The Birth of a Term and Chronology: the Thirty Years' War by Michael Caspar Lundorp

Abstract

In the context of the modern discussion about the “European” nature of the Thirty Years' War, it is especially important to take into account the opinions of the contemporaries of the tragedy. The article considers the first experiences of the terminological interpretation of the war and its chronological comprehension in the works of the German writer Michael Caspar Lundorp (1580—1629). An analysis of his numerous works in the first military decade of 1618—1629 is presented. It is shown how Lundorp, a contemporary of the events, came to understand the “German” nature of the war and its chronology. The starting point for the beginning of the war for Lundorp was the events in Bohemia in 1617—1618. The causes of the war lay in a complex set of factors dating back to the era of the Reformation. They united, according to the writer, both religious and legal aspects of the life of the Holy Roman Empire.