This is a survey of the point in history when Sweden rose to preeminence in Europe. Drawing on the latest literature in Swedish and other languages, Paul Lockhart examines the institutions of the Swedish 'empire' at the height of its influence, while focusing on the key historical questions: why did this impoverished state become a great power, how was it able to maintain this status, and what brought about its eventual decline?

This book considers the role played by Denmark's King Frederik II (1559-88) in the international diplomacy of the 'age of religious wars'. As Europe's leading Lutheran sovereign, Frederik commanded great influence; his conviction that an international Catholic 'conspiracy' threatened to destroy Protestantism led him to work towards the creation of a Protestant alliance that included both Calvinist and Lutheran states. Lockhart examines the role of religion in Frederik's foreign policy, the motivations behind the king's alliance-building projects, and the reasons behind the ultimate failure of...

"A terrific biography....The dramatic story of how the American army that beat the British was forged has never been better told than in this remarkable book."
--Doris Kearns Goodwin, New York Times bestselling author of Team of Rivals

The true story of the Baron de Steuben and the making of the American Army, The Drillmaster of Valley Forge is the first biography in half a century of the immigrant Prussian soldier who molded George Washington's ragged, demoralized troops into the fighting force that eventually triumphed in America's War of...