Review of 'The Thirty Years War' by CV Wedgwood

Of significant influence on the outcome of military activity is context; be this economic, geographic, morale (and motivation), generalship, etc. With a particular interest in the English Civil War (ECW) I wanted to learn more about the Thirty Years War (30YW) in Europe, which ended at a similar time to the ECW. Research on t'interwebrary suggested that 'The Thirty Years War' by CV Wedgwood was at least as good a source as many others.

Wedgewood's book is considered by some to be the definitive work on the 30YW. First published in 1938, it makes use of the extensive written records from the 17th century. 

The 30YW was a very messy affair in several ways not least of which were: the horrific impact it had on probably many hundreds of thousands of the citizens of predominantly central Europe, many of whom were innocent bystanders; the convoluted political relationships between many of the central characters; and the significant use of mercenaries who often fed themselves via devastation of the lands they occupied.

Of significance for the ECW from the 30YW, were:

• The military experience gained by commanders; both Royalist and Parliamentarian.
• The relatively small proportion of mercenaries employed in the ECW - many mercenaries continued to fight in Europe rather than venture to Britain. This may have contributed to the civility of the ECW relative to the 30YW; although, atrocities were committed in the ECW.
• The reluctance of many European powers to support the combatants in the ECW - this may particularly have affected the Royalist cause. 

The book is well written in the 'proper' English of the early 20th century. It is comprehensive and appears to be written from a neutral perspective; ie, in favour of no particular faction. The only feature that some readers may consider to be negative is the depth of coverage of the history but this is exactly what I wanted so I thoroughly recommend this book (of more than 500 pages) to those who want a comprehensive understanding of the 30YW.