European Warfare, 1350-1750

Description

The period 1350-1750 saw major developments in European warfare, which not only had a huge impact on the way wars were fought, but also are critical to long-standing controversies about state development, the global ascendancy of the West, and the nature of 'military revolutions' past and present. However, the military history of this period is usually written from either medieval or early-modern, and either Western or Eastern European, perspectives. These chronological and geographical limits have produced substantial confusion about how the conduct of war changed. The essays in this book provide a comprehensive overview of land and sea warfare across Europe throughout this period of momentous political, religious, technological, intellectual and military change. Written by leading experts in their fields, they not only summarise existing scholarship, but also present new findings and new ideas, casting new light on the art of war, the rise of the state, and European expansion.

Frank Tallett is Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Reading and co-Director of its Centre for the Advanced Study of French History. His previous publications include War and Society in Early Modern Europe, 1495-1715 (1992, 2nd edition 2002), Priests, Prelates and People: A History of European Catholicism since 1750 (with N. Atkin, 2003) and, as co-editor, The Right in France from the Revolution to Le Pen (2003). D. J. B. Trim is Walter C. Utt Professor of History at Pacific Union College. His previous publications as editor and co-editor include The Chivalric Ethos and the Development of Military Professionalism (2003), Cross, Crown and Community: Religion, Government and Culture in Early Modern England 1400-1800 (2004), Amphibious Warfare 1000-1700: Commerce, State Formation and European Expansion (2006), and Persecution and Pluralism: Calvinists and Religious Minorities in Early-Modern Europe, 1550-1700 (2006).

'This is an excellent collection of essays about military change across some 400 years.' John France, History 'One particular strength of this anthology is the degree of connectedness between many of the chapters ... [It] is unusually coherent and comprehensive, and is a valuable addition to the literature on the topic.' Renaissance Quarterly 'Essay collections are difficult to edit, in particular when a number of different authors are involved; thus one should take one's hat off to the editors of the present volume for producing the nearest one can get to a homogeneous whole, given the nature of the beast. The essays themselves are, without exception, robust, and in more than one case commendable ... as a whole the volume is of great value, not least for what can only be described as its daring overall approach.' Journal of Military History 'The contributors [are] uniformly among the leading scholars in their respective fields ... Many of these essays are among the most lucid summaries of their sub-fields currently available ... this is an extremely good volume of essays, one that benefits both from the high production quality and the inclusion of ten excellent maps. Accessible and yet of a rigorous intellectual standard, it is one that will undoubtedly fulfil its editors' wish to encourage conversation between the diverse students of military history.' Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research