INSTRUMENT OF WAR: The Austrian Army in the SYW - Volume 1

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Examines the structure of Maria Theresa's army, the life of its soldiers, its strengths and weaknesses, the personalities that gave it such a unique character, from top to bottom. Also considers her Prussian opponents as well as French, Swedish, and Russian armies. Efforts were made to reshape the army, the state, and the world of diplomacy. Maria Theresa wanted to be a mother to her army, to serve it as faithfully as it served her as she addressed various problems.

The 18th century army and its needs affected all around it. Conscription, taxation, constitutional change, bureaucracy, logistics, all of these dominated countries that never witnessed a campaign. To most of the inhabitants of Central Europe the army was the state, and their lives cannot be understood without examining it. Conscription tells us much about the homelands of the soldiers - the languages they spoke, the professions they served, their willingness to serve what to many was an alien monarch. The army provides an important view of 18th Century Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Lombardy, Belgium and Austria. Even the distant Irish played an important role in this army.

The 18th Century is brought to life in the words of Christopher Duffy, perceptive diplomat Kaunitz, experienced generals like Daun and Loudon, Prussian spies and foreign attaches, a cynical Belgian prince, a young Italian officer, and many others.