An edited and annotated collection of translated documents on the Thirty Years War, providing students with accessible source material on this destructive conflict. Covering all aspects of the war from a variety of contemporary perspectives, it brings together an exciting range of material from treaties to literature to eyewitness accounts.

List of Maps and Figures
Chronology
Introduction
Political and Religious Tension in the Empire after 1555
Confessional Polarisation? Protestant Union and Catholic League
Crisis in the Habsburg Monarchy
The Bohemian Revolt and its Aftermath
Spain and the Netherlands
The War in Western and Northern Germany 1621-9
The Catholic Ascendancy
The Edict of Restitution
Swedish Intervention
The Destruction of Magdeburg, 1631
Sweden's Search for Security and Reward, 1631-5
Wallenstein's Second Generalship 1632-4
The Peace of Prague, 1635
War and Politics, 1635-40
Military Organisation and the War Economy
Experience
Peace Making 1641-8
The Peace of Westphalia
Peace Implementation, Celebration and Commemoration
Guide to Further Reading
Index.

The Thirty Years War (1618-48) was the most destructive European conflict prior to the twentieth century. It reduced the population of central Europe by around a quarter and left thousands of towns and villages in ruins.

This uniquely comprehensive collection of translated documents covers all aspects of the war in the words and images of those who directly experienced it, from the key political and military decision-makers, through the middling ranks of officers and envoys to the masses of ordinary soldiers and civilians, laity and clergy, women and men.

Most of the material appears in English for the first time, including a variety of previously unpublished archival sources, all reproduced in their full original length. The wide range of sources covered includes:

• state documents
• treatises
• diplomatic and private correspondence
• diaries
• financial records
• artistic evidence

Thematically organised, the material is supported by an authoritative introduction, a guide to further reading and a full chronology, as well as extensive annotations explaining terms and points of detail. The rich source material and essential context that this book provides make it an invaluable resource for students and anyone interested in European and military history.

This book is a superb and unique means of introducing newcomers to the political and military events that shaped the course of the war. It is the rare example of a user-friendly, single-volume edition of primary sources that covers all aspects of one of the most important and protracted wars in early modern Europe.' - Michael Schaich, Research Fellow and Head Librarian, German Historical Institute, London