With regard to the spelling of names I have endeavoured to follow what I humbly conceive to be the only reasonable and consistent rule, that of custom. It seems to me to be as pedantic to write Henri, Karl, or Friedrich, as it is admitted to be to write Wien or Napoli, and inconsistent on any theory except that of the law of custom to write anything else. But with regard to some names, custom permits more than one form of spelling. It is as customary to write Trier as Trêves, or Mainz as Mayence. These cases mainly arise with reference to names of places which are situated on border lands, and are spelt sometimes according to one language, and sometimes according to another. In these cases I have followed the language of the nation which was dominant in the period of which I treat, and accordingly write Alsace, Lorraine, Basel, Köln, Saluzzo, etc. The use of an historical atlas is presumed throughout. H. O. W. ALL SOULS COLLEGE, OXFORD. _March, 1894._ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. EUROPE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, 1 II. FRANCE UNDER HENRY IV., 14 III. THE COUNTER-REFORMATION AND RELIGIOUS TROUBLES IN GERMANY, 39 IV. THE BEGINNING OF THE THIRTY YEARS’ WAR, 53 V. THE THIRTY YEARS’ WAR FROM THE PEACE OF LÜBECK TO THE PEACE OF PRAGUE, 78 VI. THE AGGRANDISEMENT OF FRANCE, 106 VII. FRANCE UNDER RICHELIEU AND MAZARIN, 133 VIII. NORTHERN EUROPE TO THE TREATY OF OLIVA, 166 IX. LOUIS XIV. AND COLBERT, 185 X. LOUIS XIV. AND THE UNITED PROVINCES, 207 XI. LOUIS XIV. AND WILLIAM III., 235 XII. SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE, 266 XIII. THE NORTHERN NATIONS FROM THE TREATY OF OLIVA TO THE PEACE OF UTRECHT, 290 XIV. THE PARTITION TREATIES AND THE GRAND ALLIANCE, 312 XV. THE WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION AND THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV., 342 MAPS NO. 1. Acquisitions of territory by France during the period, _To face page_ 25 2. Germany according to the peace of Westphalia, showing the march of Gustavus Adolphus, 1630–1632, _To face page_ 124 3. The countries of the Upper Rhine and Danube, showing the PAGE march of Turenne, 1675, and of Marlborough, 1704, 241