Hey r/Askhistorians! First of all, I apologize if this isn't the sort of question one ought to ask here. Anyway, I know very little about the history of Western Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries (more specifically, I'm interested in the period between the Thirty Years War and maybe the Seven Years War), and I figured if anyone could recommend good general histories of the period, it would be you guys. It seems like a fascinating period in history, but is sadly neglected in modern American education. I'd heartily appreciate any suggestions!
The Northern Wars: War, State and Society in Northeastern Europe, 1558 - 1721 by Robert Frost
The Wars of Louis XIV by John Lynn
Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 by Christopher Clark
The Rise of Modern Warfare: 1618-1815 by H.W. Koch
The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo by Russel Weigley^1
The Rise of the Great Powers 1648 - 1815 by Derek McKay et. al
The War of the Austrian Succession by Reed Browning
Good luck finding a lot of work in this period but this is the list I've compiled. You basically got the issue that you got the 30 Years' War, the Northern Wars, English Civil War, and some extraneous shit on Louis (again, good luck) and Prussia...that's about it. Popular study is more focused on Sweden/Poland/Prussia and their antics along with William of Orange and the rest of the Dutch and not so much Louis/France, Italy, etc.
Extra books on our book list I haven't read but are recommended by other flairs:
The Origins of Modern Europe 1660-1789 by James L. White
Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490-1700 By Diarmaid MacCulloch
The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477-1806 by Jonathan Israel
^1 I recommend this book because it acts as a counterpoint to Koch. These are not just pure military history books they really do explain the social conditions around these military's and how they played into the state and society etc. I can't recommend these two books enough.