A scholar of German and European history, Hajo Holborn fled Nazi Germany with his family in 1933, first arriving in the United Kingdom, then emigrating to America. He taught at Yale and Tufts before becoming Sterling Professor of History at Yale; among his students there was Peter Gay. He became an American citizen and served as president of the American Historical Association.
A good chunk of this book revolves around theology which might turn some readers off. However much the national and socio-economic factors played significant roles in the upcoming Thirty Years' War, the religious background of the Reformation cannot be skimmed over. Solid history with the one shortfall that there are few references given.
This was quite good. The history of the German Empire in this period is insanely complicated; in this book it was at least possible to follow events and to understand some of the reasons for them. Looking forward to the next volume!
This is an outstanding book to understand the politics, economics and religious battles between Catholicism and Protestantism as well as the intense rivalries of fledgling Protestant sects emerging during the Reformation.