Timeline

Dear Reader,

Alas, this post isn't about a 2003 sci-fi action flick starring Gerard Butler. Rather, I hope to contextualize the conflict which occurred in the Kabinettskriege period by walking you through the various major wars during this pivotal period. For a discussion of why on earth you might want to learn this seemingly pointless info, click here.

As I believe I may have mentioned early, the Kabinettskriege period occurs between 1648 and 1789, or, for those of you fluent in history lingo: between the Thirty Years' War and the French Revolution. For those of you who have no idea what I just referred to, don't worry. The quick reference sheet is down the page a bit.

So, the Kabinettskriege period begins with the Treaty of Westphalia: the treaty which ended the Thirty Years' War. In a 2011 monograph on German history Dr. Sam Mustafa estimates that roughly 1 out of 5 German speaking people died during the Thirty Years' War. This devastation marks a turning point in the history of European warfare.

While warfare became neither safe, nor pleasant, there was a distinct difference in the level of violence waged against civilian populations, and the level of intensity that armies waged war against one another. For the best modern book on the Thirty Years' War, check out Peter H. Wilson's Europe's Tragedy, available here. Wilson focuses on previously neglected areas of the war, and argues that historians have previously overplayed the role of religion in the war.

But, I digress. You want a timeline about the Kabinettskriege period, not a discussion of the events which bracket the period. Here is a relevant timeline. I will continue to add to the timeline as the year progresses. If any of you have something you would like added to the timeline, please let me know in the comments.



Thanks for reading,

Alex Burns