
Author Laurence Spring has again demonstrated the depth of his knowledge of all things military in the early seventeenth century, with this comprehensive and scholarly study of the clothing worn by soldiers of pretty much all nations involved in the Thirty Years War and the various conflicts which together make up the British Civil Wars.
The book covers every aspect of the dress of soldiers during this period, what was worn and how and when and probably if it was issued. We are then treated to a detailed analysis of the ‘end users’ and their dress across the many and varied armies and conflicts. Examples are the British army in the 1620s-1630s, the Trained Bands, the Bishops Wars, the Irish Rebellion, the various armies involved in the Civil War, including the Scots. Further chapters cover the Danes, French, Dutch, Spanish, Swedes and Holy Roman Empire, all of whom were ahead of the game when it came to soldiers’ clothing.
The level of detail is incredible yet a little daunting unless you know what it is you are after. Not a bad thing, and overall I found the premise and subject matter of the book well presented, nearly written and well supported by a range of contemporary quotes and correspondence.
The appendices are equally interesting and varied, covering as they an eclectic subject mix; Cecil’s army in 1625, Parliamentarian and Royalist coat colours, Thirty Years’ War coat colours and more. These are presented in tabular form and easy to follow.
The book is illustrated throughout with reproductions of contemporary images which provide a bit of visual context to the main narrative which is very helpful. The tables also dotted through the book provide a similar purpose and do so well.
I guess that the readership of this book will include re-enactors, wargamers, the casual reader with an interest in the seventeenth century as well as more serious scholars, historians and researchers. As a person who would be numbered among the ‘casual’ category I must say I found the book highly informative and the choice and presentation of the subject matter to be fascinating.
ISBN 978-1-804514-44-3. 346 pages, soft cover.
Briefly, the author begins by providing us with an overview of the 1644 campaign, followed by quite comprehensive descriptions of each of the main commanders, Turenne, D’Enghein and the very capable Feldmarshall Mercy. The next two chapters are especially good, as they cover in some depth the French and Bavarian armies during the campaign, complete with lists of the regiments present and their strengths where known. Obviously the two chapters covering the battles on the 3rd and 5th of August form the core of the book, and I found them very useful when trying to get an understanding of the commanders’ actions and the performance of their subordinates and soldiers. A range of quotes and snippets from contemporary correspondence liven up the narrative nicely.
The book contains an impressive number of contemporary black and white images, and the centre spread of 14 wonderful colour plates, depicting a variety of troop types and personalities taken from original water colours by renowned artist Karl Alexander Wilke, and accompanied by three pages of regimental banners, some by Wilke and others by the author.
There are several full colour and quite detailed maps depicting the battle and the manoeuvres that led the armies to meet and fight. These would be of great use to anyone wishing to retreat the battle on the wargames tabletop.
This is No. 122 in Helion’s excellent Century of the Soldier series, and if the later Thirty Years War or indeed the exploits of the main protagonists are of interest to you then this book will not disappoint. I almost wish I'd kept my 30 Years War collections.......almost.
ISBN 978-1-804515-51-8. Soft covers 120 pages
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