The Bavarian Army During The Thirty Years War 1618 1648

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 organisation, 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 colours 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.

More than three and a half centuries have passed since the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War (1618-48); but this most devastating of wars in the early modern period continues to capture the imagination of readers: this book reveals why. It was one of the first wars where contemporaries stressed the importance of atrocities, the horrors of the fighting and also the sufferings of the civilian population. The Thirty Years' War remains a conflict of key importance in the history of the development of warfare and the 'military revolution'.

The Thirty Years War of 1618 to 1648 is considered one of the most destructive wars in European history. It is estimated that between 4.5 and 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a direct result, while some areas of Germany suffered population declines of more than 50%, also from famine and disease. The war was part of the German religious struggle that was initiated by the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The recent victory at Jankau seemed an opportunity to take Bavaria out of the war, and the French chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin, ordered Turenne to draw the Bavarians into the battle of Mergentheim on May 5, 1645, which was a absolute disaster for the French. In the battle simulation I will try to correct the flaws presented in the historical analysis, testing improvements in maneuvers. And then, we will check which maneuver will prevail, both being instructed with the best and with maximum effort.

Historians still argue about the reasons for the bohemian (Czech) Wallenstein during the war. Some see him as a German patriot, others as a great mercenary. He did not have Gustavo Adolfo s tactical genius, but he was a very skilled mobilizer and strategist. What if he really had the potential to be a German Napoleon , uniting Germany under his rule and neutralizing, at least during his lifetime, the imperial influence of the Habsburgs. In this simulation, of course, he will not be murdered.