These are notes from the presentation I gave at Clann Tartan's muster on September 14, 2008. I have used an outline format and tried to keep the text very brief, but I have provided a lot of web links and hard copy references. All members are encouraged to follow up on any of these and I will be happy to discuss them. Comments, suggestions, and corrections (with verifiable references) are welcome.
The Holy Roman Empire: A collection of Kingdoms, Principalities, etc. in what is now Germany and neighboring countries. The most powerful was Austria ruled by the Hapsburgs, and for some time now the Emperor, though theoretically elected, had always been a Hapburg.
The Protestant Reformation. Started with Luther in 1517 and quickly spread. By 1600 the Empire had grudgingly conceded some tolerance to Lutherans, less to the stricter Calvinists.
Spain. Very Catholic. Ruled by Hapsburgs as well, and hence allied with the Empire. Most powerful army in Europe. Extensive possessions in Italy and the Netherlands.
The Netherlands. Very rich from commerce. In rebellion from Spain since about 1568. In 1609 a 12 year truce was concluded. The mostly Protestant north (roughly modern Holland) was under the control of the Dutch rebels. The south (roughly modern Belgium) was largely Catholic and still under Spanish control.
France. Mostly Catholic, with Cardinal Richelieu as effectively Prime Minister. However, France had been at war with Spain for much of the previous century. Visualize it on a map. With Spain to the southwest, Spanish territories in Italy to the southeast, the Spanish Netherlands to the north, and the Hapsburg-ruled empire to the east, they are surrounded by the Hapsburg enemy. Hostility to the Hapsburgs had consistently trumped the common Catholic religion in the previous century, and was not going to stop now.
Everybody was expecting a big war to start in 1621, when the Dutch-Spanish truce was due to expire, but fighting actually started in 1618. The Emperor was trying to tighten control of Bohemia (modern Czech republic). The local Protestants resisted and a meeting in 1618 ended when the Imperial representatives were thrown out the window--the The defenestration of Prague.
The Bohemians then invited Frederick V, Elector Palatine (modern German Rhineland) to be their King. He was a Protestant. He accepted. He was soon called the "Winter King"--his reign was not expected to last long against the Imperial wrath, and it didn't. An Imperial army crushed his forces in 1620, and he was forced into exile. The Empire, with Spanish help, then proceeded to conquer Frederick's posessions in the Palatinate in the next few years.
Denmark entered the war on the Protestant side, but by 1629 was utterly crushed. King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden now sees Imperial forces on the Baltic. France sees Hapsburgs triumphant in Germany. Sweden, encouraged and financed by France, enters the war.
Landed in Germany in 1630
May 1631 -- City of Magdeburg besieged by Imperial army. Gustavus could not relieve the siege. City sacked and burned, most inhabitants massacred. Biggest atrocity of the war.
September 1631 -- Battle of Breitenfeld. Gustavus wins big battle against Imperial army. Protestants flock to him in support.
November 1632 -- Battle of Lützen. Technically a Swedish victory--they remained in posession of the battlefield, but the Imperial army was able to withdraw in good order. High casualties on both sides, including Gustavus, who was killed in a cavalry skirmish.
1634: Battle of Nördlingen.. The main Swedish army is crushed by a joint Imperial and Spanish force. In the aftermath the Emperor is triumphant. Everything that Gustavus had won is lost.
1635: France openly enters the war on the Protestant side.
1636-1645: Swedish military recovery.
1648: War ends with the Peace of Westphalia. Germany utterly devastated. 1/3--1/2 the population was killed.
There was nothing heroic or chivalrous about how this war was fought. It was the most brutal conflict Europe had yet known. The "Laws of War" were just scraps of paper. Civilians were constantly subject to looting, rape, and murder by the armies of both sides. A "friendly army" was just as bad as the enemy. Under Gustavus this was slighly mitigated on the Protestant side, but he was only in the war for two years. After his death the conduct of the Swedish army was as bad as that of the Imperialists.
The horrors of the war were frequently depicted by contempary artists. Jacques Callot's The Miseries of War is a well known example.
Ethnically divided, with tension. Think Quebec/Canada on steroids. The Lowlands, including Edinburgh, were English/Scots speaking. The Highlanders spoke Gaelic, very similar to Irish, and in fact Lowlanders often referred to them and their language as "Irish." This was not a complement.
Officially Protestant. In the Lowlands very much actually so, but there were still a lot of at least nominal Catholics in the Highlands. For more information and references see http://home.comcast.net/~gmcdavid/HistNotes/highland_rel.html
At peace with England. Forget all that you have heard about Anglo-Scottish hostility. From about 1580 King James VI did everything he could to stay at peace with England. He knew he was next in line for the English throne and really wanted it. He achieved this goal in 1603, becoming King James I of England. The royal court moved from Edinburgh to London and never returned, except for brief visits. James died in 1625 and his son became King Charles I of England and Scotland.
