Download or read book Malplaquet 1709 written by Simon MacDowall and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-10-29 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1709, after eight years of war, France was on her knees. There was not enough money left in the treasury to pay, equip or feed the army and a bad harvest led to starvation throughout the kingdom. Circumstances had worsened to the point that King Louis XIV was forced to offer to end the War of Spanish Succession on humiliating terms for his country. However, the allied powers – Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire – refused Louis' offer, believing that one more successful campaign would utterly destroy French power. This book examines the campaign of 1709, culminating in the battle of Malplaquet, which would prove Louis' enemies disastrously wrong. Led by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, the allied armies achieved a tactical victory – but it was a hollow one. The allies suffered 23,000 casualties to the French 11,000 in what was the bloodiest battle of the 18th century. The scale of casualties shocked Europe and led to a reversal of fortunes, with the dismissal of Marlborough and a newly confident King Louis resolving to fight on. When the war finally ended, it did so on terms favourable to France. In this illustrated title, Simon MacDowall examines the campaign in full and shows how, though it is generally accepted that Marlborough was never defeated, the Battle of Malplaquet was ultimately a French strategic victory.
Download or read book Marlborough s America written by Stephen Saunders Webb and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 648 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholars of British America generally conclude that the early eighteenth-century Anglo-American empire was commercial in economics, liberal in politics, and parochial in policy, somnambulant in an era of “salutary neglect,” but Stephen Saunders Webb here demonstrates that the American provinces, under the spur of war, became capitalist, coercive, and aggressive, owing to the vigorous leadership of career army officers, trained and nominated to American government by the captain general of the allied armies, the first duke of Marlborough, and that his influence, and that of his legates, prevailed through the entire century in America. Webb’s work follows the duke, whom an eloquent enemy described as “the greatest statesman and the greatest general that this country or any other country has produced,” his staff and soldiers, through the ten campaigns, which, by defanging France, made the union with Scotland possible and made “Great Britain” preeminent in the Atlantic world. Then Webb demonstrates that the duke’s legates transformed American colonies into provinces of empire. Marlborough’s America, fifty years in the making, is the fourth volume of The Governors-General.
Download or read book Malplaquet written by Hilaire Belloc and published by London : S. Swift. This book was released on 1911 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Blenheim 1704 written by John Tincey and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2004-07-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Osprey's study of the Blenheim campaign, Britiain's defining battle of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). Combining one of history's most audacious strategic manoeuvres with perhaps the greatest military victory ever won by a British commander, the Blenheim campaign is rightly considered the pinnacle of the career of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough. On 13 August 1704, Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy faced a Franco-Bavarian army threatening to knock Austria out of the War of the Spanish Succession. In a hard-fought battle Marlborough won a resounding victory, capturing Marshal Tallard and over 14,000 men. In this book John Tincey describes how Marlborough's victory crushed his enemies, shattered the myth of French invincibility and laid the foundations for two centuries of British world dominance.
Download or read book The Face of Battle written by John Keegan and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1983-01-27 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Keegan's groundbreaking portrayal of the common soldier in the heat of battle -- a masterpiece that explores the physical and mental aspects of warfare The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at the "point of maximum danger." Without the myth-making elements of rhetoric and xenophobia, and breaking away from the stylized format of battle descriptions, John Keegan has written what is probably the definitive model for military historians. And in his scrupulous reassessment of three battles representative of three different time periods, he manages to convey what the experience of combat meant for the participants, whether they were facing the arrow cloud at the battle of Agincourt, the musket balls at Waterloo, or the steel rain of the Somme. The Face of Battle is a companion volume to John Keegan's classic study of the individual soldier, The Mask of Command: together they form a masterpiece of military and human history.
Download or read book Ramillies 1706 written by Michael McNally and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-20 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed, slim volume on the Duke of Marlborough's masterstroke that saw the capture of the vital cities of Brussels, Bruges, Louvain and Antwerp. This is the story of one of the great battles which forged the reputation of the Duke of Marlborough as one of history's greatest captains. His tactical intuition on the field of Ramillies led to perhaps his finest battlefield performance and paved the way for a campaign that would see much of Flanders, including vital cities such as Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp and Louvain, come under Allied control. This title, with vivid illustrations and detailed consideration of the disposition, strength and plans of the opposing forces, examines the context and consequences of the battle. It also illuminates the intense fighting at the height of the engagement, including two enormous cavalry melees in which Marlborough was unhorsed and very nearly killed.
