Ashgate Research Companion to the Thirty Years' War

Olaf Asbach is Professor of Political Science at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and Peter Schröder is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at University College London, UK.

Prize: Winner of a Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award for 2014 'These 25 tightly argued essays from leading international scholars will serve for some time as an essential starting point for research on the origins, conduct, and legacies of the wars and the peace. Each author offers a clear interpretation of the topic framed in a full, up-to-date historiographic context. ... Essential.' Choice 'The Thirty Years' War occupies a central place in courses in early modern European history at sixth-form and university level. This accessible and notably well-organised collection of essays, all up-to-date in their coverage of specialised research and by leading experts in the field, is a most valuable addition to existing literature on the subject, and a volume that should be in all scholarly libraries.' Hamish Scott, University of Glasgow, UK ’This comprehensive collection of essays provides an invaluable guide to the historical revisionism that has transformed scholarly views of the Thirty Years' War. In reassessing the effectiveness of the Holy Roman Empire, showing how wider conflicts are linked into a continuous struggle, and in challenging notions of the Peace of Westphalia as a transformative moment in international politics, the book deserves to be widely read and cited.’ David Parrott, University of Oxford, UK 'Throughout this volume questions about church and state, religion and politics, and various other sources of power and authority, and the complex relationships between all these, abound ... [it is] thorough ... on a great many issues.' Seventeenth-Century News '... an ambitious work, treating numerous facets of the Thirty Years’ War in a detailed and interesting fashion. The work will be of use to early modernist scholars and students alike.' H-Net Reviews 'The Research Companion demonstrates the intensive scholarly engage­ment with the Thirty Years War that has taken place since 1984. As a comple­ment and supplement to Europe’s Tragedy,

• Contents: The Thirty Years’ War - an introduction, Olaf Asbach and Peter Schröder. Part I The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation: Imperial politics 1555-1618, Joachim Whaley; The Palatinate and its networks in the Empire and in Europe, Brennan Pursell. Part II The Great Powers, Coalitions and Conflicting Interests: The emperor, Christoph Kampmann; The Spanish monarchy and the challenges of the Thirty Years’ War, Gabriel Guarino; Denmark, Paul Douglas Lockhart; Sweden, Pärtel Piirimäe; France and the Thirty Years’ War, Lucien Bély; The papacy, Guido Braun; Non-splendid isolation: the Ottoman empire and the Thirty Years’ War, Maria Baramova. Part III Different Stages and Theatres of the War: 1618-1629, Ronald G. Asch; 1629-1635, Toby Osborne; The long war (1635-1648), Tryntje Helfferich; The Dutch-Spanish war in the Low Countries 1621-1648, Olaf van Nimwegen; The Thirty Years’ War in Italy 1628-1659, Sven Externbrink. Part IV Religion and Politics: The Peace of 1555 - a failed settlement?, Matthias Pohlig; The Edict of Restitution (1629) and the failure of Catholic restoration, Marc R. Forster; Lutherans, Calvinists and the road to a normative year, Ralf-Peter Fuchs; The Thirty Years’ War - a religious war? Religion and Machiavellism at the turning point of 1635, Cornel Zwierlein; The material conditions of war, John Theibault; The experience of war, Sigrun Haude; Strategy and the conduct of war, Peter H. Wilson. Part V Experience and Praxis of War: The Peace of Prague - a failed settlement?, Martin Espenhorst (née Peters); The settlement of 1648 for the German empire, Axel Gotthard; The Peace of Westphalia: a European peace, Heinz Duchardt; A peace for the whole world? Perceptions and effects of the Peace Treaty of Münster (1648) on the world outside Europe, Susan Richter. Index.