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In 1618, a comet appeared in the sky, so bright that it could even be seen during the day. Its fiery tail was like a whip which God used to punish people. This is the year that saw the start of the 30 Years War. It was the bloodiest war the world had ever seen and the first modern war in history. It claimed the lives of onethird of Germany's population. It started with Catholics and Protestants fighting each other over the true faith. In the end, nations were fighting for power.
The 30 Years War shattered the old world. It created a new Europe. We can still experience its immediiacy today through the reports of soldiers and generals, bishops and peasants, rulers and [__] This war left the letters of an eerie monk, a man in the shadow of the powerful, and the first known diary of a simple soldier for hire, who miraculously survived. It made a princess into a queen, and after only one winter, it plunged her into the abyss. It turned a poor orphan into the richest woman in Europe, and a respectable hostess into an alleged witch.
This war turned the most famous painter of his time into a spy. In 1618, Protestant Bohemia rebelled against its ruler, the Catholic emperor of the mighty Holy Roman Empire. The war is spreading to Germany. In 1625, Protestant Denmark comes to the help of their belleaguered brethren. But even the great northern Empire cannot stand up to the emperor and Denmark loses several battles. Only one coastal strip around the Baltic port of Stralzund is still defended by Denmark. In France, the Catholic king is faced with Protestant Hugenos who control the Atlantic port of Lar Rochelle. Protestants and Catholics are also fighting each other in the Netherlands.
One question is being asked in this religious war. Which side is God on? Peter Harendorf is the only ordinary soldier for hire from the 30 years war who has left behind a diary. His account is out of the ordinary as is his fate. Peter Hagenov is of course Peter Hagenov is a soldier for hire and so he has to go where there is war. That must have motivated him to go where battles and wars predominated and that of course is Germany. The war in Germany devours more soldiers than any other conflict of its time. The need for experienced soldiers is immeasurable.
The date come What would you do? All of his sold and kills. Painter Peter Paul Reuben's from the port city of Anverb is also mourning his homeland. The Netherlands are split. The North is Protestant while Reubin's lives in the Catholic South, which is governed by Spain. It's war. Reuben's fighting for peace and the reunification of the two countries. But using the power of his paintings is not enough. The artist leads a secret double life as a diplomat and spy. Reuben was not an official diplomat. He was more of what you would call an agent. He gathered information and had a very extensive network of people with whom he corresponded worldwide or at least all over Europe.
He wrote about politics and mainly worked for the Spanish queen, the infanta Isabella. Isabella rules the Spanish Netherlands on behalf of her Habsburg family. Spain is a leading world power thanks in particular to its South American colonies. Brazil, including the important city of Baja, was part of Spain's empire at the time. And it is from here that ships loaded with silver sailed to Europe. For the Protestant Netherlands, this fleet represents a worthwhile prize. Equator respect for you though. My boots kill The Dutch privateeers have a strong ally, the English Navy. Together, they attack the Silver Fleet, but suffering a humiliating defeat at Spanish hands in 1625.
Since then, England's position has been indeterminate. Reuben's is committed to peace between England and Spain. and Buckingham is delivering from the corn. They're out for beds. With over 400,000 inhabitants, Paris is at this time the largest city in Europe. Artists and philosophers, foreign diplomats and mistresses, all meet at the royal court and in private salons. Nowhere else is more confidential information traded. Paris is the capital of spies. Nobody knows this better than the Capuagene monk, Father Joseph.
Despite his unassuming exterior, he has access to the innermost circles of power. Father Joseph is one of the most fascinating characters of his time. He comes from a noble family but lives as a beggar monk. The first biography of Father Joseph, also known as Joseph de Perry, is kept in the Franciscan library in Paris. In fact, one of his close companions started keeping notes while he was still alive. This is one of our treasures. It doesn't look like it, but it's one of the treasures in our library. So it's the original biography that was never printed, never published. So we're going to see what you indicated earlier page
on page 211. We're going to see the precious signature that was registered included. Ah, it is beautiful writing. This is father Joseph's writing. Dynamic struggle is a struggle for the Christian faith. His first idea was to convert Protestants to impress their conscience, their soul, to bring them back to Catholicism. It's an inner crusade. For Father Joseph, the monks of his order form a global network of informants. The most powerful man in France, Cardinal Rishelu, uses the Capuchin's influence and intelligence for his purposes.
