Thirty Years' War (1618–1648)

The Thirty Years' War was the most destructive conflict in European history before the two world wars. It is regarded as a significant stage in western warfare, associated with the idea of an early modern Military Revolution, and with “great captains” like Gustavus Adolphus, Conde, and Turenne. Nearly all the continent's major and most of the minor powers became involved. The peace congress in the two Westphalian towns of Munster and Osnabruck was attended by 194 official delegations and is widely hailed as a landmark in the development of modern diplomacy and the transition to an international order based on sovereign states. Keywords: seventeeth century; Europe; war