Italy 1636: Cemetery of Armies

Italy 1636: Cemetery of Armies

This book on the operation of early modern armies methodically looks at the French and Savoyard invasion of Spanish Lombardy in 1636, from the recruitment of the soldiers, the care and feeding of the armies and their horses, the impact of the invasion on civilians, and the manner in which generals conducted their campaign in response to the information at their disposal. Step-by-step a chapter unfolds the long and stubborn battle of Tornavento, where Spanish, German, and Italian soldiers stormed the French in their entrenchments. It describes the tactics of both the infantry and the cavalry, and re-evaluates the effectiveness of Spanish methods in the 1630s. The account’s neo-Darwinian approach focuses on the motivations of soldiers to fight, and how they reacted to the stress of combat. A final chapter examines the penchant for looting of the soldiery in the aftermath of battle, the methods of treating wounded soldiers in the Milan hospital, the hygienic breakdown in the French camp, and the strategic failure of the invasion. The book explains the surprising resilience of Spanish policies and Spanish arms in Europe. In describing the invasion of 1636, the book deals with broader aspects of universal features of human behaviour and psychology as they relate to violence and war.