Richelieu's Army: War, Government and Society in France, 1624-1642

ISBN-13: 9780521792097 / Angielski / Twarda / 2001 / 628 str.

David Parrott

Opis

It is assumed widely that "war made the state" in seventeenth-century France. Yet this study challenges the traditional interpretations of the role of the army as an instrument of the emerging absolutist state, and shows how the expansion of the French war effort contributed to weakening Richelieu's hold on France and heightened levels of political and social tension. This is the first detailed account of the French army during this formative period of European history. It also contributes more generally to the "military revolution" debate among early modern historians.

Recenzje

'It is one of the most important studies of early modern warfare since the revival of that subject in the 1970s, as well as being an important contribution to seventeenth-century French and European history.' War in History

Spis treści

Acknowledgements; Introduction: war, government and society in France, 1624–1642; Part I. The Military Context: 1. The French art of war during Richelieu's ministry; 2. France at war, 1624–1642; 3. The size of the French army; Part II. The Administrative Context: 4. Paying for war; 5. Recruiting and maintaining armies during the Thirty Years War: military enterprise; 6. The French rejection of entrepreneurship; 7. The civil administration of the army: the structures; Part III. Responses and Reactions: 8. The management of the war effort, 1635–1642: commissaires de guerres and intendants; 9. The ministry and the high command; 10. The army and the civilian population; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.