1. English Civil War
The English Civil War surveys the conflicts that divided the kingdoms of Charles I during the 1640s. It explains disputes over taxation, religion, parliamentary authority and the government of Scotland and Ireland that made political compromise increasingly impossible. The book follows the raising of armies, major…
2. Great Northern War
The Great Northern War examines the struggle from 1700 to 1721 between Sweden and a coalition led by Russia. It follows Charles XII’s early victories, the long campaign into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the disastrous invasion of Russia ending at Poltava. The account also traces Peter…
3. Italian Wars
The Italian Wars survey the conflicts that drew France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the papacy and Italian states into repeated warfare from 1494 to 1559. It explains how dynastic claims and shifting alliances turned the wealthy peninsula into a principal battlefield of European power politics.…
4. Livonian War
The Livonian War examines the conflict begun by Ivan IV’s invasion of Livonia in 1558. It follows the collapse of the Livonian Confederation and the intervention of Poland-Lithuania, Sweden and Denmark in a prolonged struggle for Baltic territory and trade. The book traces shifting alliances, sieges…
5. Seven Years’ War
The Seven Years’ War presents the global conflict fought from 1756 to 1763 across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, West Africa, India and the oceans. It explains the alliance reversal that joined Britain with Prussia and France with Austria and the wider competition for territory and…
6. Thirty Years’ War
The Thirty Years’ War traces the conflict that began with revolt in Bohemia in 1618 and expanded into a struggle involving the Habsburgs, German princes, Denmark, Sweden, France and Spain. It explains how religious division combined with dynastic and territorial rivalry. The book follows major phases,…