Download or read book Britannia AD 43 written by Nic Fields and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-09-17 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the Romans, Britannia lay beyond the comfortable confines of the Mediterranean world around which classical civilisation had flourished. Britannia was felt to be at the outermost edge of the world itself, lending the island an air of dangerous mystique. To the soldiers crossing the Oceanus Britannicus in the late summer of AD 43, the prospect of invading an island believed to be on its periphery must have meant a mixture of panic and promise. These men were part of a formidable army of four veteran legions (II Augusta, VIIII Hispana, XIIII Gemina, XX Valeria), which had been assembled under the overall command of Aulus Plautius Silvanus. Under him were, significantly, first-rate legionary commanders, including the future emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus. With the auxiliary units, the total invasion force probably mounted to around 40,000 men, but having assembled at Gessoriacum (Boulogne) they refused to embark. Eventually, the mutinous atmosphere was dispelled, and the invasion fleet sailed in three contingents. So, ninety-seven years after Caius Iulius Caesar, the Roman army landed in south-eastern Britannia. After a brisk summer campaign, a province was established behind a frontier zone running from what is now Lyme Bay on the Dorset coast to the Humber estuary. Though the territory overrun during the first campaign season was undoubtedly small, it laid the foundations for the Roman conquest which would soon begin to sweep across Britannia. In this highly illustrated and detailed title, Nic Fields tells the full story of the invasion which established the Romans in Britain, explaining how and why the initial Claudian invasion succeeded and what this meant for the future of Britain.
Download or read book The Battles That Changed History written by Fletcher Pratt and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2000-03-27 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Profiles of 16 decisive struggles from ancient and modern times. Gripping accounts range from Alexander the Great's overthrow of the Persian empire in the 4th century BC to World War II's Battle of Midway. Pratt depicts the circumstances leading up to the decisive clashes, the personalities involved, and the historically important aftermath. 27 maps.
Download or read book The Armies and Wars of the Sun King 1643 1715 written by René Chartrand and published by Century of the Soldier. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume 1 of the Sun King's wars and armies goes from his early and turbulent years, from the resounding victory over Spain at Rocroi in 1643, the unstable years of the Fronde civil wars, his seizure of absolute power in 1661, his immediate control of national finances and armed forces, his measures to create the most effective army in Europe, the i
Download or read book Dettingen 1743 written by Michael McNally and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-08-18 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study analyzes the battle of Dettingen, one of the major Allied victories of the War of the Austrian Succession, and the last time a British monarch commanded troops in the field. The death of the Emperor Charles VI in 1741 was the catalyst for a conflict ostensibly about the female inheritance of the Hapsburg patrimony but, in reality, about the succession to the Imperial Throne. The great European powers were divided between those, such as Britain, who supported the Pragmatic Sanction and the rights of the Archduchess Maria-Theresa, daughter of Charles VI, and those who challenged it, including Bavaria which were supported by France. The conflict quickly escalated into what is now known as the War of the Austrian Succession, and a series of turbulent political events brought the crisis to a head on the road to Hanau, near Dettingen. There, the French moved to put into place a complex maneuver which had the potential to end the war at a single stroke. A column of French troops would cross the Main near Dettingen and block the road to Hanau, their orders being to simply hold their ground and bar the route of the Allied British and Hanovarian advance. A second column would cross the Main behind the enemy and then follow their line of march northwards. The bulk of the army would use a combination of bridges and pontoon-bridges to cross the Main and engage the enemy from the flank as they were strung out on the line of march. However, the plan relied heavily on the blocking force, and command of this crucial sector fell to an inexperienced nobleman Louis-Auguste, Duc de Grammont, who chose to attack rather than hold his position. Consequently, the maneuver failed and the French broke, fleeing for the Main and safety, with the Gardes Francaises famously swimming the river. Supported by specially commissioned artwork including maps and battleplates, this title explores the battle in depth, detailing its build-up, events, and aftermath, as well as analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the commanders, armies, and tactics of both sides.
Download or read book Fontenoy 1745 written by Michael McNally and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-05-18 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A disputed succession to the Austrian throne led to general war between the leading powers of Europe in 1740, with France, Spain and Prussia on one side, and Britain, Habsburg Austria and the Dutch Republic on the other. While fighting occurred across the globe, the bloodiest battles were fought on the European continent, with none more costly than the battle of Fontenoy in 1745. Fearing an encirclement of France by a resurgent Habsburg-controlled Austria, the French commander Marshall Saxe planned to overrun the Austrian Netherlands, thereby dealing a decisive blow against their enemy's ability to wage war. Saxe's army, the cream of the French military, invaded and set up a defensive position at Fontenoy, near Tournai – daring his enemies to knock him off his perch. This title, beautifully illustrated with full colour plates, is an in-depth study of the British Duke of Cumberland's attempt to assault Saxe's position. It focuses on the inability of allied leaders to coordinate their attacks and how Cumberland came within a whisker of achieving a major victory.
