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Osprey Essential Histories #29
The Thirty Years' War 1618-1648 (Essential Histories) by Richard Bonney
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. It was 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'.
Paperback Bunko
First published August 19, 2002
About the author
Richard Bonney
25 books2 followersDr. Richard P. Bonney was an English historian and priest.
Bonney was appointed Lecturer in European History at the University of Reading in 1971 and Professor of Modern History at the University of Leicester in 1984, where he stayed until his retirment in 2006. He was the founder of the Society for the Study of French History in the UK and the founding Editor of its Journal, French History, between 1987 and 2001.
Bonney published numerous publications on French history and European fiscal history. His first book, a revision of his Ph.D. thesis, "Political Change in France under Richelieu and Mazarin, 1624-1661", was published in 1978.
In 1997, Bonney was ordained as a priest in the Church of England. His work focused on religious pluralism, and also on Jihad.
Bonner received his undergraduate degree and his Ph.D. from Oxford University.
Bonney was appointed Lecturer in European History at the University of Reading in 1971 and Professor of Modern History at the University of Leicester in 1984, where he stayed until his retirment in 2006. He was the founder of the Society for the Study of French History in the UK and the founding Editor of its Journal, French History, between 1987 and 2001.
Bonney published numerous publications on French history and European fiscal history. His first book, a revision of his Ph.D. thesis, "Political Change in France under Richelieu and Mazarin, 1624-1661", was published in 1978.
In 1997, Bonney was ordained as a priest in the Church of England. His work focused on religious pluralism, and also on Jihad.
Bonner received his undergraduate degree and his Ph.D. from Oxford University.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 3, 2016
I read this for purely functional reasons - I'm sure there's better out there on the Thirty Years' War. For something this complicated, you really need to keep one eye on chronology, otherwise your audience is easily lost.
If anyone knows of a good primer on the 30YW, preferably under 300 pages + sources, hit me up. I'm on a bit of an early modern binge at the moment.
If anyone knows of a good primer on the 30YW, preferably under 300 pages + sources, hit me up. I'm on a bit of an early modern binge at the moment.
March 24, 2018
This book is meant to be an introduction to the main aspects of the 30 Years' War, but the author simply focuses on irrelevant things: The book e.g. includes several in-depth descriptions of the Swedish army formations whereas it doesn't mention the Ottoman Empire at all.
The author assumes that the reader has an in-depth knowledge of the location of countless German towns (e.g. Wittstock & Lützen) - the book could really use some maps.
The author uses a terribly bland writing style.
I learned more about this war by reading a Wikipedia article and playing EU4 than by reading this book.
The author assumes that the reader has an in-depth knowledge of the location of countless German towns (e.g. Wittstock & Lützen) - the book could really use some maps.
The author uses a terribly bland writing style.
I learned more about this war by reading a Wikipedia article and playing EU4 than by reading this book.
December 30, 2016
"Simply not enough information." It is a common complaint for readers of the Essential Histories series that can certainly be blamed on the strict restrictions on space, but in this case especially, the statement is valid. This book gives you the bare-bones of the conflict, with very little in the way of causes for and the lead up to the war. Brief, but interesting, discussions of the most important battles, the effects on the local populace, and regional negotiations are included, but the overall result is simply incomplete. The Thirty Years' War is an incredibly complex conflict involving overwhelming numbers of players. Alliances shift, break, and reform; leaders and generals change allegiances, and the tides of war turn again and again. It is, therefore, unrealistic to expect a <100 page book to give you the kind of in depth understanding you would need to truly know and understand this war. That is not the reason I am giving this book only 3 stars.
Even considering the monumental task of summarizing the key points of the Thirty Years' War, Richard Bonney does a poor job. The primary complaint I have is a general lack of grounding. An area map is blatantly missing, so the reader will have an extremely hard time grasping the location and significance of many battles in the book as well as the basic borders and areas of occupation before, during, and after the war. It is frustrating to read about occurrences in cities and duchies of which you're not sure where they are. Without additional research to get a firm understanding of the layout of the region, much of this book will be ineffective and uninteresting. Additionally, tables summarizing the various currencies used by the key players and their respective values at the time would be an immense help, as Bonney discusses wages and contributions frequently without much grounding. Finally, a table or list of the various barons, princes, kings, emperors, cardinals, generals, and so on and who they work for would be very helpful. With only a couple of pages dedicated to quick-reference guides about some of the basic background information, this book would be much more effective.
A fun and interesting alternative history series set in Germany during the Thirty Years' War is the Assisti Shards series, starting with 1632 (don't let the silly-looking cover scare you away).
So while this book is well-written, contains some good art, gives some good history, and any 97 page book would be inadequate to describe this conflict, it still falls short of the mark set by other Essential History authors.
