War, State and Society in W}}rttemberg, 1677}}}1793 [Paperback]

This book examines the political development of the smaller German territories in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through the example of the duchy of W?rttemberg.Reappraising traditional interpretations of German history that play down the significance of the smaller state, this book examines the role of war and the development of the smaller German territories in the 17th and 18th centuries through the example of the duchy of WÜrttemberg.Reappraising traditional interpretations of German history that play down the significance of the smaller state, this book examines the role of war and the development of the smaller German territories in the 17th and 18th centuries through the example of the duchy of WÜrttemberg.This book examines the role of war and the development of the smaller German territories in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through the example of the duchy of WÜrttemberg. It reappraises traditional interpretations of German history that emphasize the role of Prussia and play down the significance of the smaller states. This is also the first comprehensive investigation of the relationship between developments within such territories and the structure of the Holy Roman Empire of which they formed a part. It reveals the Empire as a flawed but functioning political system and sheds new light on the reasons for its collapse in 1806.List of tables; Preface; Note on form; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Princely aims and policy making; 2. Strategies and resources; 3. The German soldier trade; 4. Regent Friedrich Carl 167793; 5. Eberhard Ludwig 16931733; 6. Carl Alexander 173337; 7. The Regency 173744; 8. Carl Eugen 174493; Conclusion; Bibliography. Peter wilson has written an important study which not only adds real substance to the slowly growing body of English-language works on the lesser states of early modern Germany...but also demonstrates that even they could pursue complex foreign policies aimed at somelóZ