Focusing on the military dimensions of the Habsburg Monarchy, this book explores how Austria's rise as a European power in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was significantly influenced by military strength and state instruments. It argues that these elements were as crucial as the monarchy's marriage strategies in maintaining its cohesion and power. Through this lens, the work sheds light on a largely overlooked aspect of Habsburg history, contributing to a deeper understanding of its role in European politics.
Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of Maps -- List of Tables -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Glossary -- Introduction: The belated great power -- Modest Origins - the Habsburg Monarchy During the Second Half of the Seventeenth Century -- 1. The domestic foundations -- The question of terminology -- The territorial and administrative configuration of the Habsburg Monarchy -- Limited absolutism: the provincial Estates -- Economy -- Finances -- 2. The primacy of power politics -- The instruments of foreign policy -- From domestic to foreign policy: the Habsburgs and the Reich after 1648 -- Geopolitical challenges and responses -- 3. Home defence -- Feudal levy and peasant militia in the Austro-Bohemian lands -- Hungary -- The Military Border (Militärgrenze) -- The contribution of the Reich -- 4. The standing army -- Origins and growth -- The High Command -- The officer corps -- Military administration -- Artillery -- Technical branches -- The guards -- Weaponry -- Military industries -- Uniforms -- Quarters and provisions -- Soldiers' families and the baggage train -- Military justice -- Religion -- Medical service and disabled soldiers -- Tactics, strategy and the primacy of logistics -- Austria's 'age of heroes' 1683-1733 -- 5. The Turkish War 1683-1699 -- The Kuruc rebellion -- The siege of Vienna -- The Habsburg counter-offensive -- 6. The
