eeeeeezy reviewed The Thirty Years War by Peter H. Wilson
The authoritative book on the Thirty Years' War?
5 stars
I'm not qualified to review a book on the Thirty Year's War. I came to the topic knowing only that the war and the resulting peace were significant in the history of Central Europe and in the development of international relations. Peter Wilson is a very good writer and historian, and his ability to craft an intelligible narrative of an incredibly complicated and oftentimes confusing conflict is impressive. The course of the war was frequently dictated by territorial, hereditary, confessional, and dynastic political dynamics that are utterly obscure to most people today, but Wilson's storytelling made them accessible to me, a newcomer to the topic. I was also very pleased with Wilson's habit of stepping back from the history to offer historiographical comment that gave the entire treatment useful and enlightening perspective.
