Stay ConnectedWDF examines how wars broke out, how they were concluded, and their consequences. Expect juicy diplomacy, sneaky intrigue, fascinating characters, and incredible drama. By Dr Zack Twamley, qualified history nerd.
Current Series: The July Crisis
Patreon Series: The Age of Bismarck
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By 1640, two rebellions shook Madrid to its core, and had a dramatic knock on effect on Spain's ability to support its Habsburg cousins in Vienna. In summer, Catalonia erupted in revolt after years of provocations and intransigence. When Portuguese soldiers were sent to quell the rising, those soldiers took home news of Spanish weakness, and by December, Portugal had broken away, and declared itself independent under King John IV.
It was plain that Spain couldn't suppress the original Dutch revolt with this disaster on its doorstep, and its war against France was also in doubt, as Richelieu took the opportunity to take Catalonia under French protection. The writing was on the wall, the wheels were coming off, but even with this maiming, Spain was not done yet.
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In this episode I'm joined for a great conversation about Frederick the Great's 1740 invasion of Silesia, by a guy who knows a whole lot about it - Alec Avdakov from the Life and Times of Frederick the Great Podcast! Listen in and make sure you find Alec's show by clicking below. Thanksss Alec!
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By 1640, both the Habsburgs and their foes had reached something of a crisis. There were opportunities to be had, if a new campaign could be pursued, but where to find the money, and how to support the soldiers in lands no longer suitable for massive armies? As they sized each other up, diplomacy continued in the background. Could the Swedes and French finally achieve that seizmic victory they desperately needed?
Could anything plug the gaping hole in Habsburg financial and military resources long enough to reclaim the Empire for the Emperor? If Vienna could not rely on Madrid, and Stockholm could not depend on Paris, there was no guarantee that a new campaign would be in the offing at all. But this is only 1640, so you know we've eight more years to go. They were destined to be arguably the longest years of all.
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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War is hell, as the saying goes, but just how bad was the war by the late 1630s, after two decades of fighting?
As we learn here, the worst aspects of the conflict didn't come from the deaths in battle, but what went along with the battle - armies that marched over aching, increasingly desolate lands; the ruination of the delicate agricultural system; the acute crisis of starvation that followed, and the spread of disease that followed it.
The picture was depressing, but it tells a story of a continent that grew more desperate for peace by the month. Could the Holy Roman Emperor make it happen? Let's find out...
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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King Philip IV of Spain and King Charles of Britain had a surprising amount in common by the late 1630s. Both were presiding over a deteriorating situation domestically and abroad, and during the Battle of the Downs in October 1639, both came off worse than before.
For Charles, the problem was one of authority, which had suffered terribly following years of wrong headed religious and political policies. With Scotland in revolt, and only pacified with painful concessions by spring 1639, Charles needed a win, and nothing said defeat like the prospect of watching a Spanish-Dutch naval battle off the coast of Dover. Having presented himself as the Sovereign of the Seas, this was a sharp strike against Charles' honour, and things were soon to get worse.
Many miles away in Madrid, King Philip IV's greatest problem was the intractable Dutch, followed by the equally intractable Catalans. Even after Count Olivares had asked them really nicely, the Catalans had not agreed to aid and supply the defending Spanish garrisons, and matters came to a head thanks in no small measure to Olivares' heavy-handed responses. Olivares may have been trying to make a point about the King's authority - a move Charles would surely have sympathised with - but his approach caused the very disaster he had longed to avoid.
By autumn 1640, both Spain and Britain were wracked by conflict and division, as the Thirty Years' War's actor looked on, and asked whether it was really fair on historians to open yet more fronts to this multi-layered conflict. Fair or not, here we delve into these issues, so I hope you'll join me!
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1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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After ten years of podding, we've seen a wide range of fascinating guests brave enough to nerd out with yours truly, but who is my favourite? Find out here, in this long-delayed episode, to see if your fave made the cut, and don't forget to track them down in our large back catalogue!
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The war which began in the Habsburg humiliation at Prague had arguably crystallized by the late 1630s, and thus begins perhaps my favourite period of the conflict! We now have battles raging in Northern Germany, where Johan Baner's Swedish-German force faced down Matthias Gallas' Imperials. Further towards the Rhine, Octavio Piccolomini watched the border near the Spanish-Dutch war, where Spain poured its resources into a never ending grinder of men and money. With Portugal and Catalonia showing worrying signs of disloyalty, what did the future hold for Spain as the anchor of the Habsburg alliance?
Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III was just 29 when he assumed the throne. His 'gift' from his foes was to learn of the new Franco-Swedish alliance, signed in Hamburg in March 1638. Meanwhile, along the upper Rhine, the capture of Breisach gave the French a crossing on the German side of the river, and threatened the integrity of Bavaria. The flag of appeal was waved at Madrid, but the Spanish had little sympathy to spare for their Austrian cousins, being demoralised and defeated by the Dutch and French foes, the latter most devastatingly at sea, in 1639.
All the little wars had certainly converged into one, and it's my pleasure to take you on a journey through its most incredible and fascinating sights! Thankssss for the support and thankss for listening in!
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!
4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
EPISODE: With the passing of Emperor Ferdinand II in February 1637, the moment seems right for a lay of the land by this eventful new year. The challenges for both sides were formidable, yet limited flurries of peace initiatives could only go in one direction, so long as each believed they could gain more on the battlefield.
The French were stabilising after a nail bitingly close call. The Dutch were exorcising their demons, with a campaign aimed at clawing back the town of Breda, lost so painfully in 1625. The Swedes had restored their reputation, but little else. In Vienna, there may have been confidence in eventual victory, but that victory was clearly going to come at great cost. Still, with a new Emperor on the case, there was reason to be positive. After all, it's already gone of for nineteen years, how much longer could it possib....
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!
4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Having looked at Sweden's failed plans for Poland, and then at Richelieu's ultimate survival, we return here to the Swedish theatre - this time, the pressure is all on the Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna, who somehow had to turn everything around, and keep Sweden's war in Germany going.
As 1635 turned to 1636, Oxenstierna's desperation moved him to approach Cardinal Richelieu, cap in hand, for a renewal of the Franco-Spanish alliance of 1631. Lacking leverage, Ax Ox was still willing to swallow his pride and do what was necessary, but he knew that what Sweden needed most of all was a victory - a triumph on the battlefield could change everything, and show her foes and friends alike that Sweden was not yet lost.
Enter, Johan Baner.
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
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4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
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After so many years of cold war, finally, by 1635, France and Spain were destined to face each other in the battle - and what a battle it was! As defensive and offensive plans collided, and each side verged from crisis to stability and back to crisis again, the world shivered with nervous excitement. This was a test for the ages, a great power confrontation like no other, which would dramatically affect the future of the continent. Would it Richelieu's France, or Olivares' Spain? There could be only one.
**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**
2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!
3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!
4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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