Soldiers' Lives through History - The Early Modern World [Hardcover]

Dennis E. Showalter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313333122 | ISBN-13: 978-0313333125 | Publication Date: April 30, 2007

Two distinguished historians tell the story of the early modern soldier of Europe, a figure often misunderstood, in the period spanning from 1494 to 1789. He is the freebooting Landsknecht of the sixteenth century, swaggering in dilapidated finery through the ruins he and his kind created. He is the mercenary of the Thirty Years War in the seventeenth century, rootless and masterless, brutalizing civilians for a few coins, destroying civilization's works for the pleasure of it. He is the uniformed automaton of the eighteenth century, initiative beaten out of him, fit to do no more than endure battles and floggings until he pitched into an anonymous grave.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The early modern entry in this series begins with the French invasion of Italy in 1949, chronicles the transition of the Western soldier from mercenary to professional, and ends with the French Revolution in 1789. Showalter and Astore chronicle changes in recruitment methods, weaponry, tactics, command structure, morale, daily life in camp, disease, discipline, religious considerations, and civilian attitudes. The final chapter follows Europe's soldiers overseas as they confront enemies waging warfare under new rules and conditions."

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Reference & Research Book News

Book Description

The colorful beginnings of the modern Western soldier are told: his evolution from mercenary to professional, the weapons he carried, the way he fought, and how he lived, from the late fifteenth century and the introduction of gunpowder in battle to the start of the Age of Revolution.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood (April 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313333122
• ISBN-13: 978-0313333125
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,977,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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