With Breitenfeld changing the balance of power in the Empire, Gustavus had much to do as 1631 became 1632. First was the matter of Count Tilly's battered survivors from the battle, who had since been reinforced, and guarded the entrance to Bavaria. But over the horizon was an even greater threat to the Swedish King - Albrecht of Wallenstein, the Holy Roman Emperor's last hope. The two titans faced off throughout the summer of 1632, with dramatic (and disgusting) results. Get a load of all that waste!

**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**

1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!

2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!

3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!

4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Battle of Breitenfeld was a turning point in the Thirty Years War, but equally important was what Gustavus Adolphus chose to do after. In his race to conquer, Gustavus tore down the Rhine, seizing a wide range of cities, from Wurzburg, to Mainz, to Frankfurt. In the process, he upset the contract between the Emperor and his subjects like never before, demanding an answer which would come from Wallenstein in 1632.

More depressingly for the average German, Gustavus swollen army of 80,000 was just as big a problem as Wallenstein's had once been. The coinage Gustavus demanded sent cities spiraling into debt, but at least on the broadsheets, the Swedish King was finally acquiring recognition as the saviour of the anti-Habsburg cause.

**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**

1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!

2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!

3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!

4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the moment Gustavus Adolphus landed in Northern Germany, it was clear that his triumph was impossible so long as the Protestant Electors of Brandenburg and Saxony refused to join his side. Throughout spring and summer of 1631 though, Gustavus' luck finally began to turn, thanks in part to his liberal use of intimidation, and the horrendous miscalculations of the Emperor. Pointing his cannons at Berlin soon compelled a defenceless Elector of Brandenburg to make an alliance. Saxony, on the other hand, was a different matter. Dresden chose Sweden not because of what Gustavus did, but because of what Count Tilly, the Emperor's commander, was forced to do. 

Desperate for supplies after Magdeburg had been destroyed, Tilly sought aid from his Emperor. When this was denied, and when his troops appeared dangerously close to dissolving, Tilly came to terms with the new reality. The unspoiled lands of Saxony must be harnessed to reinvigorate his army - whether the Elector of Saxony liked it or not. The blunder forced the Saxon and Brandenburg Electors into Sweden's camp, and with the rest of Protestant Germany bound to follow their banners, the stage looked set for the great test of the Swedish King. As the new reluctant allies looked anxiously at the approach of autumn 1631, not even they could have imagined what would happen next...

**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**

1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!

2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!

3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!

4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are joined today by Ole from Immortal Games to talk about Story Games History.

Story Games History is a ground-breaking concept for making history more accessible, both to casual fans, and for learning purposes. Ole talks about his plan for approaching schools and colleges, adding more academic clout to this exciting project. Perhaps most interestingly, Ole explains how Story Games History will bring 16 key historical world events and persons to life through this innovative new educational medium, where players will be  in the centre of dramatic events. 

The game kicks off with a scenario now frightfully familiar to us - the world poised on the edge of war, nuclear war. The date is 1962, and the Cuban Missile Crisis is underway. As Ole explains, the plan is to put you, the player, into the shoes of JFK, and see if your choices make or break the world. In terms of gameplay, Ole plans to use a 'choose your own adventure' style, with a story and dialogue written by dedicated researcher. He'll also draw on tools such as quizzes and puzzle games with visual connection to the event, and each of the planned 16 scenarios will follow this formula. We talk together about how we intend to collaborate, and how Matchlock could even get its own mobile game, with an exclusive story written by me!

Above all, Ole shares a clear vision for how to bring Story Games History from concept to life. If anyone can do it, it's him! Ole is armed with experience in projects like these - including iDance, which brought him to the European Parliament, where he shared his vision for technology and learning can be blended together, to create something incredible. 

We hope you enjoy this fun conversation, and if you want to offer your expertise or advice, email me at wdfpodcast AT hotmail DOT com, with the subject Story Games History, and I'll be sure to pass it on! Thanksss!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Magdeburg, the city where the Thirty Years' War changed. As the Swedes gathered in North Germany, and the Imperials moved to counter them, their paths led to Magdeburg, a city on the River Elbe with a history of defiance. The city fathers of Magdeburg may have believed that their city would serve as the turning point of the war, but what they could never have imagined was the price which would have to be paid, by Magdeburg's citizens...

**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**

1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!

2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!

3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!

4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, he did it. He actually did it. After month of posturing, years of undeclared war, and even longer lying to our faces, Putin authorised Russia's invasion of Ukraine. How did it come to this? Is Putin the only variable that matters? Does diplomacy still have a chance? Where do I see all of this going? You may not think you need yet another person talking about this war, but just in case you do, join me here, as I explain why this war happened, and why it's personal to me. It's my first time wading into modern affairs with such venom, so I hope you enjoy it!

