Germany during the Thirty Years War, 1618 to 1648: Wallenstein versus Gustavus Adolphus

[bucolic_frolic]

OP because the Thirty Years War was covered in my Euro History 1500 to the present, but it's been awhile since I thought about Wallenstein and Gustavus Adolphus. There was also a film The Last Valley with Michael Caine about the THirty Years War.

This video is a quick and brief reminder of events.

[rsdsharp]

1. Whoa. This triggered thoughts of the Defenstration of Prague.

Hadn’t thought of that since Modern European History to 1815.

Mostly because I just find it fun to say defenestration.

[RicROC]

2. Migration to the New World

At the conclusion of the 30 Years War (1648), the treaty stated that Catholics were to move to Catholic areas to live and Protestants relocate to Protestant Areas. Because of the devastation, famine, and other extreme hardships, many Germans decided to move to the "New World"/ the precursor of the United States.

This was the first major emigration of Germans to the 'US' and to this day, the largest ethnic minority of the US is German.

[Staph]

3. If you are interested in well-researched alternate history about this time period,

check out the 1632 series by Eric Flint and others.

The first book, 1632, begins in a small town, Grantville, West Virginia, in 2000, where the town and a six-mile-wide sphere surrounding it are moved in space and time to Germany in 1631, the middle of the Thirty Years War. The 'Ring of Fire', this move in time and space, is the only science-fiction aspect of the series. The theme throughout the series is how a group of small town West Virginians decide to survive - by starting the American Revolution 150 years early.

You can download a copy of the first book from Baen Books at https://www.baen.com/1632.html. There are now 27 novels and 13 anthologies, as well as nine Grantville Gazettes, e-magazines that combine short stories and factual articles.