Lutzen is one of the best-known battles of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48), Europe’s most destructive conflict prior to the two world wars. This book is the first to combine analysis of the battle with an assessment of its cultural, political, and military legacy, and the first to incorporate recent archaeological research within a reappraisal of the events and their significance. It sets the battle in its historical context, explains why and how it was fought, and what difference it made at the time, as well as its longer term legacy. Peter H. Wilson challenges the accepted view that Lutzen is a milestone in military development, arguing instead that its impact was more cultural and political.