The 19 papers presented in this volume by North American and European historians and archaeologists discuss how early medieval political and religious elites constructed 'places of power', and how such places, in turn, created powerful people. They also examine how the 'high-level' power exercised by elites was transformed in the post-Roman kingdoms of Europe, as Roman cities gave way as central stages for rituals of power to a multitude of places and spaces where political and religious power were represented. Although the Frankish kingdoms receive a large share of attention, contributions...

These ten thematic essays examine the three Irish wars of the seventeenth-century in relation to each other, thereby yielding important comparative insights. The military potential of England and, later, an emergent Britain, was immeasurably greater than that of Irish Catholics. John McGurk, James Scott Wheeler and Paul Kerrigan evaluate the logistical and naval strategies exploiting this advantage. Such was the disparity that an effective Irish military response to conquest and colonisation was only feasible in the favourable archipelagic and continental European circumstances explored by...

This volume deals with the entanglement of Scotland in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), discussing both the diplomatic and military aspects of the conflict that led to Scottish involvement in the heart of the Holy Roman Empire. To the Scots, the war was linked to the fate of the Scottish princess, Elizabeth of Bohemia, rather than the politics of central Europe per se. In three sections, the 12 authors have illuminated the political processes that led to the participation of as many as 50,000 Scottish troops in the war. The official alliances of the Stuart regime, the independent diplomacy...

The essays in this volume explore the extent to which the chivalric ethos and military professionalism were incompatible, as well as their relative significance for developments in the art of war, and the rise of the state. Essays explore the armies and societies of late-medieval and early-modern France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, England and the Netherlands. They examine both the theory and practice of war, using literary, archival and artistic evidence. Overall the volume probes what constitutes military 'professionalism'; assesses the real long term significance of developments in...

There is perhaps no other more lively area for study in medieval history than medieval military history, with its attendant and complementary field, the history of medieval military technology. In the past twenty years, it seems that more major scholarly inroads have been made in this field than in any other historical genre of medieval studies or chronological period of military history. What this has meant is that it is now more difficult to keep up with all of the trends and sources in the field than ever before. Hence the need for a reference work which covers what has previously been...

This volume examines the impact of military activity upon Scotland's national identity as the country underwent a fundamental transition through domestic centralisation at the turn of the seventeenth century, integration into the United Kingdom in 1707, and as a partner in Britain's global empire during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is divided into three thematic sections that examine the evolution of Scottish military identity over the early modern period, how the Highland region moved from a relationship of hostility to the Lowland political authorities to the central element...

This book documents the commitment of the commanders of Charles I's armies to religious observance and moral discipline. Through a close textual analysis of printed military regulations, royal proclamations, and injunctions, a long tradition of British military regulation is outlined and developmental patterns of influence in the orders are traced. In these sources, swearing, drunkenness, fornication, and duelling, as well as attendance at prayers and sermons were perennial concerns and it may be necessary to re-examine the stereotypical image of the Cavalier. The official foundation of the...

This volume presents original research on the military, social and cultural history of the First World War. Inspired by the reinvigoration of this subject area in the last decade, its chapters explore the stresses of waging a war, whose "totalizing logic" issued formidable challenges to communities, accounted for the pervasion of the conflict into the private sphere, and brought about specific intellectual responses. Subjects included are race and gender relations, shellshock, civil-military relations, social mobilization and military discipline. It encompasses an unusually broad geographical...

This book investigates how the rulers of the Habsburg world empire developed and implemented a central maritime policy for the Netherlands and appointed an admiral of the sea or admiral-general for that purpose. It also explains why the Habsburgs were eventually unable to gain control of the maritime affairs of the Netherlands, in spite of the support of the powerful Burgundian Lords of Veere, who occupied the central position of admiral from 1491 to 1558. From their power base on the island of Walcheren in Zeeland, known as the key to the Netherlands at the time because of its central...

This volume examines the role and significance of Scottish soldiers in France in the age of the Sun King, Louis XIV. The study examines the complex relationship of expatriate Scottish soldiers to their homeland and native sovereign, within the context of a changing environment for military employment.The amity of the so-called 'auld' alliance meant little in an age of rapid development in the relationship between armies and the states they served.Caught in the middle were a number of Scots, attempting to perpetuate traditional modes of employment abroad. They found themselves the target of...