Sviatoslav Yurash is on Twitter 

Sviatoslav on Sky News - start video at 1:35. 

Monocle 24: The Foreign Desk Podcast on Apple

Thomas de Waal's thread on Russia's post-war plan.

Learn more about Putin's Ukraine speech on Feb 22. 

More context on Putin's position. 

Putin decides on war. 

Putin calls Ukraine's government Nazis and drug dealers. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get your copy of the second edition of A Matter of Honour: Britain in the First World War!

In early 1631, Gustavus Adolphus was in desperate need of allies and subsidies. Fortunately for him, Cardinal Richelieu of France was only too happy to help, but such friendship would come at a cost. France wasn't interested in throwing away good money. Instead, they wanted to effectively sponsor the Swedish invasion. 

They would fund Sweden's efforts, in return for Gustavus' promise to maintain a large army in the Empire. Just as they had done with the Dutch and in North Italy, here the French worked to open a new front in their cold war with the Habsburgs, a rivalry which couldn't possibly stay cold for much longer...

**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**

1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!

2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!

3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!

4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get your copy of the second edition of A Matter of Honour: Britain in the First World War!

Check out the Twitter thread on Audiblegate, where I went viral, being seen by nearly 1 million people!

In spring and summer 1630, Sweden's King could put it off no longer. The months of outrages, the insults, and the straight up interefernce in his business by the Emperor's proxies had gnawed away at his patience. War would have to follow, but how to present this war to the wider world? How to track the list of grievances which Sweden felt? How to persuade Germans and Frenchmen alike as to the righteousness of his cause? This was to be a campaign in itself, but Gustavus was up to the task. The war for Europe's hearts and minds was looming. The war for supremacy in Europe would come after.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

**IF YOU LIKE, FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**

1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!

2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!

3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!

4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here

It's hard to imagine it now, but 400 years ago, Russia was THE underdog in Europe. 

Racked by the aftershocks of the Time of Troubles (1603 - 1618) Russia's Tsar had a long way to go before the name Romanov would spread far and wide. And he had a score to settle. 

The King of Poland, Sigismund III, had invaded and occupied Russia all the way to Moscow barely a decade before. Sigismund claimed that his own son was the true Tsar of Russia, not Michael Romanov, or whatever he called himself. But how to get even with an all powerful Polish King, who had friends in very high places - the Habsburgs?

The Tsar's solution was simple - with an old enemy, the Swedes, he would forge an alliance of critical importance. Nor had the Tsar thought small - the Ottoman Empire and Transylvania were also included, creating a coalition, which would be levelled squarely against the Poles, and their Habsburg allies

This treaty was especially important for King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. With Russia threatening to attack Poland's eastern flank, there would be no danger of Sigismund making war on Sweden. Such an insurance policy was necessary for two main reasons. First, Sigismund was his Catholic cousin, and would stop at nothing to reclaim the Swedish crown. Second, Gustavus Adolphus' eyes had shifted from the Polish threat, and had landed on the Habsburgs themselves. 

As Cardinal Richelieu's agents had often whispered, it was surely time for Sweden to make its mark on the Holy Roman Empire, by attacking Emperor Ferdinand II, and destroying the Habsburg supremacy in a stroke. Gustavus didn't have to be forced. Sigismund's war had been directly funded and supported by the Emperor. Ferdinand had fired the first shot, now he would pay the price.

Just as the Russian envoy arrived in Stockholm to get Gustavus Adolphus' signature though, he received the news that the King was absent. Such a signature was not necessary - the King of Sweden trusted the word of the Tsar. The King of Sweden, the envoy was told, had gone to Germany, and the next phase of the Thirty Years' War had begun.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Denmark exiting the war in Germany, everything seemed to be looking up Ferdinand in spring 1629, but there was a problem. While on the military front, the Emperor still held the edge, on the diplomatic front, forces were conspiring to turn the war on its head. Cardinal Richelieu recognised that if Sweden and Poland could be brought to the peace table, Gustavus Adolphus would be free at long last to intervene in Germany. 

Both the Swedes and the French went deeper than this, though. Each recognised that Russia, far to Poland's east, could play a pivotal role in occupying the attentions of the Commonwealth just long enough for Sweden to make history. But could it be done? Could these tangled diplomatic branches actually bear fruit? In fact, they proved central to ushering in the next phase of the Thirty Years' War...

**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**

1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!

2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!

3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!

4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.