Armies And Ecosystems In Premodern Europe

A multi-faceted and original study of the complex interactions between armies and their ecosystems, taking a long view of current debates about the environmental impact of the military.

In recent years military history has moved decisively out of its specialized ghetto and has come to be regarded as central to the mainstream study of the past. The concept of a 'military revolution' consisting of the emergence of large infantry-based armies in early modern Europe, the use of potent gunpowder weapons and the rapid escalation of war costs, is now seen to have had far-reaching political and social consequences for European society. Indeed, war itself is now seen as a major engine of state development during this key period. The essays in this volume illustrate the integration of military history with the broader concerns of historians, and also suggest that the military history of the Middle Ages was more dynamic than is often recognized: that the 'military revolution' needs to be interpreted by placing it in the context of rapid socio-political transformation.

Juxtaposing and interlacing similarities and differences across and beyond the pre-modern Mediterranean world, Christian, Islamic and Jewish healing traditions, the collection highlights and nuances some of the recent critical advances in scholarship on death and disease.

Preclassical and indigenous nonwestern military institutions and methods of warfare are the chief subjects of this annotated bibliography of work published 1967–1997. Classical antiquity, post-Roman Europe, and the westernized armed forces of the 20th century, although covered, receive less systematic attention. Emphasis is on historical studies of military organization and the relationships between military and other social institutions, rather than wars and battles. Especially rich in references to the periodical literature, the bibliography is divided into eight parts: (1) general and comparative topics; (2) the ancient world; (3) Eurasia since antiquity; (4) sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania; (5) pre-Columbian America; (6) postcontact America; (7) the contemporary nonwestern world; and (8) philosophical, social scientific, natural scientific, and other works not primarily historical.

War and Society in Early Modern Europe takes a fresh approach to military history. Rather than looking at tactics and strategy, it aims to set warfare in social and institutional contexts. Focusing on the early-modern period in western Europe, Frank Tallett gives an insight into the armies and shows how warfare had an impact on different social gro

This book, originally published in 1980, is a study of the nature and purposes of peace-time military organization in Europe, and of the characteristics and outcome of the major wars fought during these years. It charts the rise of mass armies and the role of conscription as a socializing agent and a military instrument, as well as discussing the growing involvement of society in war both as agent and target of military activity, the mounting effort required of a society in order to ahcieve victory, culminating in the ‘Total War’ of 1939-45. Among other subjects explored are the development of war economies, the genesis and significance of war aims, the importance of social cohesion in modern war and the impact of technology.