Here Comes The War! Notes on the 30 Years War Part 1

Hello history friends, just a bit of an intro here to remind you all that I still exist. WDF 20.0: SPECIAL= The Thirty Years War Part One: 1589-1600 is due for release soonish, within the next week, so I'd like to familiarise you all with the characters visually so that you know who I'm talking about and can at least picture them in your head. Bear in mind of course, that I will have to do this with the next few batch of episodes once these fine folks here pass on, but so lasting are their respective legacies that it is important you know who they are.

So for starters, here's Henry of Navarre, now known as Henry IV of France, and one of the key figures in the buildup to the 30 Years War, as well as a key ally of Elizabeth and enemy of Philip. Henry had to fight for his right to sit on the French throne every step of the way, but is widely seen today as one of the most charismatic and widely loved monarchs to have sat on it. That's probably why he has a quite obvious smile on his bearded face.

Next up is Queen Elizabeth, also referred to as Liz for convenience, she ruled England through this vital period in its history, and was England's last Tudor monarch. Her reign of over 40 years is seen as one of the most significant of any monarch of the era, so here she is in all her jazzed up glory.

Finally, Philip II of Spain enters the scene now. Philip oversaw the rule of Spain through years of financial strain and military supremacy, while also seeing his Armada fail against England. Philip was a micro-manager and one who didn't give up easily, and thus he was as good a match as any for Liz, once the war between the two heated up after the famous 1588 incident. Here's his face.

Hopefully that simplifies things a bit for you guys, now wish me luck as I get back to work!

Thankssssss