Thirty Years' War

MA Thesis in Maritime History (Faculty of Letters, Lisbon University FLUL, 2014) - revised version

The present thesis Shipwrecks of the “Carreira da Índia” (1595-1623) – Sources
for the Study in Portuguese Maritime History deals with factors which caused losses of
ships of the Carreira da Índia which linked the European metropolis Lisbon with its
Goa based Estado da Índia between 1595 and 1623. Although Portuguese-Asiatic
shipping was formally separated from the Habsburg Empire during the Union of the
Two Iberian Crowns (1580-1640), the European policies of the Spanish Kings,
especially towards the United Provinces and the Netherlands had its influence and
effects on the Portuguese side.
Shipwrecks, either on the outward bound or homeward bound voyages had
occurred for various reasons since the early days of the Carreira da Índia yet the
emergence of the two private European Companies, the Dutch United East India
Company (founded in 1602) and the British East India Company (founded in 1600)
were a new momentum by which’s characteristics of concurrence and struggle for
supremacy of the European-Asiatic spice trade, losses of Portuguese ships were caused
by planned and executed military operations as well.
Focusing on the geographical region of the Mozambique Channel in which the
losses have taken place, the thesis combines a historiographical approach with records
of underwater archaeology analyzing questions related to the political environment and
planed military operations in which shipwrecks have occurred as well as causes of
shipwrecks observing ship building and design modifications and effects related to
economic patterns such as the monetary flows of the Portuguese outward bound
shipping during the period of observation.

Naufragios da Careira da Índia (1595-1623)

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.

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.

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.

This article is published in the Journal Northern Studies vol.48 (2016), pp.50-65.

The table of contents for NS 48 is available on the accompanying link.

One off copies of the journal are available from the Scottish Society of Northern Studies for £10 (£9 for overseas students). Please note it is also only £9 for overseas students to join the society. Contact: Ian Giles -  treasurer@ssns.org.uk

Back copies of the journal (up to 2019) are available for free download from the society's website here: https://ssns.org.uk/publications/journal.html

The monograph investigates capacity to adapt using the example of the different types of reaction shown by the Catholic Church to the fundamental new challenges of the 16th century. The way in which the Christian elites of the different confessions coped with the primary problem of a divided Christendom is interpreted as a moment of rupture in the history of the Western church, which undermined its adaptive and innovative capacities and so set European society on the path to modern secularisation.

The transformation of war is a major problem in the study of Early Modern military history. This history dissertation addresses the pace and nature of military transformation in a war between Sweden and Denmark in 1643-1645. The focus of this investigation is on insurgency and small war between soldiers, armed peasants, and hybrid contingents of both in Scania, Norway, Jutland, and Holstein during the final years of the Thirty Years War.

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.

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.

When the Duke of Parma, Odoardo Farnese, summoned his noble subjects to join his
army with a view to joining the French alliance against Spain in 1635, he was gratified by
a turnout of astonishingly high proportions. Not nearly enough of them had personal
experience of modern war, and so the prince appointed military nobles from much of
northern Italy to fill the cadres, alongside the French officers whose contingents on loan
from Louis XIII made up a third of the infantry. Unlike Spanish nobles, Odoardo’s
subjects were even willing to serve in the ranks, while waiting for their advancement.
The two brief campaigns turned out to be a disaster for Odoardo and his subjects. War
quickly receded from Parma’s horizon, but the experience reveals that Italy’s aristocrats
had not yet consigned their weapons to display cases.

Katalog izložbe održane u sklopu međunarodne konferencije u povodu 400. godišnjice početka Tridesetogodišnjeg rata "Kronike plaćenika, legende i stereotipi". Zagreb, 9-10 travanj 2018.

