During the Thirty Years' War, Wallenstein led numerous mercenary armies as commander-in-chief. When he sought political power, the emperor had him assassinated. In 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, set out with his troops on a march toward Moscow. The uprising failed, and a plane carrying Prigozhin crashed shortly thereafter. Who are the soldiers, merchants, and children in the entourage—then and now? How do we approach war as a way of life?