Even considering the monumental task of summarizing the key points of the Thirty Years' War, Richard Bonney does a poor job. The primary complaint I have is a general lack of grounding. An area map is blatantly missing, so the reader will have an extremely hard time grasping the location and significance of many battles in the book as well as the basic borders and areas of occupation before, during, and after the war. It is frustrating to read about occurrences in cities and duchies of which you're not sure where they are. Without additional research to get a firm understanding of the layout of the region, much of this book will be ineffective and uninteresting. Additionally, tables summarizing the various currencies used by the key players and their respective values at the time would be an immense help, as Bonney discusses wages and contributions frequently without much grounding. Finally, a table or list of the various barons, princes, kings, emperors, cardinals, generals, and so on and who they work for would be very helpful. With only a couple of pages dedicated to quick-reference guides about some of the basic background information, this book would be much more effective.
A fun and interesting alternative history series set in Germany during the Thirty Years' War is the Assisti Shards series, starting with 1632 (don't let the silly-looking cover scare you away).
So while this book is well-written, contains some good art, gives some good history, and any 97 page book would be inadequate to describe this conflict, it still falls short of the mark set by other Essential History authors.
January 12, 2014
This is a serviceable, if somewhat flawed, overview of the Thirty Years' War. Bonney does his best to describe the context, key personalities, and events of the conflict. In the main, he succeeds quite well. As other reviewers have noted, however, the endlessly shifting alliances and subtle motivations of the principals make it difficult for even a very skilled historian to summarize the war in the space of eighty or ninety pages.
From the outset, the reader would be well advised to jot a list of names, organized by alliance, so as to avoid flipping back and forth trying to figure out, "which side was he on again?" Such a list would have been a valuable addition to the book. Also helpful would have been a few theater-level maps to give a sense of the area under conflict; only battle maps are provided. Perhaps a new edition could replace some of the full-page portraits of European royalty and military leaders -- I counted no fewer than eleven -- with some useful maps of the territory.
In summary, this is a useful introduction and overview, but it definitely leaves the reader wanting (perhaps unavoidably) a great deal more.
From the outset, the reader would be well advised to jot a list of names, organized by alliance, so as to avoid flipping back and forth trying to figure out, "which side was he on again?" Such a list would have been a valuable addition to the book. Also helpful would have been a few theater-level maps to give a sense of the area under conflict; only battle maps are provided. Perhaps a new edition could replace some of the full-page portraits of European royalty and military leaders -- I counted no fewer than eleven -- with some useful maps of the territory.
In summary, this is a useful introduction and overview, but it definitely leaves the reader wanting (perhaps unavoidably) a great deal more.
May 7, 2017
Another good edition to the Essential Histories series by Osprey. This deals with a period in European history which I knew nothing about before hand - although as a miniature wargamer I had been to many shows where battles from the era were being refought. As such I found this very interesting, but my only comment would be that a map of Germany during this period would have been helpful for those readers who don't know the area well (ie me!)
November 23, 2023
Teaching AP Euro for the first time and came across this event. I was baffled at the idea and needed some more info. This is a... Fine intro to the Thirty Years War and helps provide some context if I end up diving deeper into researching this. There are some downsides. There is an incredible amount of focus on the Swedes which is fine, but with how short this is, it's a little controlling. I would have also loved a detailed map displaying HRE provinces and the religious diversity of it.
December 26, 2018
This reads as a series of essays covering topics related to the Thirty Years War, but not as a cohesive whole. Other reviewers are spot on that a series of campaign maps are needed and not so many full page images of paintings. This is at best a reference guide, not a learning tool - it is much too brief for that.
February 8, 2019
First of all, this is a very confuse and complex war. This book tries to resume it the best way possible, although it's kind of difficult to understand at the very first, its get's simpler by the time (and little bit of further research), if you are new reading about this age (or war), maybe will be a little bit hard, otherwise its a very good summary.
September 15, 2020
O autor consegue condensar os trinta anos de guerra, mais alguns anos de eventos premonitórios, num livro de grande interesse. Talvez demasiado compacto, no entanto. No final, a conclusão da guerra é rapidamente abordada, sendo a maior preocupação a de justificar eventos futuros, ficando por explicitar as consequências mais imediatas.
April 8, 2025
Does its best. Covering the 30 years war in 90 highly illustrated pages just requires compromises. I don't think the choices made are bad; the narrative military history section makes reasonable choices.
The required civilian/soldier sections are well used to cover the nature of mercenary forces of the time and the particular burden of the war on civilians.
The required civilian/soldier sections are well used to cover the nature of mercenary forces of the time and the particular burden of the war on civilians.
June 2, 2018
A very uneven Osprey book that with an editor could have been quite good. Instead it jumps around and barely mentions several important battles such as Rocroi, Lens, and Fleurus. However, I did get a handle on the overall flow of events so I won't rate it lower than a three.