The Highlanders have an image as simple barbarians, but in fact their written culture, shared with the Irish, is older than that of English. The Golden Age of Scottish Gaelic Culture had ended with the fall of the Lordship more than a century before, but some of the richer chiefs of the MacLeods, MacLeans, MacDonalds, and (!) Campbells maintained traditional Gaelic courts at home, and continued to do so throughout the century.
Traditional Gaelic culture, like that of their Irish kin, was rural. There were towns in the Highlands (e.g. Inverness), but they were not Highland towns. They were colonies of lowlanders planted by royal authority. The people of the towns did not consider themselves Highlanders, and neither did their Highland neighbors in the country.
King James VI hated everything about Highland culture and society. For him the only good Highlanders were those who had adopted Lowland culture. He required that the Highland chiefs show they had Feudal titles to their lands; i.e. a place in the official Lowland social structure. He also attempted to repress many aspects of Highland culture. These repressive measures are well documented by historians of the Highlands such as Michael Newton and I.F. Grant. I have summarized them at http://home.comcast.net/~gmcdavid/HistNotes/Hostility.html.
King Charles was much more interested in English affairs, and hence his neglect of the Highlands was to their benefit. In 1644, as his fortunes in the English Civil War waned, he turned for help to those same Highland chiefs his father had hated. Under the Marquis of Montrose an army of Highlanders and Irishmen (with close Highland connections) fought a brilliant campaign on the King's behalf for a year until a superior Scottish force defeated them in September 1645, well after the King's army in England had been decisively beaten at Naseby.
The Elector Frederick V was married to Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James VI/I and sister of Charles I. Hence many Scots felt attracted to her cause, but neither King officially intervened in the war.
With England and Scotland both being officially Protestant, official sympathies were toward that side.
When Denmark was forced out of the war, King Charles I allowed Gustavus to recruit in Scotland. Scotland had more young men than could be peacefully employed, and sending a lot of them on a one-way (for such it usually turned out to be) trip to Germany was a way to deal with this.
Most of the Scottish leadership came from Lowland families. Only one regiment, MacKay's was actually recruited by a Highland Chief in the old manner of a Chief calling his clansmen to follow him into war. However, there were probably a lot of Highlanders in the other regiments as well.
In reality, as opposed to on paper, the recruiters were not too fussy about who signed up. As in all armies, they had quotas to fill, and sometimes filled them from the town jail.
Notation:
(B) Book, linked to Amazon or other source.
(W) Web
reference.
General and military history
Christer Jörgensen, et.al., Fighting Techniques of the Early Modern World: Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics: AD 1500 ~ AD 1763 (B)
Jacob de Gheyn, The Exercise of Arms The most influential military drill manual of the period. Our pike and musket drill is based on it. There is at least one other edition of this available, but I could not find an online source. (B)
Encyclopedia of World History, The Thirty Years' War, General chronology. http://www.bartleby.com/67/617.html (W)
Encyclopedia of World History, Swedish Phase of the 30 Years War. http://www.bartleby.com/67/620.html (W).
C.V. Wedgwood, The Thirty Years War. Classic general history of the war. (B)
Richard Brzezinski and Richard Hook, The Army of Gustavus Adolphus (1): Infantry. Includes some discussion of the Scottish infantry. Parts are at Google Books.(B)
Richard Brzezinski and Richard Hook, The Army of Gustavus Adolphus (2): Cavalry. The rest of the army. Even though we re-enact regular infantry, we need to know something about the cavalry, artillery, and snipers. (B)
Richard Brzezinski and Richard Hook, Lützen 1632. The biggest battle of the war, and one that settled absolutely nothing, except that Gustavus was killed. This book gives a detailed picture of how a set-piece battle was fought, and gives equal time to both sides, so you can learn something about the Imperial army under its greatest commander. (B)
Highland Culture and History
Michael Newton, Gaelic in Scottish History and Culture http://www.rfs.scotshome.com (W). A shorter version of his Handbook.
Alexander Shevlinn, Gaelic Society - an Overview. My comments at The golden age of Gaelic Scotland http://www.simplyscottish.com/readingroom/history/gaelic_society.htm (W)
I.F. Grant and Hugh Cheape, Periods in Highland History. (B)
Stuart Reid, Highlanders - Myth and Reality http://www.ecwsa.org/histhiglandersmythandreality.html (W)
Stuart Reid and Angus McBride, Highland Clansman: 1689-1746. The title is misleading; The period covered begins in the 1630's. (B)
Lowland Hostility to the Highlands. Several quotes documenting this, with links and references. http://home.comcast.net/~gmcdavid/HistNotes/Hostility.html (W)
Scottish involvement in the war
James Miller, Swords for hire: The Scottish Mercenary. Extensive coverage of the 30 Years' War, as well as the service of Scottish mercenaries on the continent before and after that conflict. (B)
Robert Monro, Monro, His Expedition with the Worthy Scots Regiment Called Mac-Keys. The most extensive contemporary account of Scottish soldiers in the 30 Years War, (B)
Ian Grimble, Chief of MacKay. I have written some brief comments about this book. Chapter 5 summarizes Monro, with discussion. (B)