Mugnai, Bruno

During the 17th century, Europe experienced only four years of general peace: 1610 and 1680-82. This scenario of almost continuous strife provided the terrain for the rise of the standing professional armies. The states were eager to avoid a repetition of the chaos and destruction that had plagued (...)

Conflicts between Christian powers and the Ottoman Empire displayed completely different characteristics compared to other contemporary wars fought in Europe, war without mercy being the norm. The tones adopted by Western literature to describe the Ottomans resemble the ones recently used against (...)

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