Gary Inbinder’s Reviews > The Lion of the North A tale of the times of Gustavus Adolphus > Status Update

Hello Gary,
There is a play on the Thirty Years' War which I recommend. It is available in English translation. It is called Wallenstein by Schiller. In 1633/1634 when Wallenstein, the Supreme Commander wanted to bring the war to an end against the will of Emperor Friedrich II. It was already war for about 16 years. It is based on historical events. There are really good quotes against war. "A merely fallen enemy may rise again but the reconciled one is truly vanquished."

Ebba Simone wrote: "Hello Gary,
There is a play on the Thirty Years' War which I recommend. It is available in English translation. It is called Wallenstein by Schiller. In 1633/1634 when Wallenstein, the Supreme Comm..."

Thanks, Ebba. I've heard of Schiller's play, but never read it. A fine recommendation for my much too long TBR list. :)

Henty speaks highly of Wallenstein. Here's just one example:

It was a stern day at Leipzig, but, mark my words, it will be sterner still when we meet Wallenstein; for, great captain as Tilly undoubtedly was, Wallenstein is far greater, and Europe will hold its breath when Gustavus and he, the two greatest captains of the age, meet in a pitched battle."

Henty, G. A. (George Alfred). The Lion of the North A tale of the times of Gustavus Adolphus (p. 167). Kindle Edition.

FYI, I'm currently re-reading Steven Ozment's "A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People." It's a relatively short history, but it does have a good section devoted to the Thirty Years' War."

Interesting! Thanks. I have read "Krabat" recently and it is during that time period. The main focus is on other things but there are two scenes regarding the Thirty Years' War. So I thought I'd like to either re-read Wallenstein or find a good non-fiction book on this War/time period. Ebba

Ebba Simone wrote: "Interesting! Thanks. I have read "Krabat" recently and it is during that time period. The main focus is on other things but there are two scenes regarding the Thirty Years' War. So I thought I'd li..."

Ebba, I haven't read it, but this looks like a good non-fiction history of the Thirty Years War. It's one I'd consider for my overly- long TBR.

Thanks! It looks very comprehensive. Which makes sense (30 years). Tomes scare me a little bit. I found one on Wallenstein (166 pages) by Ricarda Huch and one on the War by Schiller. It is a chronology but very captivating since he was not a historian but a novelist/playwright. Wallenstein's full name was Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Waldstein. I did not know that.

Ebba Simone wrote: "Thanks! It looks very comprehensive. Which makes sense (30 years). Tomes scare me a little bit. I found one on Wallenstein (166 pages) by Ricarda Huch and one on the War by Schiller. It is a chrono..."

Wallenstein comes off quite well in Henty's novel, while Emperor Ferdinand II is the villain of the piece. According to the novel, after Gustavus Adolphus's death, Wallenstein negotiated with Oxensteirna, the Swedish king's chancellor, to end the war. In the novel, Wallenstein planned to overthrow the emperor and replace him, but Wallenstein was assassinated before his plot could be carried out.