Century of the Soldier Series

In 1655 Oliver Cromwell, England’s Lord Protector, sent a fleet to attack and seize Spanish possessions in South America. After initial failure on Hispaniola, the English occupied Jamaica and in so doing started a five year war with Spain in the West Indies, but one that was also to spread to Europe. This is the second of a two book series that describes the military campaign from late 1655 until 1660. It also puts the events that occurred in the West Indies into context with the wider European political situation and explains how the war spread to Europe. Utilizing numerous English and Spanish sources the early years of the Jamaican colony are described in detail, while extensive previously unpublished Spanish maps of the island are reproduced. The book charts the course of the Spanish resistance and how challenging they were to English settlement but it also illustrates the division between the fractious Spanish government. Under the indomitable leadership of Edward Doyley, the English faced high mortality from disease and famine along with Spanish invasion attempts but persevered to establish the jewel in the crown of the British colonial possessions in the Caribbean. The changing nature of the English forces are examined, as is the development of the nascent economy developed as are the roles that privateering and slavery played in this development. The book concludes with the transition from a Commonwealth to a Crown colony and the advent of civilian rule. Appendices also describe the occupation by the English of both Tortuga and the Cayman Islands as they gradually expanded the empire in the northern Caribbean.

This book covers an important part of British military history, namely the Trained Bands of the early Stuart period, 1603 - 1642. Both James I and Charles I tried to create a perfect militia during their reigns but how far did they get in achieving this aim? There is very little published about this organization. This book includes details on the men who served in it, how they were recruited, their social status, professions, and ages. The soldiers were mustered for training at least once a year at county or regimental level, but were they mustered and trained more often at a local level? And, if so, how often? There were different categories of soldiers in the Trained Bands; these categories were not just designated by the arm of service or by the arms they carried, but also by who had provided (and paid for) them. The arms and armor used by the soldiers changed over the period covered by this book and descriptions of these are included. Did the men of the Trained Band wear uniforms? Who were the officers who commanded the companies and regiments and how were they appointed? This book aims not only to answer these questions, but also to enlighten the reader on many other aspects of this important organization. Defense always costs money, and this was especially true of the Trained Bands. Men and muster-masters had to be paid and fed; powder and match bought for training; new arms and armor sourced. All these needed money - money that was in many cases only grudgingly given. The methods of raising this money were varied and in the main seem to have worked. Relations between the counties and the government in London are also covered. The government’s requests or requirements were not always well received; many people in the counties did not like being given orders from London, a place they believed to have little interest in what was happening locally. The Trained Bands were not put to the test of battle prior to the Civil War, although they had come close in the Bishops’ Wars; but they proved reluctant to act against ordinary people during protests about perceived or actual local grievances. One of the biggest questions that could be asked of the Trained Bands is: “in the face of an external enemy, would they have fought and would they have stood firm?” Against an enemy which would almost certainly have been experienced and battle-hardened.

In 1634, the Thirty Years' War had taken a spectacular turn; the great protagonists of 1630 had died: King Gustav Adolf of Sweden and Generals Tilly and Wallenstein. The Swedish army was disoriented without the presence of its charismatic king. Chancellor Oxenstierna was to preserve his legacy, so the Heilbronn League was formed, with various Protestant states in western and northern Germany, and the French financial support. With this, the Swedish-Protestants were able to launch various offensives throughout Germany, almost collapsing the Imperial forces, which were organizing even after the earthquake caused by the murder of Wallenstein. The King of Hungary Ferdinand, heir to the Holy Roman Empire, decided to assume command of the armies in the West and thus enhance his leadership. Cardinal-Infante Fernando had been appointed governor of Flanders; but the sea voyage from Spain to Flanders was threatened by storms, the English, the French, and the Dutch. It was much safer to travel from Italy and travel more than 1,000 km through the so-called Spanish Road. But this route, which partly followed the course of the River Rhine, was now on the front lines of the Thirty Years' War. Prince Fernando could not travel alone, so an army of 10,000 soldiers was formed to escort him and then fight against Holland. Ferdinand asked the Cardinal-Infante to help him conquer a small town, called Nördlingen, and together they could fight a Swedish-German army, commanded by Generals Gustav Horn and Bernard of Saxe-Weimar. This book explains the general situation in Germany during the Thirty Years' War in the period 1633-1634. It describes in detail the tactics, armament and units of the Spanish, Swedish and Imperial armies. Analyze the conflicting interests of the various powers fighting the war. The objective of the text is to explain the battle that took place in the plain of Nördlingen, the various protagonists who commanded the Tercios and Regiments that fought there; analyze the mistakes and successes of the generals. With all this, the stereotypes about the Spanish and Swedish tactical models are reviewed, which for a long time were the paradigm of tactics in European battle theaters. In this way, it seeks to answer which deployment was better, if the Swedish Brigades, or the Spanish Tercios.