Download or read book Irish Brigades Abroad written by Stephen McGarry and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-09-02 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Irish Brigades Abroad examines the complete history of the Irish regiments in France, Spain, Austria and beyond. Covering the period from King James II's reign of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1685, until the disbandment of the Irish Brigades in France and Spain, this book looks at the origins, formation, recruitment and the exploits of the Irish regiments, including their long years of campaigning from the War of the Grand Alliance in 1688 right through to the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. What emerges is a picture of the old-fashioned virtues of honour, chivalry, integrity and loyalty, of adventure and sacrifice in the name of a greater cause.
Download or read book Grand Strategy and Military Alliances written by Peter R. Mansoor and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-02-09 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A broad-ranging study of the relationship between alliances and the conduct of grand strategy, examined through historical case studies.
Download or read book King Philip s War 1675 76 written by Gabriele Esposito and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-10-29 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: King Philip's War was the result of over 50 years' tension between the native inhabitants of New England and its colonial settlers as the two parties competed for land and resources. A coalition of Native American tribes fought against a force of over 1,000 men raised by the New England Confederation of Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven and Massachusetts Bay, alongside their Indian allies the Mohegans and Mohawks. The resultant fighting in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and later Maine and New Hampshire, resulted in the destruction of 12 towns, the death of between 600–800 colonists and 3,000 Indians, making it the deadliest war in the history of American colonization Although war resulted in victory for the colonists, the scale of death and destruction led to significant economic hardship. This new study reveals the full story of this influential conflict as it raged across New England. Packed with maps, battle scenes, and bird's-eye-views, this is a comprehensive guide to the war which determined the future of colonial America.
Download or read book The Balkans 1940 41 1 written by Pier Paolo Battistelli and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-01-21 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first of two volumes on the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, exploring Mussolini's fateful decision to move against Greece in October 1940. The Greek President Metaxas rejected the Italian ultimatum with a famous 'Oxi' ('No'), and what followed was Italy's first debacle in World War II. In the wake of Italy's rapid annexation of Albania in April 1940, Mussolini's decision to attack Greece in October that year is widely acknowledged as a fatal mistake, leading to a domestic crisis and to the collapse of Italy's reputation as a military power (re-emphasized by the Italian defeat in North Africa in December 1940). The Italian assault on Greece came to a stalemate in less than a fortnight, and was followed a week later by a Greek counter-offensive that broke through the Italian defences before advancing into Albania, forcing the Italian forces to withdraw north before grinding to a half in January 1941 due to logistical issues. Eventually, the Italians took advantage of this brief hiatus to reorganize and prepare a counteroffensive, the failure of which marked the end of the first stage of the Axis Balkan campaign. The first of two volumes examining the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, this book offers a detailed overview of the Italian and Greek armies, their fighting power, and the terrain in which they fought. Complimented by rarely seen images and full colour illustrations, it shows how expectations of an easy Italian victory quickly turned into one of Mussolini's greatest blunders.
Download or read book Armies of the Great Northern War 1700 1720 written by Gabriele Esposito and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-31 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great Northern War was a long series of campaigns in which Russia, linked with several other countries in temporary alliances, confronted and eventually replaced Sweden as the predominant power in Northern Europe. While contemporary with the Duke of Marlborough's pivotal campaigns against France, the Great Northern War was in fact more decisive, since it reshaped the Northern European power balance up to the eve of the Napoleonic Wars. It began with a series of astonishing Swedish victories lead by King Charles XII, from Denmark to Poland and deep into Germany. But Peter the Great of Russia showed steadfast determination, and Charles overreached himself when he invaded Russia in 1708; the Russians adopted classic 'scorched earth' tactics until they could destroy the Swedish army at Poltava in 1709, one of the most overwhelming victories in history. Nevertheless, Sweden continued to fight, and frequently win, in Germany, Denmark and Norway, until Charles's death in battle in 1718, though the war itself did not conclude until 1721. This study explores, in detail, the numerous armies and complex alliances engaged in the war for Northern European dominance. Containing accurate full-colour artwork and unrivalled detail, Armies of the Great Northern War offers a vivid insight into the troops which battled for control of the North.
Download or read book Blenheim written by Charles Spencer and published by Phoenix (USA). This book was released on 2004 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How two men brought about the defeat of Louis XIV's previously unbeaten army and saved Europe from French domination - A Sunday Times Bestseller By the summer of 1704 Louis XIV's vast armies dominated Europe. France defeated every alliance formed against her and Louis was poised to extend his frontier to the Rhine and install a French prince on the throne of Spain. Two men saved Europe from French military domination: the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy. Marlborough masterminded a brilliant campaign, working with Eugene to surprise the French invaders inside Germany. The rival armies clashed in August and the hitherto unbeaten French were utterly destroyed. Blenheim was a major turning point in European history. Charles Spencer's narrative is drawn from original sources and moves seamlessly from the deliberations of Kings and princes to the frontline soldiers. This is the battle that creates the enduring reputation of the British redcoat and shatters the image of the 'Sun King' and his mighty army.