Father Joseph serves him as an unofficial intelligence chief. He is entrusted with the most delicate missions. In 1626, French politics is in dire straits. The Protestant Hugenos in the southern part of the country control the important port of Lar Rochelle and constitute a recurring source of problems for the French king. France also feels surrounded by the enemy by the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs are in Spain and the Habsburgs are in the German Empire. Danger threatens from all directions. Lar Rochelle, the Hugeno stronghold, controls the southwest of France. Spain to the south, the Holy Roman Empire in the east, and the Spanish Netherlands in the north all seemed like a gaping trap
that could snap shut at any moment. That is why the French King Louis I 13th has made an alliance with Protestant England. Religious differences weigh heavily on the alliance and is especially controversial on the British island. England's political objective oscillates between two overarching strategies. On the one hand, various alliances help them secure supremacy at sea. On the other hand, they want to support the Protestants. But if it was to offer its support, for example, and enter into an alliance with Spain, it would lead to conflict with France and the Netherlands. And by joining forces with France, it would
jeopardize relations with Spain. England, like France, was faced with a difficult decision. And the rules of the game seemed to change from day to day. Fore! Foreign! party. [snorts] The eerie monk is often called eminos gre or grey eminence which quickly becomes a popular expression. This powerful man puts the glory of France and supremacy of the one true faith above all else. For Reuben's on the other hand his desire for peace supersedes the selfish political interests of nations. piece Christian.
Yes, sure. So sorry for Peter Hagdov never talks about his religious beliefs in his diary. He does pray directly to God. So we can assume that he was a Protestant. He also never mentions any saints. The Bible is nevertheless omnipresent in his diary. In pain and joy, it lends him words when he himself is at a loss for them. Peter Hagenor finds wages and bread in the Bavarian army. For him as a Lutheran, this is a moral dilemma. Bavaria is allied with the emperor and Catholic.
Peter. Interestingly enough, Peter Hagenoff does not join a Protestant or evangelical army for religious reasons. Even though the 30 years war was a religious war, it seemed to play a subordinate role for Peter Hagenorf, if it even played any role at all for him. Peter Handorf's savior, Anna, accompanies him into war as his wife. The Bavarian army moves northwards to finally expel the Danes from Germany. At the same time, Paris is rife with one rumor after another in the face of such simmering conflict. England is outfitting a navy. They say nobody knows for sure who they will attack or where.
Encrypting and decryting messages is becoming increasingly important in this era. Peter Paul Rubin's often uses secret codes, especially when writing to his friend Gabier, confidant of the English Lord Chancellor. Ruben's mainly gathered his information through letters and he had many correspondents. From time to time, he included sensitive information in his letters. So he felt the need to use codes in some of them. He used different numbers to indicate certain people or places. For example, 104 represented the infant Isabella and 87 was the Duke of Buckingham.
His correspondents had the key to this code and knew what these numbers meant so they could decipher his letters. A couple of these letters have been preserved. This is due to the negligence of Reubin's correspondence. They did not always follow his instructions. In all the turmoil of war, code tables often fall into the wrong hands and put the author in danger. In this letter, Reuben writes, "I beg of you to burn this letter as soon as you have done with it. It might ruin me with my masters. It would at least destroy my credit with them and render me useless for the future.
The Protestant port city of Lar Roelle has long resisted the will of the French king, mostly through passive resistance. In July 1627, an English fleet lands on the French coast and attacks a royal garrison near Lar Rochelle. The Hugenos of Lar Rochelle join forces with England. Thus, the power of the French king is threatened from both inside and outside alike. Lar Roelle was a sort of capital city for the Protestants. It was kind of a guarantee for Protestants to be defended against royal enterprises and from Lar Roelle you could conduct operations at sea.
Lar Roelle could be aided by sea by the European Protestant powers. So there was talk of a state within the state. But the English invasion is poorly prepared. After heavy losses, the fleet withdraws. The French king now besieges the rebel port city with his entire army. Lar Roelle is on its own. The siege of Lar Roelle is a key moment in French history. If the French king defeats the city, this would strengthen his power both internally and externally. If on the other hand, he loses, the country becomes fragmented and politically incapable of action. The result will be a permanent division of the country into north and south.
Louis the 13th together with Cardinal Rishelu personally leads the siege. But Lar Roelle's walls prove to be impregnable. Having access to the sea, they cannot be starved out. After months of bitter fighting, there is no victory in sight. A huge dam equipped with heavy cannons is to be constructed in order to cut Lar Rochelle off from the sea and at the same time defend against naval attacks. Something like this has never been tried before. The project seems impractical and megalomaniacal.