Previous Polish experience from the war against the Ottoman Turks in 1672-1676 made their contribution vital for the coalition war effort in 1683. No surprise then, that Sobieski was chosen as commander of the joint forces. Many Polish researchers, like Jan Wimmer, Leszek Podhorodecki or Zdzisław Żygulski wrote extensively about the topic, unfortunately their works are not available in English. In this volume the author attempts to present to English-speaking readers the Polish point of view on the battle and the role of the Polish army in the conflict. There are detailed information about organization and strength of the army that Jan III led to Vienna: structure, weapons and equipment of the units, even on the company level. All formations, from winged hussars to artillery, are covered. Command staff – from King to high ranking officers – will be presented as well. Book won’t focus solely on relief of Vienna though. Remaining actions of the 1683’s campaign are described as well, with both battles of Párkány and arrival of Lithuanian army, Polish and Cossack actions in Podolia and Moldavia, that were always in shadow of main events of 1683; finally organization and military actions of troops under command of Hieronim Augustyn Lubomirski, raised as Imperial auxiliary division in Poland. Book is based on many primary and secondary sources, including diaries, letters and surviving muster rolls of the units and whole army. Many of them were not previously available in English, so they will provides interesting insight into 17th century view of the army and campaign.

In autumn 1621, at a fortified camp near Khotyn (Chocim), in the Principality of Moldavia, allied Polish, Lithuanian and Cossack armies faced a large Ottoman army led by Sultan Osman II. It was the concluding act of a war that had started with the defeat of a Polish army at Cecora one year earlier. As such it was actually part of the longer conflict, waged over the Commonwealth’s and the Ottoman’s influence over Moldavia. Throughout the whole of September and the first half of October 1621, the allied army managed to defend their camps against Turks, with both sides taking heavy losses from the hardship of the siege operations and worsening weather conditions. The conflict ended with the Treaty of Khotyn (9 October 1621) which did not particularly favor either of the sides. All the same, stopping the Ottoman was seen as a huge success for the Commonwealth, while attitudes on the Ottoman sides were far from victorious. The aftershock of the war led to the rebellion of janissaries in 1622, resulting in the overthrow and murder of Sultan Osman II. The book focuses on the Khotyn campaign of 1621, describing the day-by-day actions of the combatant armies – assaults, sallies and raids – during the whole of the siege. Additional theaters of war, such as Cossack operations from the summer of 1621 and Tatars raids against the Polish interior, are described as well. The reader will also find here details of the organization and strength of the fighting armies, information about the battle dispositions of the troops at Khotyn and commanders leading the troops. Actions leading to the outbreak of the open conflict between the Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire are explained in a separate chapter, providing a good historical background of the war. Another chapter covers the outcome of the war and the ways that influenced the internal and external situation of both the Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire. As with his previous works, the author has utilized a large number of primary sources: from the diaries of soldiers taking part in the campaign, through chronicles, official letters and documents from the period to army musters. Among the documents used are not only those written by Poles and Lithuanians, but also documents from Cossacks, Germans and Ottomans. Modern works, especially from Polish and Ukrainian historians, have also been used, in order to provide the most up-to-date and in-depth research. As this topic has previously not had much coverage in English, this book will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in Zaporozhian Cossacks and in the Ottoman Empire in the early seventeenth century.

The Bavarian Army has been overshadowed by those of Gustavus Adolphus’ and Wallenstein’s Armies, but it was one of only a few armies to have fought throughout the Thirty Years War, first as part of the Catholic League and then an independent army after the Peace of Prague. Among the generals of the Bavarian Army were Count Johan von Tilly and Gottfried von Pappenheim, who are two of the most famous generals of the war. This book covers not only the Bavarian Army’s organization, but also has chapters on recruitment, officers, clothing, weaponry, pay and rations of a soldier during the Thirty Years War. As well as life and death in the army, this book also looks at the women who accompanied it. The chapter on ‘civilians and soldiers’ looks at the impact of the war on the civilian population, their reaction to it and the infamous sack of Magdeburg which sent shockwaves across Europe. This chapter also looks at the impact on Bavaria by having Swedish, Spanish and Imperialist troops quartered upon it and how this affected the country’s war effort. In addition there are chapters on regimental colors and a detailed look into the tactics of the time, including those of Spain, Sweden and the Dutch. As well as using archival and archaeological evidence to throw new light on the subject the author has used several memoirs written by those who served in the army during the war, including Peter Hagendorf who served in Pappenheim ‘s Regiment of Foot from 1627 until the regiment was disbanded after the war. Hagendorf’s vivid account is unique because not only is it a full account of the life of a common soldier during the war, but also records the human side of campaign, including the death of his two wives and all but two of his children. This book is essential reading to anyone interested in the wars of the early seventeenth century, not just the Thirty Years War.