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The Dissemination of Military Theory in the Early Modern Period: Military Manuals Printed in Central Europe in 1550-1650
Andresová, Klára ; Šípek, Richard (advisor) ; Hojda, Zdeněk (referee) ; Prchal, Vítězslav (referee)
The genre of military handbooks, classified as educational literature, has its roots in antiquity. A significant phase of its evolution came with the advent of the printing press, allowing the propagation of such titles via movable types in increasingly large quantities. Authored by experienced soldiers, these books primarily aimed to educate (prospective) officers on the fundamentals of modern warfare. Simultaneously, these often typographically elaborate volumes - supplemented with numerous educational illustrations - could represent a means for their owners to project self-image. In Central Europe, the proliferation of military handbooks began to surge noticeably after 1550, mainly driven by German printing production. This thesis explores the Central European transformation of this genre from the mid-16th to the mid-17th century, that is, until shortly after the end of the Thirty Years' War. The research approach aligns with the cultural history of warfare and the New Military History movement. This school of thought strive to apply methods common in non-military historical research to military issues, and explore military history through underutilized or unexplored sources. The research methodology primarily involves retrospective bibliography, but also other quantitative and qualitative...
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