Roeck, Bernd Wallenstein

Gewalt, Geld, Glaube. Eine Biographie

The life of Albrecht von Wallenstein was a unique drama in the age of the Thirty Years' War. Through the trade in soldiers, armaments, and other business dealings, Wallenstein amassed immense wealth, rising from lowly landed gentry to duke and commander-in-chief of the imperial army. In his biography, Bernd Roeck unfolds a panorama of the era, depicting Wallenstein's meteoric rise to his death, shrouded in mystery. Albrecht von Wallenstein (1583-1634) is one of the most fascinating figures in all of European history. His life inspired poets, and his violent end provided fodder for legends. Was he truly an unscrupulous traitor, always striving for greater heights? Or could he have brought peace to one of the most terrible wars ever fought on German soil? Bernd Roeck, an expert on the period, recounts the marketplace of violence where war profiteers like Wallenstein supplied themselves with men. He recounts a time when battles were fought over religion in Europe, bringing unspeakable suffering to the population. Meanwhile, Wallenstein also sought the advice of the stars and commissioned Johannes Kepler to draw up what is perhaps the most famous horoscope in world history. Violence, money, and faith: Wallenstein, the mercenary leader as brutal as he was intelligent, comes vividly to life in this sweeping biography.