UID:
almafu_9961016060402883
Format:
1 online resource (xvii, 405 pages) :
,
digital, PDF file(s).
ISBN:
1-282-62093-2
,
9786612620935
,
1-84615-670-X
Series Statement:
Warfare in history,
Content:
The `other' Renaissance experienced by France was that of war. In Italy from 1494 to 1529, for instance, France was involved in at least a hundred battles, some of them `batttles of giants' like Marignano. After 1530, though the emphasis partly shifted away from Italy and major battles were replaced by complex sieges and wars of manoeuvre, the presence of war was universal. In the `Habsburg Valois' wars that began in 1521, the country was subjected to major military incursions but continued to make notable attempts to occupy contiguous territory in the Pyrenees, the Alps and the north-east.BR〉 Explaining such prodigious military efforts is the theme of this book. Why did the rulers of France attach so much importance to war and did the development of French armies in this period contribute to a significant modernisation of the country's military potential? The author attempts to answer these crucial questions, through an exploration of the strategy of the country's rulers in the light of contemporary writings, analysis of the nature of the country's high command, and a study of the major components of the king's armies. He argues that France was a society geared to war, persuaded by a sophisticated network of printed communications; the reception of the triumphalist view of war favoured by the rulers is discussed via an investigation of public opinion, as revealed in the literary, artistic and musical worlds. He also shows how the strengthening of the frontiers with new fortifications emerged as a major stage in the adaptation of France to age of artillery. DAVID POTTER is Reader in History at the University of Kent, Canterbury.
Note:
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 07 Mar 2023).
,
FRONTCOVER; CONTENTS; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; ABBREVIATIONS; 1 'One World is Not Enough': Kings, Ministers and Decisions on Policy and Strategy in Renaissance France; Dynastic war and personal rivalry; French diplomacy and justifications for war; Contemporary writers on the causes of war; Starting wars; The Italian wars, 1494; The war with the Emperor, 1521; The war of 1536; The war of 1551-2; 2 The High Command, Planning and the Army as a Whole; Kings and generals: the High Command; Planning for war; Numbers of troops; 3 Cavalry and the Nobility at War
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The Royal GuardsThe compagnies d'ordonnance; Light horse; War and the noble mentality; 4 The Birth of the French Infantry; The reputation of foot soldiers; The francs-archers; The quest for a permanent infantry; The legions; Recruitment of gens de pied; Command of the infantry; 5 Foreign Mercenaries in the Service of the King of France; The need for foreign troops; The Swiss; The Germans: Lansquenets; The Germans: Reiters; The Italians; 6 The Artillery Revolution, Fortifications and Siege Warfare; Artillery; Fortification of the frontier; Zones of Fortification
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Personnel: architects and techniciansBuilding operations and financing fortifications; 7 The Field of Battle; The evidence: the memoirists describe war; The military manual; Keeping order: discipline; Deployment: giving battle, ensigns, battle cries and speeches; New tactics: the fortified camp; battle-field artillery; The conventions of siege warfare; The aftermath: casualties; 8 'The Sinews of War': Military Administration and Finance; The cost of war; Officialdom, financial and military; The ordinaire des guerres; The extraordinaire des guerres; Officials and their social status
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Controlling fraud: payment and muster9 The Impact of War: Supply, Garrisons, Logistics and the Problem of Disorder; The bonnes villes, garrisons and military supply; Armies on campaign: new systems of supply; Destruction, problems of discipline and the impact of disorder; 10 War, Propaganda, History and Public Opinion; News reporting and public opinion; War propaganda and taxation; Ceremony and commemoration; Public opinion and narratives of war: 'la matière historiale'; Scholars and contemporary history; 11 War and Renaissance Culture: Music and the Visual Arts; Les bruits de la guerre
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Music and the art of warWar and the visual arts; 12 War, Renaissance Culture and the Literary World; War, ideas and public opinion; War and the literary world; Propaganda and the literary milieu; Major poets and war; Poetry and politics; War in popular verse; Literature and satire: sotties, farces and contes; Conclusions: War in French public opinion; Conclusion: 'Until It Fill the Whole World?'; APPENDICES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX; BACKCOVER
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English
Additional Edition:
ISBN 1-84383-405-7
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1515/9781846156700
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