun Studenten, Garnisonssoldaten oder Bürger.

Resumen: Este ensayo examina el proceso y los contextos que rodearon la reapertura del frente de los Países Bajos en 1621. Primero, analiza la decisión de no renovar la Tregua de los Doce Años bajo la ideología de la reputación para, luego, demostrar cómo las cambiantes circunstancias de la guerra de Alemania invalidaron enseguida los argumentos de quienes habían apostado por reabrir la guerra de Flandes sin pacificar antes el Sacro Imperio. Por último, explica cómo Madrid se adaptó a la realidad que marcaba el fracaso de sus expectativas iniciales sobre cómo rentabilizar a su favor los conflictos interconectados de Bohemia y el Palatinado en el frente de los Países Bajos.
Palabras clave: reputación, “teoría del dominó”, “teoría de los bastiones”, política dinástica, Flandes, Palatinado, Neoburgo, Baviera, Sacro Imperio