30YearsWar #45: It's All Connected

The 1628 portion of the siege of La Rochelle was an anxious time for Cardinal Richelieu, as much as it was for the inhabitants of Casale, the bastion of the Duchy of Montferrat. Because of extensive commitments to the French Protestant conflict, Richelieu could spare little for North Italy, where the Habsburgs had become deeply involved. Braving winter snows and angry Italians, the Spanish had rushed to besiege Casale while the French were preoccupied. But unfortunately for Count Olivares back in Madrid, the very worst outcome to these plans would come to pass. France would emerge from the Siege of La Rochelle by the autumn of 1628, victorious and newly possessed of a large army. Where to send it? To North Italy, and the siege of Casale, which was still dragging on in Spain's name. Far from a one-off confrontation, Casale was the beginning of the end of peace between France and the Habsburg dynasty, a war that had been building - arguably - since the end of the 17th century. Listen into to this dramatic account of the breakdown in great power diplomacy, from fiction author Zack Twamley (wink wink nudge nudge).**DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THESE LINKS!**1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check out Patreon!2) To find a community of history friends, look at our Facebook page and group!3) To keep up to date with us, follow us on Twitter!4) Matchlock and the Embassy, our new historical fiction novel, is out NOW! Get it here Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.