Syllabus
To pass this course it is not obligatory to attend the previous lecture - Introduction to European military history I., however it is highly recommended due to complexity of the subject. This course requires good base knowledge of European history and may help you to prepare for the Comprehensive exam in European history you have to pass during your pre-gradual studies here at this faculty.
* Lectures and topics 1) Crusades in the Middle East 1095-1291
Source texts: a) Smail: Crusading Warfare 1097-1193, Chap. I-VI. 2) The Age of tradition in Western Europe I. - 900-1300
Source texts: a) Kaeuper: Chivalry and violence in Medieval Europe. Chap. 1, 7, 8, 9. b) Keen: Medieval Warfare. Chap. 2, 4, 6. 3) The Age of tradition in Western Europe II. - 1300-1500
Source texts: a) Keegan: The Face of Battle. 2) Agincourt (73-112) b) Villalon: The Hundred Years War. Part 5, Rogers: Henry V´s Military Strategy in 1415 (p. 399-428), Clements: Wielding the Weapons of War (447-476). c) Villalon: The Hundred Year War, Vol II. Part II: „Agincourt and its Aftermath“ 4) Italian wars
Source texts: a) Mallet – Shaw: The Italian Wars. Chap. 6: The transformation of war, Chap. 7: The resources of war b) Shaw: Italy and the European Powers. Pepper: The Face of the Siege (33-56), Mallet: The transformation of war (4-21). 5) Dutch military reforms during 1590s
Source texts: a) Nimwegen: The Dutch army and the military revolutions, 1588-1688. Chap. 2. The Dutch Army and the Revolution in Infantry Tactics (1592-1618), Chap. 3. Field operations (1590-1648) b) Hart: The Dutch Wars of Independence. Introduction, Chap 2, 3. 6) Problems of cultural history of Thirty Years´ war
Source texts: a) Cramer: The Thirty Years War and German Memory. Introduction and Chap. 1, 2, 4 and Conclusion. 7) Military enterprise during Thirty Years´ war
Source texts: a) David Parrot: The Business of War. Chap. 2. The expansion of military enterprise 1560-1620, Chap. 4. The military contractor at war 8) Venice and Mediterranean culture of war in early modern Europe
Source texts: a) Mallet a Hale. The Military Organization of a Renaissance State, Venice c. 1400-1617. Alternatively either the whole Part 1 (1400-1525) or Part II. (1509-1617) Chap. 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15. 9) France, military revolutions and absolutist monarchy
Source texts: a) Lynn: Giant of the Grand Siecle. Alternatively Part One and Two (Administration and supply) OR Part One and Part Four (the Rank and File) OR Part One and Part Five (The Practice of War) 10) Great Northern War: Russia and its military way to the West
Source texts: a) Frost: Northern Wars. Introduction, Chap. 9, 10, 11. b) Duffy: Russia´s Military Way to the West. Chap. 2. 11) The theory of fiscal-military state in early modern Europe
Source texts: a) Glete: War and the State in Early Modern Europe, Prologue, Chap. 1, Chap. 2 and alternatively Chap. 3 (Spain) OR Chap. 4 (Netherlands) OR Chap. 5 (Sweden). 12) The theory of military revolution in early modern Europe
Source texts: a) Rogers, ed. The Military Revolution Debate. Readings on the Military Transformation of Early Modern Europe. Sec. I. Paradigms, Chap. 1, 2, 3, 4.
Annotation
This course will provide you with initial overview of European military history using interdisciplinary theoretical apparatus of historiography (New Military history), historical sociology (civilizational studies and concept of long- term developmental process of revolution in military affairs) and cultural history (especially symbolic historical anthropology). The course offers integral comparative perspective concerning European expansion and wars against other civilizations.
Second part of the course deals with European military during Middle Ages and early modernity. We start with
Age of conflicting traditions, which culminated by Italian Wars, which launched in 1494 a modernization process of European military and then we continue through 17th and early 18th centuries. We will discuss Great Northern War and patterns of Russian expansion into Europe.
Mankind still considers warfare as one of its prevalent activities, but despite this situation surprisingly little attention is given to proper treating of the subject. War and warfare are therefore similar to the concept of dark matter in contemporary theoretical physics. We also know that war and warfare have existed and exerted significant influence at our history, but absence of their deep and conceptual elaboration deforms our cognitive sphere. It is really important to study this topic, especially because of simple fact, that during the course of early modern history,
European civilization managed to conquer and control the rest of the world by military means.
This course will alternatively use both forms of lecture and seminar. We will avoid traditional conservative concept of history of warfare, discussing primarily the “art of war” and concentrating upon grand narratives of “decisive battles” and leading generals. We will discuss war and warfare in terms of their civilizational and cultural importance and character.