The Thirty Years’ War is undoubtedly one of the greatest tragedies of European history. Even though most European states were spared the direct destruction and devastation and it geographically essentially only affected Central and Western Europe, the political, socio-economic and cultural impact this war made was in many ways not even limited to the Continent. The Thirty Years’ War is among other things an indispensable element in theories relating to military revolution, state-building and nation-building in Europe’s anciens régimes.

This conference will focus on the military, cultural and political impact of the war within a broader European context and intends to answer following questions: How did the recruitment process work, where were the mercenaries deployed and what functions and roles did they perform on the battlefield? What images and stereotypes prevailed of friends and foes? Did experiences of returning veterans influence domestic affairs, political and cultural developments and if so to what extend?

The conference aims to bring together scholars, graduate students and early career researchers in the areas related to these themes in order to share and discuss views and research experiences. Even though it is expected the conference will essentially highlight “Croatian participation” in the war, the organisers for comparative reasons especially welcome papers on mercenaries and experiences from other countries.

We are inviting proposals for 20-minute conference papers on any of the aforementioned themes and questions. Papers proposals and synopses of up to 100 words, accompanied by a short biography should be submitted to Alexander Buczynski (mlwicb.30yearswar@gmail.com) by Friday 1 December.

There is no conference fee for attendees. Free accommodation for paper presenting authors will be provided by the conference organisers. Speakers that need a reimbursement of their travel expenses are kindly requested to inform us about the estimated price. Travel and accommodation expenses of participants not presenting a paper will not be compensated but we are willing to assist in finding good and affordable lodgings.