Новинки Лоренса Спринга

Soldiers’ Clothing of the Early 17th Century is a comprehensive study of the clothing worn by soldiers during the Thirty Years War and the British Civil Wars. The book delves into the changing fashion trends of soldiers' clothing during the early seventeenth century, with detailed chapters on various items of clothing, the contracts and supply system, and challenges the idea that there was no uniformity at the beginning of the century.

There have been books written about military clothing during the early seventeenth century before, but never in this detail. This book is the result of over 30 years of research in the archives of record offices and libraries, recording minute details of clothing and coat colours. By examining thousands of archives and pamphlets, it challenges the idea that there was no uniformity within regiments or companies at the beginning of the century. Hundreds of contemporary illustrations, paintings and even surviving items of clothing were consulted to discover the soldiers' appearance.

The first part of Soldiers’ Clothing of the Early 17th Century looks at the individual items of clothing and how fashion changed over the years., as well as the contracts granted to merchants who supplied this clothing and the abuses that were made by some merchants and the corruption of the officers at the soldiers’ expense. Some soldiers were so poor that they had to sell their clothing to survive. It was also part of the humiliation of a prisoner of war to be stripped of his clothing. It also investigates the supply system of these clothes, which could further lead to corruption, and how they were transported to the armies to be distributed to the armies.

The second part looks at the clothing of the various Parliamentary and Royalist Armies, the army sent to Ireland during the 1640s, and the Scottish Armies during the Bishops’ and Civil Wars. It also attempts to solve the often-asked question of whether the trained bands were issued with clothing.

Finally, there is an examination of clothing issued to the armies of Denmark, the Dutch Republic, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and Sweden. Since soldiers’ clothing did not begin at the start of the Thirty Years War, in these chapters, the author looks at the issue of clothing from the turn of the century, if not before.

The book is essential for those interested in seventeenth-century military history, fashion, and re-enactors and wargamers of the period. Although the book does not include patterns and advice on how to make each item, it provides an in-depth and fascinating look at soldiers' clothing during the early seventeenth century.

​Although the concept of ‘Britain’ dates back to the Roman period, it was James I that founded Britain in the modern sense. With his accession to the throne in 1603, for the first time Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland were united under one monarch - with James bestowing on himself the title of ‘King of Great Britain’. Before James’ accession, Scotsmen and Irishmen may have served in the English Army as mercenaries, but it was known as an English Army - but after 1693 a British flag flew over the castles and forts throughout the Countries. The army raised by Charles I in 1625 for the war against Spain, and subsequently with France, is most famous for its failure. However, it is one of the best-documented armies of the early seventeenth century.

Using archival and archaeological evidence, the first half of the book covers the lives of the officers and men serving in this army - as well as the women who accompanied them. The author discusses the origins of officers and why they decided to serve in the army - and how the men from England, Scotland and Ireland were recruited, as well as how they were clothed and what they ate, their medical care, and the tactics used by the army. It also covers the hidden asset of the tailors, armourers and merchants who helped to put the army into the field. The second half of the book covers not only the expeditions to Cadiz, the Île de Rhé and to the siege of La Rochelle, but also their effect on an England who feared a Spanish, and later a French, invasion. Also covered are the campaigns of Count Ernest von Mansfeldt’s and Sir Charles Morgan’s armies, which fought at Breda, Dessau Bridge and against the forces of the Holy Roman Empire. The final chapter looks at what became of the soldiers and their widows once the army had been disbanded. Overall, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in this period of Early Modern History, including the English Civil War and the Thirty Years’ War.

The publication of this new fully revised edition has enabled the author to add some eight years of new research on the subject and the inclusion of specially commissioned artwork depicting drill postures from the period.

The Eastern Association is best known for its performance at the battle of Marston Moor and the rise of Oliver Cromwell, but it was so much more. It was one of the most successful Parliamentary armies that served during the First Civil War; firstly having to secure the counties of East Anglia from Royalist sympathisers and then supporting Lord Fairfax’s Northern Association in its struggle with Newcastle’s Army and the latter’s final defeat at the battle of Marston Moor. It then assisted the remains of the Earl of Essex’s Army and Sir William Waller’s at the second battle of Newbury. Using contemporary and archaeological evidence this book looks at these two battles, as well as Gainsborough and Winceby, and the sieges of Reading, King’s Lynn, Lincoln and York.

It also looks at the religious and political divisions within the army caused by the Presbyterians and Cromwell’s Independent factions which would almost cripple the army in winter of 1644, which would end in a bitter dispute in Parliament, which would eventually lead to the formation of the New Model Army.

