Description
Book SynopsisThe Rise of the Military Entrepreneur explores how a new kind of international military figure emerged from, and exploited, the seventeenth century''s momentous political, military, commercial, and scientific changes. In the era of the Thirty Years'' War, these figures traveled rapidly and frequently across Europe using private wealth, credit, and connections to raise and command the armies that rulers desperately needed. Their careers reveal the roles international networks, private resources, and expertise played in building and at times undermining the state.
Suzanne Sutherland uncovers the influence of military entrepreneurs by examining their activities as not only commanders but also diplomats, natural philosophers, information brokers, clients, and subjects on the battlefield, as well as through strategic marital and family allegiances. Sutherland focuses on Raimondo Montecuccoli (160980), a middling nobleman from the Duchy of Modena, who became one
Trade Review
The book appeals to those interested in diplomatic, military, and political history. It is a model for further individual or group studies of military officers. While chapter 1 deals with military officers of noble Italian origin in the 1500s and chapter 2 covers the same group to c. 1625, the book has sparse references to officers serving outside their native lands during the years of Montecuccoli's career (1627-75).
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Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Warrior's Life
1. The Order of War
2. The Generation of White Mountain
3. The Making of an Early Modern Military Entrepreneur
4. From Battlefield to Court
5. A Loyal Servant
6. Victory at Last
Epilogue: The Generation of 1683