Na izložbi Tko su bili ti „strašni Hrvati”? izložen je reprezentativan izbor reprodukcija arhivskoga, bibliotečnoga i likovnoga gradiva o hrvatskim postrojbama u Tridesetogodišnjemu ratu, pohranjenoga u Hrvatskome državnom arhivu u Zagrebu, Hrvatskom povijesnom muzeju u Zagrebu, Metropolitanskoj knjižnici Zagrebačke Nadbiskupije u Zagrebu, Austrijskome državnom arhivu u Beču, Arhivu Republike Slovenije u Ljubljani, Vojnopovijesnome muzeju u Beču i Vojnome muzeju u Stockholmu. Treba apostrofirati kako je zbog stanja istraženosti i kompleksnosti teme rakurs primarno hrvatski, što podrazumijeva da se nakon kratkoga uvoda u širi kontekst, izloženi materijal ponajprije fokusira na hrvatsku komponentu unutar Tridesetogodišnjega rata.


Catalogue of the exhibition held during the international conference on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Thirthy Years War. Zagreb, 9-10. April 2018.

The exhibition Who Were Those “Terrible Croats”? presents representative selection of reproductions of archival, library- and visual art records pertaining to the Croatian troops in the Thirty Years’ War, stored at the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb, the Croatian History Museum in Zagreb, the Metropolitan Library of the Archdiocese of Zagreb iz Zagreb, the Austrian State Archives in Vienna, Archives of the Republic of Slovenia in Ljubljana, Museum of Military History in Vienna and the Military Museum in Stockholm. It should be emphasized that due to the state of research and the complexity of the subject the viewpoint is primarily a Croatian one, which means that after a short introduction into the wider context the exhibited material is primarily focused on the Croatian component within the Thirty Years’ War.

Estudia la historia del Derecho internacional, partiendo de dos acontecimientos históricos : La paz de Augsburgo y La paz de Westfalia de donde surgieron principios que se internacionalizaron configurando un nuevo sistema de relaciones internacionales, quedando establecido un nuevo sistema de Estados.

Archäologische Untersuchungen auf dem Schlachtfeld einer der bekanntesten Schlachten des Dreißigjährigen Krieges in Norddeutschland. Der genaue Schauplatz des historischen Ereignisses wurde im Laufe der Zeit vergessen. Das laufende Projekt "Lutter" der Bezirksarchäologie Braunschweig hat zum Ziel, der schriftlichen Überlieferung archäologische Fakten an die Seite zu stellen. Seit 2011 wurden ausgedehnte Flächen mit Metallsuchgeräten auf Relikte der Kämpfe von 1626 hin untersucht. Mitglieder der IG Ostfalensucher bargen und dokumentierten bislang 561 Metallobjekte, darunter 451 Bleigeschosse für Handfeuerwaffen. Über Fundstellenkartierungen konnte die wahrscheinliche Lage des Kernschlachtfelds ebenso ermittelt werden, wie Zonen weiterer Gefechte und Rückzugsbewegungen des geschlagenen protestantischen Heeres.

Abstract One of the best known battles of the Thirty-Year War in Northern Germany took place in Lutter near Barenberge on 27th August 1626. Nevertheless, the exact location of the historical events was forgotten over the course of time. The ongoing project, "Lutter", carried out by the regional archaeological unit Braunschweig aims to provide archaological evidence to back up the written sources. Since 2011 metal detectorists have investigated extensive areas in search of artefacts relating to the fighting in 1626. Members of the IG Ostfalensucher have so far retrieved and documented 561 metal objects, including 451 lead bullets for small firearms. The likely location of the main battle area could also be shown through the mapping of finds, as could locations of further skirmishes and the defeated Protestant army's line of retreat.

Recherches archéologiques sur le champ de bataille du guerre de trente ans (1618-1648) de "Lutter am Barenberge", 1626. Les résultats fournissent de nouveaux aperçus des combats.

Ländliche, nachmittelalterliche Bauten und das dazugehörige Sachgut sind bisher in Südwestdeutschland archäologisch kaum erforscht. Die in den Jahren 1984/85 durchgeführte Grabung Emmendingen-Eichberghöfe bietet die seltene Gelegenheit, die Gegenstände eines frühneuzeitlichen Haushaltes im Befundzusammenhang zu studieren. Im Gegensatz zu anderen Wüstungen liegt eine große Menge an Fundmaterial aus einem einzigen Gebäude vor.

