The French Wars 1667-1714 [Paperback]

John Lynn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Essential Histories | Publication Date: September 18, 2002

Campaigns fought by Louis XIV, the Sun King, shaped the borders of European states, the destinies of royal dynasties, and even the patterns of absolutist government. This book presents the most authoritative yet accessible and succinct account of these all-important struggles available today, covering every aspect of the wars from decisions made by the king at his palace at Versailles to the life of the troops encamped in the field. Focusing on the French army, the greatest military force of the age, this tale of violence, victory, and victims balances siege and battle in a way that tells us much that is new about the Sun King and his adversaries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I am most favorably impressed by the Essential Histories series on the American Civil War. Written by four of the best historians of the military course of the war, these volumes provide a lucid and concise narrative of the campaigns in both the Eastern and Western theaters as well as penetrating analyses of strategies and leadership. Ideal for classroom use or fireside reading."

From the Publisher

This unique series studies every major war in history looking at all the aspects of war, from how it felt to be a soldier to the lasting impact of the conflict on the world around it.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841763616
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763613
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,406,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars War as Process, the Short Version, October 4, 2002

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The French Wars 1667-1714 (Paperback)

The French Wars is essentially a condensed and summarized version of Professor John Lynn's earlier work, The Wars of Louis XIV. As usual, Lynn's writing and research are impeccable and this volume is a fine short history of its subject.

After short sections covering the background to Louis' wars, Lynn addresses the various opposing sides in a 15-page section that concludes with his "war-as-process" depiction of 17th Century warfare. A four-page section on the outbreak of the war is odd because it covers the initiation of all five of Louis' wars in one felt swoop; this section makes little sense as a stand-alone summary and should have been inserted into the campaign narrative. The actual summary of the five wars is 35 pages long. Of particular interest is French atrocities along the Rhine River Valley: the mortar bombardment of Koblenz in 1688 being analogous to modern-day bomber attacks, and the scorched earth tactics used to devastate the Palatinate in 1688. For those readers who believe that the Germans are the sole perpetrators of political violence in Europe, these incidents - with Germans as victims - may seek to illuminate where some of the roots of later German militarism. Another interesting point that Lynn makes is the value of defensive fortifications in the 17th Century; both forts and defensive lines were expensive but acted to control the tempo of warfare. The final sections cover the portrait of a soldier (which focuses on a woman serving in disguise), a short section on the nature of predatory armies, portrait of a civilian, and a section on how the wars ended ("peace by exhaustion").

There are a total of nine maps in this volume: Europe in 1661, the Rhineland, the Battles of Blenheim, Fleurus, Ramillies, Malplaquet, Provençe and Northern Italy, Turenne's campaigns of 1674-1675, and the Spanish Low Countries. Actually, the maps are the only disappointment in this volume, and they reflect the same weakness as in Lynn's larger work on the subject. Other than the one map of Turenne's campaign, the large-scale maps do not reflect specific campaigns or wars, so it is difficult for the reader to appreciate the specific operations in each of the five wars. Nor are there any maps that depict territorial acquisitions or losses as a result of the wars.

Lynn's conclusions about the wars of Louis XIV are interesting. First, he states that, "the relative power of France decreased as a consequence of Louis' wars.." but that, "Louis' war-as-process achieved lasting gains." Louis "operated within the international system of his day, respecting its methods and moderation." Lynn contrasts the wars of Louis XIV with Napoleon, who viewed war as an event and who disregarded international norms. However the greatest consequence of the wars of Louis XIV was the fatal damage done to French state finances; Louis refused to reform a tax system that endowed the nobility and clergy with exemptions and instead relied on ruinous short-term loans. Ultimately, Louis' wars bankrupted France for generations and his successors faced the same problem whenever they opted to use war as a solution to international problems.

6 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good for young school kids, March 18, 2007

By 

lecudedag "lecudedag" (NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The French Wars 1667-1714 (Paperback)

Another reviewer said that John Lynn's research is impeccable, that may be but the proof-reader for this book was second rate.
on page 16
"...Louis XIV now enjoyed the upper hand and squared off against the Spanish and eventually, their Australian cousins."

In case you haven't picked it, he meant to say 'Austrian' not 'Australian'.

Other formatting problems occur, such as a map for the Battle of Blenheim on p26 nowhere near the narrative for that battle.

A picture of Louvois on p29 has this caption
"An engraving by Hainzelman c. the mid-1680s. Louvois, the imperious war minister of Louis XIV, reached the zenith of his powers in the 1680s, as he appears in this engraving by Hainzelman. Louvois's ample flesh belies his hard-handed and brutal policies'.

They've stated twice it's an engraving by Hainzelman. Two pages later is another depiction of the same Louvois, again described as "the imperious war minister of Louis XIV." The only difference being the latter is a portrait. There's simply no reason to have near back to back pictures that shed no new light on the subject.