Books by Paul Sonnino

This book pursues an enduring puzzle that has stumped historians for centuries and seduced novelists and filmmakers down to this day. Who was the man who wore an iron mask and was kept in prison for years during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV? Paul Sonnino brilliantly traces his decade-long quest to solve the mystery.

Sonnino examines the diplomatic negotiations that took place in Westphalia from 1643 to 1648, which brought an end to the agonizing civil and religious conflict of the Thirty Years' War.

This stylish and highly entertaining account of the origins of the Franco-Dutch War of 1672 is based on massive archival researches covering twelve countries. Professor Sonnino chronicles a story of bitter division, in the course of which the contrasting personalities of the king and of his most intimate advisors emerge in vivid detail.