This is what often impressed the French in the pastel. When the siege of Lar Roelle is spoken about, that was what we were told about. Creating an impressive dyke by sinking boats over a kilometer. A phenomenal undertaking to prevent help coming from the sea. For a while, it is uncertain whether the dam will withstand the Atlantic storms. It is the brainchild of Father Joseph and Cardinal Rishelier. And if it holds, they will see it as a sign from God. a cardinal, a leader of the church, a man of peace, of religion who interferes in war, who commands men at arms and
around him capucian, men of God who come to help the soldiers. It is clear how symbolic this operation was of the confrontation between Catholicism and Protestantism even within the kingdom. At the same time, God seems to be abandoning the Catholic city of Anverp in Flanders, the home of Peter Paul Reubin's. Reuben has traveled over half of Europe to promote peace negotiations. He has been rewarded with magnificent aristocratic titles. Back in Anverb, though, he has to admit that peace is a long way off.
Once this port city was one of the most flourishing metropolises in Europe. All that is passed. It has lost half of its people. For years, the Dutch Republic has blocked access to the sea, cutting off its lifeblood. starts in So that can reuben never stops mourning the fate of his beloved homeland. He continues painting until his death in 1640. The consequences of war is the title of one of his last paintings and at the same time his legacy. Reuben's lost all hope that there would ever be peace in Europe again. However, 10 years after the start of the war, the emperor sees a way to secure peace through total victory.
Only one thing stands in his way. The Protestant city of Straund. The German Baltic Islands can be controlled from this city. It is the ideal bridge head for a Danish or Swedish invasion from the north. The emperor must rest this gateway from his enemies at all costs. In 1627, the Danish king and his allies were effectively defeated. Only a small strip of coast refuses to obey the German emperor Straland, a city in a key location on the Baltic Sea coast. Strazland's fall would end the war and unite Germany under a strong Catholic emperor. A patchwork of German small states would give way to a new Catholic superpower in Europe. come to [__] say this is T. In service to the emperor, Peter
Harendorf moved from Bavaria to the walls of Stralund. He thinks capturing the city will be child's play. The Danish officer in command of Strazund is Hinrich Hulk. He lost an eye during an earlier campaign against Imperial forces. He commands a mixed bunch of Danish, Swedish, and Scottish soldiers for hire. They are to defend the walls of Straund. Quite the daredevil, Hulk is at just 29 years old, already a veteran of this war. Czech Alrech von Valenstein is famous and notorious at the same time as a military genius and a merciless warlord. The Imperial commander's troops are drawing inexurably closer to the walls of the city.
The Danish army were under the command of Colonel Hinrich Hulk and prevented Valenstein from entering the city. Stralson's advantageous position makes the besieges attack difficult. Nevertheless, in the face of Imperial superiority, surrender seems to be only a matter of time. The defender's morale is at a low point, and the relationship between them and the citizens is tense. Many of Stralson's citizens would prefer to hand the city over to Valenstein, but representing Danish interests, Hulk forces them to fight to the last drop of blood. His strategy is simple but risky.
Attack is the best form of defense. Valenstein's army. Handorf was a soldier in Valenstein's army. So it is entirely possible that Handorf and Hawk saw or even shot at each other on the city wall. In any case, they were enemies even before Strazand. [screaming] What Strazund must fall. Valenstein's demand is clear. Even if Strason was chained to the sky, I would tear the city down. But Straund resists, and Valenstein has to pull back. God seems to be on the Protestant side for a brief moment in history. However, the victory over Strazand brought Denmark no luck. Only a month later, Valenstein defeated the Danish army. The Danish king Christian IV appealed for peace and Denmark withdrew from the 30 years war in 1629. So, the great European war could have
ended after 10 years, but it didn't. On the contrary, now it really got started. Watch. Lar Roelle has been completely cut off from the outside world since March 1628. Fighting immense odds, the besieged city is starving. Nobody wants to bow under the Catholic yoke. But of the 27,000 original inhabitants, only 5,000 are still alive. after 14 months of resistance, Lar Roelle finally has to capitulate in October 1628. The city symbolically hands over its key to the victorious king. This heroic painting doesn't show the victims. The fall of Larashelle marked the end of the military power of the Hugenos. Their castles and fortresses were now under
the king's control. France's power and that of the French king was greater than ever. The country could now rise to the international arena and act as a strong independent state. With the fall of Lar Roelle, Father Joseph steps back from military conflict. He wants to return to his true calling, the conversion of unbelievers.