July 28, 2022
A great primer, very pretty book, nice collection of paintings and drawings from the era, which was a first of its kind in the realm of war reporting and propaganda. Very short.
August 21, 2012
Bonney writes a concise (90-page) history of the war that focuses on the military aspects. Sometimes the narration is a bit dry and not as connected to the larger importance of the war. It also assumes more knowledge of early modern European history than the average reader might have.
He does well in showing the relationships between the many different parties in the war, showing both religious and political factors. The reader also gets a sense of the challenges of maintaining an army in the 1600s, which was extremely difficult and often done at the expense of the civilian population where the fighting occurred by getting a payment after the negotiated surrender of a town, by forcing city and rural folk to pony up when an army occupied their territory, or through pillage. As he puts it, "If for the soldier the war was, in the last analysis, his livelihood, the civilian was ultimately the paymaster" (74).
He does well in showing the relationships between the many different parties in the war, showing both religious and political factors. The reader also gets a sense of the challenges of maintaining an army in the 1600s, which was extremely difficult and often done at the expense of the civilian population where the fighting occurred by getting a payment after the negotiated surrender of a town, by forcing city and rural folk to pony up when an army occupied their territory, or through pillage. As he puts it, "If for the soldier the war was, in the last analysis, his livelihood, the civilian was ultimately the paymaster" (74).
September 3, 2013
The Osprey series is usually a great resource for learning the essentials about conflicts in a short period of time. Unfortunately this one seems to miss the mark badly. Granted that the Thirty Years War involved a confusing welter of participants between Spain, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden, and all of those German principalities with combatants dropping out or switching sides continuously, but Bonney never truly sets the stage for the fight. Additionally, his prose in places is so turgid that one literally has to read sentences thrice to recall what it was he had started to relate.
The book is very well illustrated (a hallmark of the series) and the battle maps are excellent. Some strategic level maps would probably have been most useful.
The tome might have some value as a slender (albeit expensive) reference book, but look elsewhere if you are trying to gain an understanding of this important war.
The book is very well illustrated (a hallmark of the series) and the battle maps are excellent. Some strategic level maps would probably have been most useful.
The tome might have some value as a slender (albeit expensive) reference book, but look elsewhere if you are trying to gain an understanding of this important war.
February 17, 2015
Page limits
The book is a good summary and you can tell the author is doing his best with the page restriction, but it's simply asking too much of him. There is simply no way that any author can cram 30 years of European military history in least than 100 pages. As I said in my French revolutionary Wars review Osprey needs to create a new series like this but with a much bigger page count. I understand that this will mean a higher price and a slower publishing rate, but I think it will be worth it. I hope at least they'll create new campaign titles based on the battles mentioned in the book. This book could also use the space for more maps because the text will often refer to very obscure European cities or German minor States that no longer exist. One major positive of the book was that the personal accounts were very interesting. If you want something to serve as an introduction to the 30 years war. just don't treat this book as your final stop in your research.
The book is a good summary and you can tell the author is doing his best with the page restriction, but it's simply asking too much of him. There is simply no way that any author can cram 30 years of European military history in least than 100 pages. As I said in my French revolutionary Wars review Osprey needs to create a new series like this but with a much bigger page count. I understand that this will mean a higher price and a slower publishing rate, but I think it will be worth it. I hope at least they'll create new campaign titles based on the battles mentioned in the book. This book could also use the space for more maps because the text will often refer to very obscure European cities or German minor States that no longer exist. One major positive of the book was that the personal accounts were very interesting. If you want something to serve as an introduction to the 30 years war. just don't treat this book as your final stop in your research.
August 21, 2015
As far as a Reader's Digest version (not literally) goes this book does it's job. However it lacks substance due to it's relatively small and condensed size. However, if like me you are doing extensive research on the Baroque period, 17th Century Europe, or The Thirty Years' War this small pocket guide to the major conflicts and political structure of the time will be quite helpful. It's inclusion of a concise timeline of events in it's first pages and excellent digitized representations of artwork, battlefield engravings, and portraits is what made me give it four stars, otherwise I would have likely given it three. Enjoy folks!
February 15, 2016
This would have been a great pocket guide to a seminal event and time in European history, but for one problem: there's not the right maps to guide a reader through the MANY German states caught up in the conflict. So it seems to capture the flow over time in a very good way, but the flow over space doesn't make much sense.
June 11, 2024
Подробное объяснение далекой войны, сильно повлиявшей на новую историю. Дай бог, чтоб писали все исторические книги, с доскональной хроникой не только событий эпохи, но и мотиваций с точки зрения политического и экономического, и даже психологического развития.
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February 16, 2020Does a decent job of distilling this complex conflict to its essential elements. The first book I'd recommend to a novice interested in learning about the Thirty Years War.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews