Hello their history friend, Zach Twomley here, and you're listening to a catch-up episode for the Thirty Years War,

which will bring you conveniently up to the point where Frederick accepts the crown of bohemia and basically all of Europe goes over a cliff in 1619.

This episode can be useful for you if you'd like to skip the first 18 episodes

of this narrative and start later on. At the very least it'll give you a good introduction

to the major characters and it'll also explain essentially how the 30 Years' War came to be.

I understand that with a conflict as big as the 30 years

war it's probably a bit intimidating to just jump right into it and pick an episode

and it's hard to know where to begin so this episode is designed to ease that

problem. It's actually an episode I released the previous year but having edited

it and taken out the plugs from

that period, I think you'll find that it works just as well now as it did, hopefully, then.

So, because of that, here it is now. In line with this task of repurposing some old episodes,

you'll also possibly recognize two other episodes, one being an episode introducing you to my favorite story of the 30 Years War,

and another one explaining why you will be interested in it.

So two episodes serving those individual purposes.

And I think, in combination with this one here,

it'll be a really useful way to get a good grounding in the 30 Years' War itself.

If you joined me from various interviews I did, then you're very welcome.

And if you've never listened to When Diplomacy Fails Before, this is a pretty good place to start.

I should add Matchlock and the Embassy, a historical fiction series set during the 30 Years' War period, is out now. And you can get

that book by clicking the link in the description below and getting it from your favorite vendors.

I'm sure you're more than sick enough of me talking about it. So I won't say any more. Just know

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