The Thirty Years War (Unabridged)
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4.3 • 16 Ratings
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- $34.99
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- $34.99
Publisher Description
Initially, the Thirty Years War was precipitated in 1618 by religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire. But the conflict soon spread beyond religion to encompass the internal politics and balance of power within the Empire, and then later to the other European powers. By the end, it became simply a dynastic struggle between Bourbon France and Habsburg Spain. And almost all of it was fought out in Germany. After 30 years of conflict, entire regions of Germany and Bohemia were depopulated and destroyed by marching armies, fire, famine, and disease. It bankrupted most of the participants while leaving thousands of German villages, towns, and even cities in smoldering ruin.
Because of the political and geographical complexity of the early 17th century, an understanding of The Thirty Years War can be difficult to grasp in the beginning. Listeners will be rewarded by patience. As an aid to comprehension, we recommend the online Wikipedia article "The Thirty Years War" for maps and overviews of the geography, principle leaders, and major battles.
Total running time: 19 hours and 48 minutes. Narrator: Charlton Griffin.
Customer Reviews
Great and Epic History, Unabridged
To say that this is a heavy intellectual exercise is to understate quite a bit. This is the classic and very extensive history of over thirty years of pan-European wars and diplomacy. For that reason it is not necessarily light listening (or reading for that matter), but it is written in a classic and very entertaining style with a large cast of characters and a variety of armies and kingdoms to delight history buffs and epic fiction lovers alike. Because it is so large and long, you may need to take it in sections and do a little review (though Dame Wedgewood does a fairly good job keeping it all on track). A map wouldn't go amiss either, unless you are intimately familiar with German geography. It's not exactly a popular history, but Wedgewood also does an excellent job setting up for a great history of a too little examined war with good context and characterization of early modern Europe.
I have listened to it several times (a major investment in time) and each time I both enjoy and get something I missed the previous time. Other than Peter Wilson's more recent history (which is even denser) this is the quintessential history of the war in English. A good narrator (solid and understandable, if slightly dry) firms this all up (though unfortunately Latin, French, and German phrases can be tossed about without translation, though not to the detriment of the work). If you need a lengthy, excellent, fascinating, and challenging listen, this is the audiobook for you.
30 years war
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