Second Hand The Origins of the Thirty Years War and the Revolt in Bohemia, 1618

A timely reassessment of how Europe slid into the Thirty Years’ War, this study argues that the conflict was not simply the inevitable outcome of long-running confessional tension or great-power rivalry, but was driven decisively by events in Bohemia in 1618. Geoff Mortimer re-examines the political and religious landscape of the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg dynastic situation, and the international context, before focusing closely on the Bohemian revolt and the famous Defenestration of Prague.

Going beyond the brief treatment often given to the revolt in broader histories, Mortimer offers a detailed modern account of the uprising’s causes, the factions and personalities involved, and the way a regional crisis escalated into a continent-wide war. Supported by maps and reference material, this is an excellent specialist volume for readers interested in the origins of the Thirty Years’ War, Habsburg Europe, and early-seventeenth-century politics and diplomacy.