Great Battles in History

Send us a textFought on July 8, 1709, the Battle of Poltava was the turning point of the Great Northern War. It was the climax of the long duel between two of the greatest monarchs of the age: King Charles XII of Sweden and Tsar Peter I of Russia. Poltava marked the end of the Stormaktstiden, Sweden's Age of Empire, and the rise of Russia as a great power.

Send us a textThe battle of Breitenfeld was fought on September 17, 1631. It was one of the largest and most important battles of the Thirty Years' War. It was the most famous victory of Gustavus Adolphus, Sweden's hero-king. It was the beginning of the Stormaktstiden, Sweden's Age of Empire. If you're enjoying Great Battles in History, please follow it and rate it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. And if you'd like to give me more support, then please consider buying my book, 1709: The Twilight of the Sun King. It's published by Bloomsbury and available from major booksellers.To help listeners navigate this episode, here is a chapter breakdown (timings are approximate):1.     01:34-12:13                Introduction2.     12:15-33:53                Dominium Maris Baltici: the Struggle for the Baltic3.     33:55-1:13:48             Sweden’s Northern Wars4.     1:13:50-2:09:45          Seventeenth-Century Warfare5.     2:09:47-2:46:57          Gustavus Adolphus6.     2:46:59-3:12:35          The Causes of the Thirty Years’ War7.     3:12:37-3:46:35          The Thirty Years’ War Begins8.     3:46:37-4:09:38         The Swedish Intervention9.     4:09:40-4:52:10         The Battle of Breitenfeld10.  4:52:12-5:34:54          Stormaktstiden: Sweden’s Age of Empire

Send us a textThe Battle of Breitenfeld, fought on September 17, 1631, was one of the most important battles of the Thirty Years' War. It was the greatest victory of King Gustavus Adolphus, the Lion from the North, and marked the beginning of the Stormaktstiden, Sweden's Age of Empire. 

Send us a textThe Battle of Nagashino is one of the most famous battles in Japanese history. It was the climax of the Sengoku Jidai, the Age of Warring States, a century-long period of civil wars and social upheaval. It represented the culmination of a revolution that had transformed Japanese warfare. And it punctures many myths of the samurai, the warrior-heroes of Japan.This episode also ends a long hiatus for Great Battles in History. For the past couple of years, I've been working on a book. Researching and writing it took up all the time I would have devoted to this podcast. With the book now done, I'm planning to return to a more regular release schedule.If you enjoy this podcast and would like to support it, please consider buying my book. It's called 1709: The Twilight of the Sun King. In 1709, France faced the coldest winter of the past five centuries, famine, financial collapse, and foreign invasion. The Twilight of the Sun King is an expertly researched, engagingly written narrative history of how France survived one of its greatest crises. It explains how Louis XIV, the aging Sun King, and his state passed their greatest test. It presents a total history of an early modern campaign, one that integrates finances, logistics, and diplomacy with military operations. It culminates with an account of Malplaquet, the largest and bloodiest battle of the eighteenth century in Europe. 1709 offers new insights on the development of the French absolute monarchy and the nature of early modern European warfare.Here's a link to my publisher, Rowman and Littlefield and a link to everyone's favourite online bookseller.You can also order it from your local bookstore. 

Send us a textTrailer for Episode Six, the Battle of Nagashio, coming soon.