The King's Army: Warfare, Soldiers and Society during the Wars of Religion in France, 1562-76

Description

Historians have long ignored the military aspect of the wars of religion which raged in France during the late sixteenth century, dismissing the conflicts as aimless or hopelessly confused. In contrast, this meticulously researched analysis of the royal army and its operations during the early civil wars brings warfare back to the centre of the picture. James B. Wood explains the reasons for the initial failure of the monarchy to defeat the Huguenots, and examines how that failure prolonged the conflict. He argues that the nature and outcome of the civil wars can only be explained by the fusion of religious rebellion and incomplete military revolution. This study makes an important contribution to the history of military forces, warfare and society, and will be of great interest to those engaged in the debate over the 'Military Revolution' in early modern Europe.

'Wood's examination of the military experience of both the soldiers and the civilians of France is vivid, his detail on the country's military institutions and the course of the war meticulous. This is the best - and best illustrated - book on early modern military history to appear for many years.' English Historical Review ' ... this lucidly written monograph ... has made a major contribution to the historical study of the French Wars of Religion and this book is one that every student of the period must read'. The Huguenot Society 'James Wood's splendid study ... marks a major advance in our understanding of this deeply confused period. This is a book packed with detail, based on extensive primary research, whose separate sections are brilliantly combined to advance a general argument.' Historical Journal