Matchlocks to Flintlocks: Warfare in Europe and Beyond 1500-1700 - Rilegato

Urban, William

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1848326289 ISBN 13: 9781848326286

Casa editrice: Frontline Books, 2012

Riassunto

In the early modern world three dominant cultures of war were shaped by a synergy of their internal and external interactions. One was Latin Christian western Europe. Another was Ottoman Islam. The third, no less vital forrnso often being overlooked, was east-central Europe: Poland/Lithuania, Livonia, Russia, the freebooting Cossacks, a volatile mix of variations on a general Christian theme.rnrnWilliam Urban's fascinating narrative is an integrated account of early modern war at the sharp end: of campaigns and battles, soldiers and generals. Temporally it extends from the French invasion of Italy in 1494 to Austria's Balkan victories culminating in the 1718 Treaty of Peterwardein. Geographically it covers ground from the Low Countries to the depths of the Ukraine.That narrative in turn focuses Urban's major analytical points: the replacement of 'crowd armies' by professionals, and the professionals' integration into crown armies: government-supervised, bureaucratised institutions. The key to this process was the mercenary. Originally recruited because the obligations of feudal levies were too limited, mercenary forces evolved operationally into skilled users of an increasingly complex gunpowder technology in ever more complex tactical situations. By the end of the seventeenth century, soldiers were identifying with the states and the rulers they served.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

William Urban is the Lee L. Morgan professor of history and international studies at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. He is considered a leading expert on the Crusades and the Teutonic Knights. His many books include Bayonets for Hire and the highly acclaimed The Teutonic Knights.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Frontline Books
• Data di pubblicazione: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1848326289
• ISBN 13: 9781848326286
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 304