Letters and Files on the History of the Thirty Years' War. The Politics of Maximilian of Bavaria and His Allies, 1618 – 1651.

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The year of 1631 represents a watershed, perhaps even the most decisive moment, in the history of the Thirty Years' War. This is especially true for Prince-Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria. This edition begins with the fall of 1630, a time that no doubt saw Maximilian at the height of his power: as well as being prince-elector, he also headed the League. At the imperial diet that had taken place the year before, he had managed to force through central political goals. Especially due to pressure exerted by Bavaria, Emperor Ferdinand II found himself forced to dismiss Albrecht von Wallenstein as supreme commander of the imperial forces. He was replaced by the League's leading general, Johann T'Serclaes Count of Tilly, who was now also put in charge of the empire's army. Apart from this concession (to the empire's estates and prince-electors), the Vienna government was unable to make the plans to establish Ferdinand, the emperor's son, as the Roman emperor more concrete. Despite just having joined the electoral college, Maximilian acted as a key figure within this council and established himself as Habsburg's actual antipode and defender of princely freedoms.In the beginning of 1632, however, the tables had completely turned: The Swedish victory at Breitenfeld (September 18, 1631) had completey overturned prior power relations. The main losers of this new development were Maximilian of Bavaria and his League. They were never to recover from this turn of events. The League's termination by the Peace of Prague of 1635 marked the logical conclusion of a development which began in the year of 1631 with all its political and military alterations.Considering the 'watershed year of 1631's' significance, it is more than justified to make the political and military developments of this year subject of a comprehensive edition that deals extensively with the ramifications for the empire, Bavaria, and the League. This source edition performs fundamental research of great importance to future researchers dealing with the Thirty Years' War in all its dimensions.