War, State and Society in Württemberg, 1677-1793

318 Pages·1995·17.715 MB·English

by  Peter H. Wilson, Olwen H. Hufton, J.H. Elliott

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This book provides a radical new interpretation of the aims of the lesser German
princes during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through the example of the
duchy of Wurttemberg. Arguing that the princes' political ambitions were funda-
mental in shaping the internal development of their territories, the author sheds new
light on the political importance of the notorious German 'soldier trade' and its role
in international diplomacy.
The wider social and political impact of these policies is also investigated in a
comparative framework, while traditional interpretations of the dramatic struggle
between duke and estates are challenged in a reassessment of the role of early modern
representative institutions in German state development. The relationship of these
internal political struggles to the different elements of the Holy Roman Empire is
revealed, opening up new perspectives on the role of the German states within the
imperial structure and revealing the empire as a flawed but functioning political
system.

CAMBRIDGE STUDIES IN EARLY MODERN HISTORY
War, state and society in Wurttemberg, 1677-1793
CAMBRIDGE STUDIES IN EARLY MODERN HISTORY
Edited by Professor Sir John Elliott, University of Oxford, Professor Olwen Hufton,
Harvard University, and Professor H. G. Koenigsberger
The idea of an 'early modern' period of European history from the fifteenth to the late
eighteenth century is now widely accepted among historians. The purpose of Cambridge
Studies in Early Modern History is to publish monographs and studies which illuminate the
character of the period as a whole, and in particular focus attention on a dominant theme
within it, the interplay of continuity and change as they are presented by the continuity
of medieval ideas, political and social organisation, and by the impact of new ideas, new
methods and new demands on the traditional structure.
For a list of titles published in the series, please see end of book
War, state and society
in Wurttemberg, 1677-1793
PETER H. WILSON
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Published by the Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY IOOI 1-421 I, USA
10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia
© Cambridge University Press 1995
First published 1995
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress cataloguing in publication data
Wilson, Peter H.
War, state and society in Wiirttemberg, 1677-1793
Peter H.Wilson.
p. cm. - (Cambridge studies in early modern history)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN o 521 47302 o
1. Wiirttemberg (Germany) - History, Military. 2. Wiirttemberg
(Germany) - Politics and government. 3. Social classes - Germany -
Wiirttemberg - History - 18th century. 4. Holy Roman Empire -
History - 1648-1805.1. Title. 11. Series.
DD801.W76W55 1995
943'.47-dc20 94-16546 cip
ISBN o 521 47302 0 hardback
Transferred to digital printing 2003
WD
For my parents