The Terrifying 17th Century War That Wiped Out Millions

The 30 Years War fractured Europe and rewrote the rules of power through blood and betrayal. What began as a fierce religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants quickly mutated into a continent-wide struggle for absolute dominance. This historical documentary exposes the hidden realities of the conflict through the eyes of those who lived it. Witness the dangerous double life of the legendary painter Peter Paul Rubens as he traded art for international espionage. See how a beggar monk named Father Joseph built a terrifyingly vast network of global informants to control the French throne from the shadows. From the gritty, survival-driven daily diary entries of Peter Hagendorf, a mercenary fighting for the highest bidder, to the megalomaniacal engineering marvel of a massive sea dam built to crush the rebellion at La Rochelle, this episode lays bare the tactical genius and horrific human cost of the world's first modern war. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits! 👉 https://bit.ly/3qTE0NR 📺 You can now become a History Hit member right here on YouTube! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more. Get an exclusive release every week by signing up here: https://bit.ly/4pyExyn This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries please contact: [email protected] #AbsoluteHistory