Peter Wilson

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the war in Europe which begain in 1618 and continued on such a scale and with such devastation that its like was not seen for another three hundred years. It pitched Catholics against Protestants, Lutherans against Calvinists and Catholics against Catholics across the Holy Roman Empire, drawing in their neighbours and it lasted for thirty gruelling years, from the Defenestration of Prague to the Peace of Westphalia of 1648. Many more civilians died than soldiers, and famine was so great that even cannibalism was excused. This topic was chosen from several hundred suggested by listeners this autumn.The image above is a detail from a painting of The Battle of White Mountain on 7-8 November 1620, by Pieter Snayers (1592-1667)WithPeter Wilson Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of OxfordUlinka Rublack Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John’s CollegeAndToby Osborne Associate Professor in History at Durham UniversityProducer: Simon Tillotson

Peter H. Wilson, Professor of the history of war at Oxford and author of several books on German and European history, challenges the idea of a uniquely German militarism. He compares Holy Roman, Swiss, Austrian, and Prussian military traditions. He traces symbols like the Iron Cross, explores recruitment and militia systems, and reconsiders nineteenth‑century turning points and modern German strategic posture.

Peter H. Wilson, Professor of the history of war at Oxford and author on the Holy Roman Empire, offers a broad 500-year take on German-speaking military history. He challenges the idea of innate German militarism. The conversation covers Prussia, Austria, Swiss neutrality, soldier life, recruitment, and how perceptions of German military prowess formed and changed over centuries.