Der erste Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit stellt die Befunde der Grabung vor und führt die wichtigsten Fundgegenstände auf. Es wird versucht, die Räume innerhalb des Hauses in ihrer Funktion zu bestimmen. Anhand der vorliegenden Profile wird die Stratigraphie erläutert und verschiedenen Besiedlungsphasen zugeordnet.

Die Untersuchung zur Hausform bedient sich volkskundlicher Quellen. Ein vom Grundriß her sehr ähnliches, rezent erhaltenes Doppelhaus aus der näheren Umgebung kann zum Vergleich herangezogen werden.

Der Schwerpunkt der Arbeit liegt auf der Auswertung des Ofenbefundes
und des von dort stammenden Kachelmaterials. Der an Ort und Stelle verstürzt geborgene Kachelofen ist archäologisch und kunsthistorisch von besonderem Interesse.
Zur Heranführung wird die Herstellung bestimmter Ofenkacheltypen
erläutert. Dann werden die technischen Eigenschaften des Scherbens mineralogisch untersucht. Dieses Vorgehen soll es ermöglichen, innerhalb des Kachelmaterials Gruppen mit gleichen technischen
Merkmalen abzugrenzen.

Ein großer Teil des Kachelmaterials gehört zu einer Serie mit
Männergestalten aus dem Alten Testament. Sie hat bisher in der
Literatur noch keine umfassende Würdigung erfahren. Die
Ansprache der Figuren und die ikonographische Erläuterung der
Darstellungen nehmen einen breiten Raum ein. Kacheln und Model
mit den vergleichbaren Motiven werden kartiert. Die sich daraus
ergebenden Verbreitungsmuster werden in Bezug auf gesellschaftliche,
wirtschaftliche und politische Strukturen des 16. und der ersten Hälfte des 17. Jahrhunderts diskutiert. Anhand dieses Materials wird ferner versucht, die Bevölkerungsgruppen zu benennen, die Öfen mit solchen Kacheln besaßen.
Nachdem auch die übrigen, zum Ofen gehörigen und z.T. datierten
Kacheln vorgestellt sind, wird ein Rekonstruktionsvorschlag
für den Kachelofen erarbeitet.
Im letzten Abschnitt zur Ofenkeramik wird Hinweisen nachgegangen,
die die Werkstatt des Villinger Hafners Hans Kraut als Herstellungsort einiger der Kacheln in Betracht kommen lassen.

Anschließend wird ein repräsentativer Querschnitt der Gefäßkeramik
seinen technischen Eigenschaften und dem Formenspektrum
nach unterteilt und beschrieben. Die Keramik wird mit anderen
frühneuzeitlichen, z.T. datierten Fundkomplexen verglichen.

Es werden historische Quellen zu den Eichberghöfen herangezogen.
Bereits im 14. Jahrhundert werden Hofstellen am Eichberg im Tennenbacher Güterbuch erwähnt. Daher wird auch kurz auf die Geschichte des Zisterzienserklosters Tennenbach eingegangen.

Im letzten Abschnitt werden die verschiedenen datierenden Hinweise
herangezogen und ausgewertet. Der in der Grabung erfaßte
Besiedlungsausschnitt der Eichberghöfe soll zeitlich eingegrenzt
werden.

"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.

Im späten Mittelalter und der frühen Neuzeit sind Kachelöfen und Ofenkacheln mit figürlichem Dekor in Mittel- und Osteuropa weit verbreitet. Kachelöfen gehören zu den wichtigsten Ausstattungsgegenständen des Hauses. Sie nehmen eine  zentrale Position im wichtigsten Wohnraum, der Stube, ein. Über ihre technische Funktion als Wärmespender während der kalten Jahreszeit hinaus sind sie das ganze Jahr über Repräsentanten
der gesellschaftlichen Stellung und der religiösen und politischen Ausrichtung des Haushaltsvorstandes und seiner Familie.
Schlüsselobjekte dreier archäologischer Fundkomplexe aus Südwestdeutschland, zwei aus Freiburg und einer aus der umgebenden Region, dem Breisgau, sollen beispielhaft dahingehend untersucht werden, ob sich mit ihnen etwas über die Geisteshaltung der Hersteller und Konsumenten im jeweiligen historischen Kontext aussagen lässt. Ofenkacheln mit figürlichen Darstellungen sind mehr als andere archäologische Objekte
auch Spiegel des Zeitgeistes. Sie können diesen nicht nur illustrieren, sondern eigene Geschichten erzählen, wenn genügend Kontext und Bildinhalt vorhanden sind, der dabei hilft, die Botschaft zu entschlüsseln. Alle drei Beispiele fußen auf archäologischen Funden und Befunden, die von mir und anderen in früheren Arbeiten bereits ausführlich vorgelegt wurden. Es sind Objekte aus Kontexten, die das Potenzial haben, als Mikrohistorie
gelesen zu werden: lokale Beispiele, die die zeitgeschichtliche
Situation widerspiegeln und deren Geist auf intuitive Weise konkret erlebbar machen.

