Imperial Armies of the Thirty Years’ War (2): Cavalry

Osprey Men at Arms #462

by Vladimir Brnardić, Darko Pavlović (Illustrator)

This history of the Catholic armies of the Habsburg Empire that fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) explores the role of cavalry during the last major religious war in mainland Europe, which saw the end of the large mercenary forces and the beginnings of the well-disciplined national army. This book charts this progression, illustrating and explaining the forces of the key Catholic armies, while exploring the organization, tactics, and colorful uniforms of the cavalry forces as they were expertly wielded by the great captains of the period including Tilly, Condé and Gustavus.

Genres: History, Military History, 17th Century, Renaissance

48 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2006

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy complement to the author's booklet on Imperial infantry during the Thirty Years' War, I probably like this number just a little bit better. What it comes down to is that the set of cavalry units is somewhat smaller than that of foot soldiers, so it's possible to examine in a little more depth how the Imperial cavalry's force structure evolved over the course of the war. I also think that artist Darko Pavlovic did a little better job with the color plates, as the best of them seem more atmospheric than the ones in the infantry booklet.