The Ravings of Demented Rabbits

Stranger In A Strange Land

More Marechalisms. Him, then me, etc.

The HRE in the 16th century is fascinating. I want to delve more into that. Luther's Reformation. THE Charles V. Maximilian. Wallenstein. White Mountain. Mohacs. Gustavus Adolphus' mixed legions. Rise of the glorious and honorable mode of warfare, although not quite so evident during the Rennaisance. That was like the in-between stage of warfare. Awkward introduction of gunpowder. Old meets the new. Etc.

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The Thirty Years War is SO not honorable in any way shape or form.

But yeah. I do want to do some reading on the period. Need a good general history of France, and a good general history of Spain, and a good general history of Germany.

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Right, well, yeah, the Thirty Years' War was part of the whole "transitional" period where you still had the barbarity of Medieval warfare and the still inadequate use of musketry and artillery. Cavalry was still in transition. Things didn't get straightened out until the late 17th century. General European history is a good thing, we note.

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I'm guessing you don't read a whole lot of "from the trenches" milhist, do you?

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I was watching Last of the Mohicans today . . . watching the British and French parley outside the fort with their flags and officers and armes presented as how gentlemen should conduct warfare. And then those savages ruin it! They attacked a British column with women and children marching under the terms of the parley agreed upon by the two parties! The savage, indecent, reckless slaughter ... appalling.

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I'm going to take that as a no. Stop dodging the question.

And that's war, kid. Always has been.

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The movie is so sad because I'm cheering for the major throughout and he gets screwed over the whole way through. The chick ditches him. His company gets ambushed in the woods. His column is overwhelmed during the massacre. And then he gets shafted in the end. And he's so well dressed throughout with his gold braids and officer's overcoat.

So yeah, it's all about redcoats and the honor and glory of the imperial armies of Great Britain in Last of the Mohicans, the Patriot, and Four Feathers.

Posted by Dwip at October 9, 2003 8:18 PM