Europe's Tragedy: A New History of the Thirty Years War
Jul 2009 · Penguin UK
4.2star
9 reviewsreport
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1024
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About this ebook
The horrific series of conflicts known as the Thirty Years War (1618-48) tore the heart out of Europe, killing perhaps a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to whole areas of Central Europe to such a degree that many towns and regions never recovered. All the major European powers apart from Russia were heavily involved and, while each country started out with rational war aims, the fighting rapidly spiralled out of control, with great battles giving way to marauding bands of starving soldiers spreading plague and murder. The war was both a religious and a political one and it was this tangle of motives that made it impossible to stop. Whether motivated by idealism or cynicism, everyone drawn into the conflict was destroyed by it. At its end a recognizably modern Europe had been created but at a terrible price.
Peter Wilson's book is a major work, the first new history of the war in a generation, and a fascinating, brilliantly written attempt to explain a compelling series of events. Wilson's great strength is in allowing the reader to understand the tragedy of mixed motives that allowed rulers to gamble their countries' future with such horrifying results. The principal actors in the drama (Wallenstein, Ferdinand II, Gustavus Adolphus, Richelieu) are all here, but so is the experience of the ordinary soldiers and civilians, desperately trying to stay alive under impossible circumstances.
The extraordinary narrative of the war haunted Europe's leaders into the twentieth century (comparisons with 1939-45 were entirely appropriate) and modern Europe cannot be understood without reference to this dreadful conflict.
Peter Wilson's book is a major work, the first new history of the war in a generation, and a fascinating, brilliantly written attempt to explain a compelling series of events. Wilson's great strength is in allowing the reader to understand the tragedy of mixed motives that allowed rulers to gamble their countries' future with such horrifying results. The principal actors in the drama (Wallenstein, Ferdinand II, Gustavus Adolphus, Richelieu) are all here, but so is the experience of the ordinary soldiers and civilians, desperately trying to stay alive under impossible circumstances.
The extraordinary narrative of the war haunted Europe's leaders into the twentieth century (comparisons with 1939-45 were entirely appropriate) and modern Europe cannot be understood without reference to this dreadful conflict.
Ratings and reviews
4.2
9 reviews
Ryan Frederick
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February 20, 2019
A really interesting book that taught me a lot about a part of history that I didn't know much about, which is why I bought it in the first place, Nd so justifies the dollars spent on it. It is, however, a very dry read; a mere retelling of events. There are none of the great sentences and fancy turns of phrase that make talking about history and reading about history so interesting, which I find disappointing. Again, a monumental work and very informative, but once begs for a line or two of artful prose.
John Beletsky
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August 29, 2014
Europe's Tragedy is rich, dense historical coverage for lovers of a good challenge. You could find more jaunty narratives about sexier, better-known periods, but a treatment of such a formative time in european history with this much depth and breadth will tickle the fancy of any true student of history. This text filled a lot of gaps in my understanding.
1 person found this review helpful
Alberich Nibelung
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October 4, 2015
C'est magnifique! C'est formidable!
About the author
Peter Wilson is the GF Grant Professor of History at the University of Hull and the author of books on Württemberg and on the Holy Roman Empire.
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