The Origins of the Thirty Years War?

Abstract

The Thirty Years War was not only long, but also extremely complicated. Hence almost all modern histories of the war (with one recent exception¹) have sought to confine their accounts of the circumstances and events prior to the revolt in Bohemia to their first substantive chapter. Although there are differences in detail the overall approach is generally similar, outlining the increasing tensions and the specific incidents which by 1618 had created a critical situation in which a rebellion in Prague could lead to a prolonged and widespread conflict. English-speaking historians tend to stress the international context rather more than their German colleagues, even those who espouse the modern European view of the war, but this is a matter of emphasis rather than a difference of principle. Consequently this book too will set out a summary of the background to the war as Chapter 1, firstly in order to present the relevant facts conveniently and concisely, but secondly as the basis for a discussion in Chapter 2 of the validity of the standard interpretation.