It is a great privilege to work on a subject of which one never tires. Even after almost two decades of poring over texts, the Thirty Yearsâ War has not lost any of its fascination for me. I first conceived of the topic during a conversation with Manfred Schulze, when we met over a glass of wine in Tübingen toward the end of my previous research project (focused on the Anabaptist Kingdom of Münster) and brainstormed about my next venture. These conversations seeded in me a desire to move from the Reformationâs early stages to what is traditionally considered its last phase, the momentous Thirty Yearsâ War. My curiosity about this conflict goes back to my childhood years when I tried to grasp its dimensions during history sessions at the Gymnasium. The fact that the war filled such a prominent space in the history curriculum underscores the enduring place it holds in the German consciousness. While interest in the war has traditionally been focused on its military and political players, I was drawn to the question of how people managed to survive â if they did â the seemingly unending war. This became the subject of my studies that has enthralled me ever since.
Passion for a project alone, however, is not enough to sustain oneself, and I have been very fortunate in the people and institutions who supported me generously and consistently throughout my long journey. Many colleagues offered invaluable advice, feedback, and encouragement over the years. The long list of cheerful and sage companions includes Jack Bernhardt, Tom and Kathy Brady, David Cressy, Ross Dickinson, Carlos Eire, Constantin Fasolt, Marc Forster, Michael Gross, Daniela Hacke, Karen Hagemann, Joel Harrington, Scott Hendrix, Reinhard Heydenreuter, Susan Karant-Nunn, Ethan Katz, Robert Kolb, Mary Lindemann, Ute Lotz-Heumann, Terry McIntosh, Hans Medick, Helga Meise, Cornelia Niekus Moore, Dorinda Outram, Geoffrey Parker, Ina Ulrike Paul, Beth Plummer, David Price, Helmut Puff, Jonathan Reid, Tom Robisheaux, Ulinka Rublack, Richard Schade (d. 2019), Ingo Schwab, Gerd Schwerhoff, Laura Stokes, Michael Stolleis (d. 2021), Ulrike Strasser, Mara Wade, Elisabeth WÃ¥ghäll Nivre, Peter Wallace, Merry Wiesner-Hanks, Gerhild Scholz Williams, Peter Wilson, Heide Wunder, and Charles Zika. Some of these colleagues and friends played leading roles as they encouraged and sustained me throughout this project. Ross Dickinsonâs early request for the film rights for this project cheered me no end. Several colleagues read early drafts of my manuscript and gave me crucial feedback. First among them is Tom Brady, whose incisive assessment of my initial draft set me on the right path. He also underscored the necessity of good maps by anticipating comments such as, âFranconia, where is that?â I am most appreciative of Peter Wilsonâs keen advice on an early chapter. Marc Forsterâs heartening appraisal and Jack Bernhardtâs perceptive reading helped me make good choices in trimming the manuscript and fortifying my argumentation. And I am very grateful to the anonymous reviewers, whose excellent suggestions assisted me in tightening and bolstering my study.
During the course of this project, I spent extensive time at archives and research libraries and received generous assistance from their staff. The Staatsarchiv Nürnberg was a most welcoming place. Every time I visited the archive, its director, Gerhard Rechter (d. 2012), invited me to conversations about my work over a cup of coffee. Gerlinde Maushammer was a marvelous wellspring of information and support. The members of the Nürnberger Archiv für Familienforschung at the Staatsarchiv were enthusiastic supporters of my project. The team at the Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in Bayern (Nuremberg) helped me unearth crucial documents in their vaults. The archivists of Munichâs Stadtarchiv, Staatsarchiv, Hauptstaatsarchiv, Archiv des Erzbistums München und Freising, and the Staatsbibliothek offered essential and ready support, as did the Diozesanarchiv Augsburg. The Herzog August Bibliothek with its superb and unparalleled collections became my anchor during the many years of researching and writing. There, I found rich material; an impressively knowledgeable and helpful staff; and an inspiring, international community of scholars, where I could test my findings. Jill Bepler, Volker Bauer, Andreas Herz, Christian Heitzmann, Christian Hogrefe, and Ulrike Gleixner of the HAB made sure that I found what I was looking for and readily engaged in eye-opening conversations about my project. I am most grateful for their unwavering and attentive assistance. And, finally, the history reference librarian, Sally Moffitt, of the Langsam Library at the University of Cincinnati, together with its incomparable Interlibrary Loan staff, furnished me with any material I needed and in record time. I am most grateful to these individuals and their institutions.
Several bodies generously funded my research trips and writing periods, none more so than the Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati. Taft not only provided substantial funding for summer research trips and conference travel to present my findings, but also awarded me a Center Fellowship, which allowed me to work on an early draft of this book, as well as a subvention for its publication. I received a three-month fellowship at the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel, and the University Research Council (at UC) funded a summer research trip. The Department of History supported me both financially through its Von Rosenstiel Fund and general research subsidies, and by giving me time to write at crucial junctures during this process.
