Warfare in the Seventeenth Century

Cassell History of Warfare

by John Childs

During the 17th century, technological evolutions in fortifications and arms meant that wars grew longer, armies larger, and military formations more disciplined. Yet, militias remained primarily mercenary; although armaments developed from the pike to the socket bayonet and uniforms began to appear, professionalism remained low. From the multifaceted conflicts of the Thirty Years' War to the campaigns of Louis XIV, a richly detailed picture emerges of military life and structure in the 1600s--its conflicts and conduct, the rise of a standing army, the difficulties posed by reliance on paid soldiers, the changing weaponry, the politics overseeing it all, and the relentless world shift from ancient to modern.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, European History, 17th Century, Reference, Military Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

John Charles Roger Childs FRHS is Emeritus Professor of Military History at the University of Leeds.

Reviews

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where this shined was the discussion of generalized tactics, supply and communications—the how things were done.

When it came to the what actually happened of it all, it took a massive nosedive, as Childs threw name after name and expected the reader to know. Lacking the context of really anything, the battle movements were a haphazard jumping around of troop movements, city names (without location because, again, it was expected that you already know) and generals/rulers.

Of course, there was a lot to cover, and in a book tackling something as massive as European warfare in the 17th century in a short span of 211 pages, sacrifices had to be made. The sacrifices in this case were the connective tissue and contextualization that would have put things together instead of a barrage of troop numbers and proper nouns.

This mainly focused on the Thirty Years War and, later, Louis XIV with brief side-trips to England. Not much on Spain or Eastern Europe, and very little on the European colonization of the Americas (about two sentences on the mass genocide of Indigenous peoples in the Americas).

So I guess it was a decent overview if you already knew a lot of the 16th century, but worth not a lot if you knew nothing going into the book.

Two stars because I appreciated the fairly decent overviews of how things worked, added one star because of the solid recommended for further reading section.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summarizing a century of warfare in approximately 200 pages is, as John Childs acknowledges in the introduction, a challenge involving choices of inclusion and omission. Childs's choice is to offer only a compressed account of the various campaigns in favor of focusing on the waging of war in Europe in the 17th century. While Childs does include summaries of the key wars waged during this time - three of his chapters provide accounts of the Thirty Years' War, the wars of Louis XIV, and the other prominent conflicts of the era - such an approach allows him to use the battles of the period to illustrate the techniques and tactics of war in those decades.

By freeing himself from the burden of a detailed account of the disparate conflicts which spanned the period, Childs is able to provide a perceptive account of European warfare in the 17th century. He uses the Thirty Years War to illustrate the problems posed by mercenary armies, problems which led to their replacement by the end of the century with standing national armies. Such forces increased the need for better organization and taxation, which reinforced the trends towards greater centralization and monarchial authority. Yet Childs is dismissive that these developments reflect a "military revolution" in early modern Europe, pointing out sensibly that the developments and their timespan reflect more of an evolutionary development rather than an revolutionary one.

With its helpful maps, numerous illustrations, and useful glossary, Childs's book is a good introduction to the evolution of combat in early modern Europe. It offers information on nearly every aspect of warfare, from tactics to personnel to logistics, along with a bibliography for anyone seeking to continue their readings on the subjects the author has covered. For anyone seeking a starting point to understanding the wars of the era or how combat changed over the course of the 17th century, this is the book to read.

[Bruinrefugee · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the weaker entries in the Smithsonian History of Warfare series. While it's undoubtedly difficult to cram a century of history into 200 pages, I felt this one suffered from assuming too much familiarity with much of what was going on (I don't have it, hence purchased the book), hopscotched around too much in terms of time and space, and seemed more aimed towards establishing the thesis there were no technological or tactical revolutions than anything else.

There was a really interesting discussion of Vauban and fortifications, as well as a sense that grew over the course of the book concerning the various alliances over the course of the century. That would have helped more, however, if the last 20 pages of the book didn't have five or six instances where they simply left out the names of cities (e.g. "they laid siege to .") Where? one asks. But no answer awaits.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...I got his point of war being evolutionary not revolutionary...but the non stop battle after battle hard to read diagrams etc. made it a tiresome read. I gave it 3 stars because the information is valid and I agree with his thesis but man...lol

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent overview of warfare in that century.