Osprey Publishing - Essential Histories 29 - The Thirty Years War 1618-1648

More than three and a half centuries have passed since the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War (1618-48), but this most devastating of wars in the early modern period continues to capture the imagination of readers. This book reveals why.

In this accessible, concise guide, Richard Bonney explains one of the first wars where contemporaries stressed the importance of atrocities, the horrors of the fighting and also the sufferings of the civilian population.

The Thirty Years' War remains a conflict of key importance in the history of the development of warfare and the 'military revolution'.

Introduction
Chronology
Background to war
Warring sides
The fighting
Portrait of a soldier
The world around war
Portrait of a civilian
How the war ended
Conclusion and consequences
Further reading