The Swiss at War 1300-1500 (Men-At-Arms Series, 94) (Men-at-Arms, 94)

I felt that Osprey's treatment of this subject was quite good. The plates, as usual for an Osprey title, are very good. The story of the rise of the Swiss armies is an interesting one and worthy of greater depth that Osprey obviously cannot provide.Coverage of weapons and tactics is good. Coverage of the history of the formation of the Swiss confederation that became modern Switzerland is brief, but covers the pertinent facts.One must have a certain amount of admiration for the men of little valleys and villages, as well as large towns, who band together to fight thoroughly professional, noble armies. Like most great revolutions from below, they are men who make their own laws, govern their own land, and fight their own wars - on foot, with long spears in formation with others like themselves, and on their own ground. At a time when armored, noble cavalry dominated, these men defeated them.This Osprey title is definitely worth the money. Kudos to Douglas Miller, Gerry Embleton, and Osprey for one of the few English-language titles illuminating the tough Swiss halbardier and pikeman.

This book is full of dates and places but I was hoping for a little more detail about how the swiss actually wielded their halberds and pikes in battle. This book simply tells you that they did, and then lists a series of battles that they fought in. It gives only basic information regarding battle formations and virtually no details of tactics and techniques. Better than nothing, but I was hoping for more.

The men-at-arms series are great little books full of interesting, easy to read and digest facts and history and this one is no exception.

We get to read in high school and undergraduate History courses all about the great Monarchies and Empires of Olde Europe (TM) but we never see anything like this. Who outside of Europe ever knew that the greatest and most feared army of Europe in the Renaissance was that of a small Confederacy of city-states and forest cantons in Switzerland, the Helvetic Confederacy or the so called Old Swiss Confederacy (even while the most powerful Navy at the same time was that of the Republic of Venice).These people who invented modern warfare, also took democracy to another level and even ELECTED their military leaders on the very eve of crucial battles. Based on the contempt people have for Democracy today you would assume that this would be a recipe for disaster, but the Swiss met the best Armies of Europe, including that of the mighty Austrian Hapsburgs and Charles the Bold (along with his contingent of the allegedly undefeatable British Longbowmen), and annihilated them time and time again. With each sub-unit retaining it's independence and operating under multiple elected (and unelectable) leaders, one might expect the Swiss armies to be disorganized and parylized with indecision, but the Swiss showed how democratic organization can work when people want to work togehter; the Swiss Reislauffer were characterized by their fearless courage, tight battlefield discipline, and hair trigger boldness in battle.Tables in this Osprey book show ranks of pikemen and halberdiers made up of a bakers guild, a butchers guild, a cobblers guild and the like. The history of all of the battles, from the first victory by three tenuously unified Cantons over an invading Hapsburg army to the defeats of Charles the Bold two Centuries later. Reading this book will make you want to learn more about the Old Swiss Confederacy, and about the History of Europe in general.Emperor Maximillion of the Holy Roman Empire invented the Landsknechts in a conscious attempt to mimic the success of the Swiss. The Osprey book Landknecht Warrior contains yet more detailed information about the Swiss at War.

I think Switzerland is an example for everybody who wants to be free!

Excellent and concise history. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Gut

The product itself is fine and I have enjoyed reading it. However it arrived over three months late.

Just what I needed for painting some figures I obtained from the 14 century

Standard Osprey format, well constructed and helpful for pointing towards other, primary, source material.

great