My colleagues in the University of Cincinnatiâs History Department provided me with the spiritual and thoughtful support that is so essential in our work, especially Gene and Dottie Lewis, Chris Phillips, Barbara Ramusack, Hilda Smith, and Willard Sunderland. Maura OâConnor â friend, colleague, and department head â never wavered in her faith in me and my work. My graduate students were a constant source of inspiration and support. Dan Gladis â with the judicious assistance of Susan Ryan â expertly created the relevant maps and tables that help us visualize the spatial dimensions of this study. Evan Johnson read a first draft of my bibliography.
I also had the benefit of many dedicated friends who lent me their essential services during the course of this project. Hildegard Zörkler with her regional expertise read an early version of the manuscript for local accuracy. Katharina Gerstenberger has not only been an unwavering friend throughout this long process, but she also went through the final manuscript with a fine-toothed comb in search of inconsistencies and mistakes, and helped me proofread the index. Anna Linders reviewed parts of my manuscript, gave me astute advice, and could not have been a better and more committed friend. My copyeditor, Cindy Carlton-Ford, made what could well have been a painful process a most agreeable and enriching one. We turned out to be a great team as we traded chapters, questions, and comments. Any remaining mistakes are, of course, mine. The editors at Brill were a pleasure to work with: David Luebke, the early modern series editor of Studies in Central European Histories, gave his crucial support and perceptive advice regarding my project; Wendel Scholma and Arjan van Dijk promptly and kindly responded to my many questions; and Theo Joppe ensured a smooth and expeditious production process.
Beyond friendly professional support, I was surrounded by many companions who cheered and rooted for me during my years of researching and writing. This would have been a lonely road, had it not been for a host of devotees, including Mike Bootes, Svea Braeunert, Prince Brown, Marian Budde, Linda Castell, Andrea Cheng (d. 2015), Angélique Droessaert-Robisheaux, Jean Dye, Hope Earls McSwigan, Janet and David Fedders, Udo Greinacher, Ellen Harrison, Robert Hater, Christina Hazlett, Yousef Hussein, Farihah Ibrahim, Beverly Jones, John Kessel, Marian McSwigan, Mary Sue Morrow, Susan Murtha, Tanja Nusser, Carolyn Reisinger, Ron Slone, Annalaurie Wattson Lamb, and Maria Zörkler. Through it all, my family sustained me in countless, fundamental ways. My siblings followed in our parentsâ footsteps and were always at my side mentally and spiritually during the ups and downs of this journey. They applauded my successes and stood by me during rough stretches. I dedicate my book to them.
A Note on Usages
All translations from German documents and secondary sources are mine, unless indicated otherwise. Most German names are rendered in their German spelling, including the use of âvonâ rather than âof,â except for those cities and names which are commonly anglicized. Dates are usually rendered in Gregorian style, although some documents provide both the Julian and Gregorian forms of dates. I frequently use the word âconfessionalâ or âconfession,â which in the early modern context means belonging to a religious community that is bound by, or âconfesses to,â a doctrinal statement (e.g., the Augsburg Confession of the Lutherans). Thus, in the early modern period, Lutheranism, Calvinism/Reformed Religion, and Roman Catholicism are referred to as âconfessions,â not denominations. The terms âevangelicalâ and âEvangelicals,â too, have different connotations in the seventeenth century than they do nowadays: they indicate Protestants (both Lutherans and Calvinists/Reformed) and underline their strict adherence to the Gospel (Evangelium) in their perceived opposition to Roman Catholics (to whom I commonly refer as âCatholicsâ). Regarding the currency values around 1600, 1 thaler equaled 1 florin (or gulden) and 30 kreuzer (half a florin). Thus 1,000 thaler amounted to 1,500 florin. For further information on historical terms, please see the glossary.
Over the course of the last two decades, some of my work at various stages of its development has been published in articles. My study builds on these pieces, but none of the following chapters are reproductions of these articles. Some sections contain in revised form short segments that appeared in earlier publications, namely âThe Experience of Disaster during the Thirty Yearsâ War: Autobiographical Writings by Religious in Bavaria;â âThe Experience of Warâ; âFemale Religious Communities During the Thirty Yearsâ Warâ; âReligion während des DreiÃigjährigen Krieges (1618â1648)â; âThe Thirty Yearsâ War (1618â1648): Moving Bodies â Transforming Lives â Shifting Knowledgeâ; and âThe World of the Siege in New Perspective: The Populace During the Thirty Yearsâ War.â Full references can be found in the bibliography.