Wars and Soldiers in the Early Reign of Louis XIV Volume 7 Part 1

After the Peace of Westphalia, several German states developed a disciplined military that produced outstanding armies and Germany supplied mercenary troops to many major, and minor, powers across Europe, and the military-state, usually exemplified by Prussia, became a crucial part of German history.

Germany, however, was apparently weak and was internally divided into a multitude of states that constantly faced a hostile environment formed by the belligerent ‘great powers’. Moreover, the German ‘military’ was the result of a system of collective security and internal conflict and resolution that allowed a rich variety of political traditions to coexist relatively harmoniously. This system tried to preserve Germany against formidable attacks without making it a danger to the security of its neighbours. In contrast to the political culture of later German states, that of the ‘Reich’ was inherently defensive, preferring peace to war in both domestic politics and external relations. This study deals, for the first time in English, with the armies of the States of the German Empire, using unpublished iconography and significant primary research in numerous archives across Germany.

This first part examines the military development of German Armies in the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War and looks in detail at the armies of Brandenburg, Bavaria, Saxony and the Prince-Bishopric of Münster. The book is lavishly illustrated and has specially commissioned art work produced from extensive research by the author.

"I can’t believe that this is volume VII in Bruno Mugnai’s tremendous study of the wars and soldiers in the early part of the reign of Louis XIV of France. In this volume Bruno has arguably exceeded expectations and provided us with an excellent in depth analysis of some of the main players from within the German states between 1655 and 1690, much of which has not been published in English.....This has got to be of interest to anyone interested in the wars of the last quarter of the seventeenth century which at one point or another drew in almost all the great and not so great powers of Western Europe. Amateur historians and war gamers will find this book an absolute feast, and with the sudden appearance of so much information on the army of Munster in particular, my own interest in the wars of the late seventeenth century is starting to itch again.  This is of course only the first part of the volume on the German States, and I await the delights of the second with undisguised anticipation." carryingsonupthedale.com

“…a great package full of info for late 17th Century buffs and gamers…” Historical Miniatures Gaming Society