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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to Wage War in the 17th century,
By Steven Larsen (Philadelphia, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Military Intellectual and Battle: Raimondo Montecuccoli and the Thirty Years War (Hardcover)
Montecuccoli was an Italian officer in the Thirty Years War serivng in the Imperial Army. He draws on his own vast experience as well as his readings of the ancients to develop a scientific system of warfare. Everything from how to scout the enemy, set up camp, speak to the troops, utilize the different forces at your disposal, conduct a pursuit or retreat is all covered in detail.
After reading this closely, It seems that many of the myths that have developed around the tactics of the Thirty Years War -especially the role of firepower cavalry-may have started with some misreadings of Montecuccoli. These misreadings are not to hard to trace back to this book. The book actually consists of three parts. First, a well researched bio of Montecuccoli, written by Barker. Second, a translation of Montecuccoli's Military Intellectual and Battle. Third, descriptions of several major battles of the 30 Years war. The descriptions rely on some old sources, especially the Breitenfeld and Lutzen battles, but are still well done overall. Reccomended for historians, both amateur and professional, and wargamers of the period.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do YOU really know who Montecuccoli was?,
By i-Palikar "i-Palikar" (ALEXANDRIA, VA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Military Intellectual and Battle: Raimondo Montecuccoli and the Thirty Years War (Hardcover)
Montecuccoli was actually the very first military intellectual in the modern world of firearms. After his death in 1680, Montecuccoli's military works were published posthumously. Some of them had been held by the Hapsburgs as state secrets throughout his entire life. For decades afterwards, Montecuccoli was just as popular as Clausewitz is today. His works are published in almost every Europen language except English. This is the ONLY publication which contains a work of Montecuccoli in an English translation. Montecuccoli was a product of the Enlightement and his military theories refelct this influence. Montecuccoli was the "real thing" in the 17th Century - a nobleman, an expert cavalryman, a prisoner of war, a military strategist, a victorious general, a diplomat, a military theoretician - a man of many military roles. If you want first hand knowledge of how military theory actually got started in the modern world - then get your hands on Montecuccoli !!
Addendum February 2010: Machiavelli is much more renown for his political insights than his military dalliances - and his political insights are still very relevant even today. Yes, he did write the first Western book entitled the 'Art of War' - but it is hardly real military theory with barely a few minuscule strings of theoretical relevance today. Although there are some who like to include Machiavelli as a 'military intellectual'- he barely scratched the surface in the genre of theory or action - and he literally had no use for firearms. Machiavelli could not comprehend the true Revolution in Military Affairs that firearms would bring. Clearly, IF Machiavelli had any true military insight, he would have embraced the newfound force of artillery that was first appearing in his age - rather than eschew artillery as a momentary military fad. Even the great Clausewitz commented that Machiavelli was much too enamored with regenerating both the spirit and the form of the ancient Romans and Greeks, rather than living in the realities of the military present. On the other hand - most military-oriented readers of today fail to realize that for decades Montecuccoli was revered as much as Clausewitz is revered today. Some of Montecuccoli's military writings were literally considered state secrets and kept under lock and key. The name Montecuccoli as a once highly prominent military theorist has been lost in the wreckage of time along with the likes of La Noue, Melzi, Basta, and de Rohan. But like I said - these are facts that the dust of time now easily camouflages from the casual reader.
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