Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/34

 contemporary political history led him to extend his work; he occupied himself with a thorough study of the entanglements of the Estates of all the provinces of Austria, which resulted in a work of two volumes, entitled “Rudolph II. and His Time,” which offers a picture of the last twelve years of this Emperor’s reign and its attendant complications.

In the production of this second work, the most thorough study was necessary, not only of the Austrian, but of all the most important German archives, as also of the Belgian, French, and Spanish State papers. His study was at the same time directed to the history of the Bohemian insurrection, which was the immediate occasion of the Thirty Years’ War. His interest in the investigation soon led him to pass beyond this narrow limit, and embrace the whole war in all its directions, even extending his study to the archives of the Vatican at Rome. He was thus enabled to begin the publication of a work which, in the history of this war, is of standard importance. Four volumes have already appeared, which cover the period from 1612 to 1623. The English historian, Gardiner, author of “Prince Charles and the Spanish Marriage,” and other works, has furthered this undertaking by placing at Mr. Gindely’s disposal his numerous copies of English and other State papers.

Even before Professor Gindely took upon himself this comprehensive task, now nearly twenty years ago, he had promised some friends that he would prepare a brief history of the Thirty Years’ War. During the past year he has fulfilled this promise by the publication, in Leipsic, of the work now offered in translation in these volumes, basing this smaller work upon studies, the results of which are hereafter to be published. The present work