The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road, 1567-1659: The Logistics of Spanish Victory and Defeat in the Low Countries' Wars

by Geoffrey Parker

Paperback, 2004

Language

Publication

Cambridge University Press (2004), Edition: 2, 336 pages

Description

The publication of The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road in 1972 marked the birth of the 'new military history', which emphasized military organization - mobilization, pay, supply, morale and, above all, logistics - rather than military 'events' such as sieges and battles. Geoffrey Parker studied one of the great logistical feats of early modern Europe: how Habsburg Spain managed to maintain and mobilize the largest army in Europe in an 80-year effort to suppress the Dutch Revolt, at 700 miles' distance. Using a unique combination of surviving records, he presented strikingly the logistical problems of fighting wars in early modern Europe, and demonstrated why Spain failed to suppress the Dutch Revolt. The book has been constantly cited since its first publication in English (with translations into Spanish and Dutch). This revised second edition includes some new sources and updates some references but otherwise remains faithful to the original version.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member AndreasJ
This is deservedly a classic.

A tip, though, for those who, like me, could use a refresher on the narrative history before tackling the logistical meat of Parker's study: read the conclusion first, as it does contain a brief account of the course of the wars fought by the Army of Flanders during the
Show More
period covered.
Show Less

Original language

English

Physical description

336 p.; 6 inches

ISBN

0521543924 / 9780521543927
Page: 0.1833 seconds