Yesterday we visited some of Prague's most beautiful gardens on another terrific sunny day. The British are complaining about a 'heat wave', but this great weather for Europe. Everybody is out and about enjoying the weather in the parks, or like us, visiting the gardens.
These are the famous Wallenstein gardens in Prague next to the Czech Republic's Senate (upper house) in the Prague Castle district. Albrecht Von Wallenstein, was a brilliant general, who played every side off against each other, Protestants and Roman Catholics, and became enormously wealthy during the Thirty Years War of 1618 to 1648. Generals like Wallenstein were important during this period of what historians call the Military Revolution; war had become complex, required professionals to co-ordinate all the men with pikes, muskets, cannon, cavalry, and most importantly, the logistics. Wallenstein became rich through his skill at mastering this complex business of war, and built these magnificent gardens. Now, the Czech people own it, and it's therefore free for you to enter and enjoy.
However, as I studied the Military Revolution and the Thirty Years war this semester at Uni I'll either bore you or you might learn something why this period was so important for Europe. In fact you probably live in a modern Nation State that was constructed at the end of that terrible war.
The greatest problem the European countries had during the Military Revolution was not fighting wars but supplying and managing it's armies, particularly when they were campaigning. Overland transport was difficult and expensive using horse drawn wagons over unpaved roads, and for this reason they tried wherever possible to use water transport. In reality what the armies often did was pillage the civilian population, and this was one reason why the Thirty Years War was so devastating. Martin Van Creveld states, "had it not been for need to wage war, then almost certainly the centralisation of power in the hands of the great monarchs would have been much harder to bring about." The Thirty Years War and the huge armies equipped with firearms with the need to be supplied for long periods required a huge logistics network supported by a bureaucracy, and most of all taxation.
The ending of the Thirty Years War that had devastated much of Europe culminated in the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 was a watershed moment: It is generally considered as the beginning of the modern sovereign state system. The main point to make is that State was defined by a geographical area and, "within a 'hard shell' of sovereignty - was meant to guarantee non-interference in the internal governmental arrangements or any other domestic affairs of a state." In hindsight what it meant for Europeans was that the State had now become immensely powerful, a 'Leviathan' as Hobbes called it, and together with Nationalism would become an irresistible force that would lead to even more destructive wars in the future like WW1 and WW2.
Wallenstein came to an unfortunate end, assassinated by one of his own men on behalf of the Roman Catholic Emperor.
We next visited the Carmalite Church of our Lady Victorious, which you may recognise is unmistakably Roman Catholic. The non interference in sovereign State affairs at the end of the Thirty Years War basically meant that the Nordic countries, Netherlands, Switzerland, Scotland and England (or reformed Catholic depending on your definition, but certainly not under the control of the Bishop of Rome) remained largely Protestant, and France, Spain, Portugal and Italy remained Roman Catholic. Today, in the Czech Republic around 10% of the population are Roman Catholic.
This church is famous for featuring the Infant Jesus of Prague (pictured above) that is supposed to have miraculous powers, particularly for expectant mothers.
We had lunch at Cafe Paris in the Little Quarter (around the corner from the Lennon Wall). In France it is the custom to have the Special of the Day, which was cold cucumber soup (very refreshing), and French chicken. As I've noted before you can't beat a French chicken. This cafe was a little corner of Prague that will be forever France. The French take their food seriously just like me. Although they wouldn't be typing on a IPAD at lunch; lunch is much too serious a matter. Great coffee too (after lunch of course).
Travel info:
Infant Jesus of Prague - http://www.pragjesu.info/en/
Wallenstein Gardens - http://www.prague.net/wallenstein-garden
