Europe's Tragedy

By Peter H. Wilson,

Book cover of Europe's Tragedy: A New History of the Thirty Years War

Book description

Winner of the Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award 2011

The horrific series of conflicts known as the Thirty Years War (1618-48) tore the heart out of Europe, killing perhaps a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to whole areas of Central Europe to such a degree that…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Europe's Tragedy as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It is impossible to understand Germany or indeed continental Europe without understanding the horrific conflict that raged on its soil during the first half of the 17th century. One of the most devastating conflicts ever fought in Europe, it tore communities and families apart along dynastic, religious, and political lines. Famine and disease added to the horrors of war, depopulating regions in Germany by up to two-thirds of pre-war levels. The conflict left a deep scar in German collective memory, the consequences of which can still be seen in religious, linguistic, and cultural divisions today. It was a collective experience…

Want books like Europe's Tragedy?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Europe's Tragedy.

Browse books like Europe's Tragedy

Book cover of Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955
Book cover of Kaiser Wilhelm II: A Life in Power
Book cover of Frederick the Great: King of Prussia

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,200

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the Thirty Years' War, Nazism, and Germany?

Nazism 231 books
Germany 491 books