Sure, you could listen to the real story of the Thirty Years' War, but why not listen to a fictional story, set during this same period? Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. If epic drama, conflict and adorable characters are your thing, Matchlock will be ideal for you!

Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here.

Welcome to the Thirty Years War...like you've never seen it before! Learn here how the personal rivalry and hatred between Emperor Ferdinand and his subject Frederick pushed Europe to the brink of the abyss...

Over three decades, this history spat out a wide range of fascinating stories and tales, but in this episode I'm going to focus on one in particular - the incredible story of Frederick V's rise, fall then rise and then fall again! It's a winding tale, but it's also emblematic of the wider war, which could make winners out of loser in the space of a day, and where everything, across the continent of Europe itself, could be changed.

This is the Thirty Years War at its most dramatic and captivating, and I believe if we look at the story of Frederick from the beginning, the escalation of the conflict into the 30 year mess we know today makes much more sense. Frederick's departure represented the beginning of a free for all for the sake of power and influence, but so long as he was alive, Frederick's rivalry with Emperor Ferdinand did more than any other relationship to further the war's flames, until virtually every power of consequence was sucked into the vortex.

I hope you'll listen in to see what you think, and I hope listeners new and old will be able to take something from this story too. What's your favourite story, and do you have a pressing question you need answered about this conflict? Then be sure to tune into our Q&A on Wed 16 September, and make sure you send YOUR QUESTIONS into me as well, because I want to answer them!

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