I’m currently reading a biography of Peter the Great (Robert K Massie) and have become fascinated with the period. However I’m unsure what to read next. I want to know more about the Great Northern war but I can’t seem to find much on the subject. I’m used to buying books on the Napoleonic wars of which there are literally thousands.
Any suggestions on what to read?
While you wait for qualified experts to give fresh answers, you may be interested in this response to a similar question by /u/y_sengaku.
I quite like "Before Poltava" (original title Diplomatitjeskij detektiv) by Oleg Grinevsky - it gives a very good overview of Peter the Great's motivations, intentions and government and diplomatic war before and during the early part of the Great Northern War, something which is rarely accessibe in western literature.
"Karolinsk och Europeisk stridstaktik 1700-1712" by Gunnar Artéus (unfortunately only available in Swedish, as far as I know), gives a very good overview of the tactical doctrines of the era and how the various armies fought during the Great Northern War and the War of Spanish Succession.