Querengässer, Alexander Eine militärische Evolution

Military and Warfare in Europe 1300-1815.
In the half-century between 1300 and 1815, European military affairs changed in many ways. The late medieval knight was supplanted by the mercenary and the war entrepreneurship of the lansquenet period was finally replaced by the standing army. These changes were accompanied by technical developments, such as the advent of firearms and the emergence of specialised sailing warships. Again and again during this period, the military sought innovations of a technical and tactical nature that would revolutionise the nature of warfare. Such a "military revolution" eventually led to the dominance of European military affairs throughout the world.
This volume takes a critical stance on this concept of a "military revolution" and argues that changes occurred only slowly and over a longer period of time and that military developments were characterised by long-lasting continuities instead of drastic caesurae. He illuminates the diverse developments in European military affairs, attempting to look not only at the supposed great powers of their time - Spain in the 16th, France in the 17th and Prussia in the 18th century - but also at developments in small states. "Military Evolution" offers a fascinating overview of half a century of European military history, recounts significant battles, presents the great and the small armies and fleets of their time, and provides astonishing new insights into military efficiency.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
The Late Middle Ages 1300-1500
Landsquenets and Wars of Religion 1500-1648
The Ancien Régime 1648-1789
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
The Key to Victory: Logistics
Scientification of the Military
Military Leadership Cultures
Military and Society
The Treatment of the Dead, Fallen and Disabled
Forms of War and the Use of Force
War and State-Building
Concluding
Further Reading
Image Credits.