WARFARE, LOCAL ELITES AND SPANISH MONARCHY IN SEVENTEENTH CENTURY LOMBARDY. A COMPROMISE BETWEEN CONFLICTING INTERESTS
***
Through the case study of Spanish Lombardy during the Thirty years’ war, the Author tries to link the latest results of military history with the politico-institutional framework, with a view to overcome the  narrowness of an exclusive military approach. By focussing on the agenda of a commission for the control of the army composed of civil and military authorities from 1638 to 1679 and on the careers of some financiers and military entrepreneurs, the Author suggests the need to abandon the pattern of the militarization of society in order to describe the processes affecting the Milanesado.
The military tool appears to be purposefully used to strengthen political and social ties between centre and periphery and also to integrate emerging social, economic and political groups into the Lombard power elite. The interpretation underlying the essay is therefore based on the idea of a «compromise of interests» between centre and periphery of the Spanish imperial system as a way to stabilize the situation of Lombardy.

Keywords: Milan, Spanish Monarchy, XVIIth century, power élites, military history, institutional history, Thirty Years’ War"

Wallenstein took part in the War of Gradisca. During the truce that preceded the peace, he held secret talks with the Venetians and expressed serious doubts on the will of Spanish ministers to preserve the peace. He affirmed his loyalty to the Archduke Ferdinand and his distrust of the Spaniards, who were trying to force Austria to pursue a policy which was contrary to its true interests.

Constantijn Huygens sostenne un ruolo di primissimo piano nella vita diplomatica e culturale del Secolo d’Oro olandese. I suoi molteplici interessi toccarono la letteratura, le nascenti scienze esatte, la musica, la pittura e l’architettura. Il culmine della sua formazione, all’età di ventitré anni, fu uno straordinario viaggio che nel 1620 da L’Aia lo portò a Venezia al seguito della delegazione olandese guidata dall’ambasciatore François van Aerssen. A memoria di questo viaggio tenne un Diario, in cui il senso di meraviglia accompagnò costantemente Huygens al cospetto dei paesaggi, delle antichità romane e delle moderne architetture di Palladio e Scamozzi, Il manoscritto, ora conservato nella Koninklijke Blibliotheek a L’Aia, è stato per la prima volta qui tradotto e portato all’attenzione del pubblico al di fuori dei Paesi Bassi, perché possa contribuire all’ampliamento del dibattito sugli albori di quello straordinario fenomeno che unì il Nord e il Sud dell’Europa sotto il nome di Grand Tour.

A student's take on the debate surrounding the nuances of the supposed Military Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. The essay touches on aspects of military, political and social ramifications of the military evolution of this period.

This essay seeks to further our understanding of the assembling of Charles I's art collections, establishing a connection to the plunder of art during the Thirty Years' War. An encounter between Archibald Rankin, a Scottish diplomat, and the news-gatherer, John Pory, confirms the early establishment of Charles I's reputation abroad as an art collector. Rankin is the first to recognise that the Swedish king, Gustav II Adolf's (Gustavus Adolphus's) military ambitions and Charles I's collecting ambitions might converge on Munich, the seat of Maximilian I of Bavaria. It is shown, however, that artworks taken from Munich eventually reached Whitehall not through Rankin's agency but through the separate efforts of two of Charles I's courtiers who witnessed the city's capture in May 1632: James, Marquess of Hamilton, and Sir Henry Vane.