Imperial Armies of the Thirty Years War (1): Infantry and artillery

(Paperback)

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This history of the Catholic armies of the Hapsburg Empire that fought in the Thirty Years War explores the role of infantry and artillery during the last major religious war in mainland Europe. As the states of the Holy Roman Empire fractured along religious lines, all of Europe was plunged into a bloody conflict that lasted three decades, decimated populations, and annihilated communities. However, amidst this social, political, and religious catastrophe, important changes were experienced within the organization of armed forces. The war saw the end of the large mercenary forces and the beginnings of the well-disciplined national army. This book charts this progression, illustrating and explaining the forces of the key Catholic armies, while exploring the weapons, organization, tactics, and colourful uniforms used by the infantry and artillery.

Reviews

"Vladimir Brnardic's Imperial Armies of the Thirty Years' War (1): Infantry and Artillery provides a fine survey of the history of the Hapsburg armies of the Thirty Years' War, exploring their role and actions in Europe's last major religious war. A fine survey, this is a pick for any in-depth military history library." --The Bookwatch (January 2010)

"In his book on this conflict, Author Vladimir Brnardic concentrates on the men and equipment of the Infantry and the Artillery units. As with all Men-At-Arms titles, this one provides a background to the war, has a look at how the war progressed through the various conflicts, then takes a closer look at the various units in how they were recruited, how they were dressed and the equipment they used. It also examines how these forces performed in battle and the tactics that were used. This is all superbly enhanced by artifacts, period illustrations and the art work of illustrator Darko Pavlovic. This was a very colorful time and the men wore rather flamboyant outfits to say the least. If your interest is in the time of the Three Musketeers, then this is a book you simply must add to your collection. It is a very interesting read and can easily be recommended." --Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness, modelingmadness.com (November 2009)

Author Bio

Vladimir Brnardic was born in Zagreb in 1973. After graduating from the University of Zagreb with a History degree, he trained as a journalist in the Documentary Program of Croatian Television. He has a keen interest in the history of Central and Eastern European military organizations from the 15th to 19th centuries, especially those of the Thirty Years War period. He is married and currently lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia. Darko Pavlovic was born in 1959 and currently lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia. A trained architect, he now works as a full-time illustrator and writer, specialising in militaria. Darko has illustrated a number of books for Osprey including Men-at-Arms 282: Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 194145 and Elite 60: U-Boat Crews 191445. He has also written and illustrated titles for the Men-at-Arms series on the Austrian army of the 19th century