When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here. In this episode, we examine the years between roughly 1620-22, as Frederick moved into his new home in The Hague, just as the war between Spain and the Dutch was about to resume. Like many others at the time, Frederick believed that the Eighty Years War had the potential to erupt into something more, and he banked that before long, all the wars in Europe would become one war. But this impression - which was also a statement later made by the King of Sweden, interestingly enough - did not happen quite yet, even though there were Spanish soldiers occupying his homeland.The ravaging of the Palatinate was only one issue which Frederick would have to contend with though. Plans were afoot which would ensure that Frederick would be persona non grata in Germany, and in this despera