This book not only looks at the commanders but also the soldiers who served in the army by using their petitions which gives a vivid insight into the campaigns and life as a soldier during the Civil War, and is divided into the following chapters: 1) First Campaigns: the campaigns of Lord Grey of Warke, the first commander of the Eastern Association and also the early campaigns of Cromwell; 2) Manchester Takes Command: the increase in the strength of the Association under its new commander the Earl of Manchester, and the events leading up to it marching north, including Prince Rupert surprising the besiegers at Newark; 3) Newark: the Parliamentarian siege of Newark, and Rupert’s relief of the town; 4) The Siege of York: the events of the siege and siege warfare; 5) Marston Moor: the battle of Marston Moor and the surrender of York; 6) Crawford’s Campaign: the campaign of Major General Lawrence Crawford after the surrender of York, including the capture of Sheffield; 7) Manchester’s Campaign: describes Manchester’s movements from the surrender of York until his uniting with the armies of Essex and Waller at Basingstoke; 8) The Newbury Campaign: re-examines the battle and also considers the King’s return to Newbury and the combined Parliamentarian armies refusing to fight; 9) The Winter of Discontent: the dispute in Parliament which resulted in the Self- Denying Ordinance and the formation of the New Model Army; 10) The Last Campaigns: Cromwell being sent into the West and Crawford being ordered to assist Sir William Brereton, and then the disbandment of the Association’s regiments to form the New Model Army. The conclusion traces what happened to some of the combatants after the war, and appendices describe the logistics of the Eastern Association, and the Royalist Colours that were captured at Marston Moor.

The discovery of the whereabouts of the correspondence of the Earl of Manchester after they were withdrawn from the then Public Record Office means that this book contains information not used in other books on the campaigns of the Eastern Association, and also the raising of the New Model Army, so is a must for anyone interested in the Civil War.

The Bavarian Army has been overshadowed by those of Gustavus Adolphus’ and Wallenstein’s Armies, but it was one of only a few armies to have fought throughout the Thirty Years War, first as part of the Catholic League and then an independent army after the Peace of Prague. Among the generals of the Bavarian Army were Count Johan von Tilly and Gottfried von Pappenheim, who are two of the most famous generals of the war. This book covers not only the Bavarian Army’s organisation, but also has chapters on recruitment, officers, clothing, weaponry, pay and rations of a soldier during the Thirty Years War.

As well as life and death in the army, this book also looks at the women who accompanied it. In addition there are chapters on regimental colours and a detailed look into the tactics of the time, including those of Spain, Sweden and the Dutch. As well as using archival and archaeological evidence to throw new light on the subject the author has used several memoirs written by those who served in the army during the war, including Peter Hagendorf who served in Pappenheim’s Regiment of Foot from 1627 until the regiment was disbanded after the war. This book is essential reading to anyone interested in the wars of the early seventeenth century, not just the Thirty Years War.

This much welcomed second edition has been greatly expanded and fully revised, with a large colour plate section, new images and many specially commissioned illustrations.

Nothing sums up the tragedy of the English Civil War more than the friendship between Sir Ralph Hopton and the Parliamentarian general Sir William Waller as “this war without an enemy.” Hopton was one of the first commanders to support the king and helped secure Cornwall for the Royalist cause.

In fact Sir Ralph Hopton commanded three armies during the Civil War; the first was made up of the famous Cornish infantry, which would become the backbone of the Royalist war effort in the West. This army was absorbed into Prince Maurice’s army after the fall of Bristol to the Royalists in July 1643. His second army was raised during the autumn of 1643 and was disbanded to reinforce the King’s Oxford Army after the battle of Cheriton. Finally Hopton commanded the remnants of the Royalist army in the West during the death throes of the cause in 1646.

By using contemporary sources this book describes the life, and death, of a soldier during the Civil War. Chapters include recruitment, clothing, equipping and training of Hopton’s armies as well as his campaigns, including those of Prince Maurice, Sir Richard Grenville and George Lord Goring. It also looks at the divisions within the royalist high command which ultimately lost King Charles the war. It also looks at what happened to these soldiers once the fighting was over.

Nothing sums up the tragedy of the English Civil War more than the friendship between Sir William Waller and his opponent Sir Ralph Hopton as “this war without an enemy.”However, Waller was also a general respected by both sides during the war, the Royalist Colonel Walter Slingsby described him as “the fox” and the “best shifter and chooser of ground when he was not master of the field.” The Parliamentarian John Vicars in his England’s Worthies published in 1647 refers to Waller as “one of the most impregnable offensive and defensive walls of the kingdom.” His victories in 1642 and early 1643 earned him the nickname of “William the Conqueror,” and due to his tactics of marching by night to surprise his enemy, the “Night Owl.”It was Waller who also first mentioned the need for the formation of the New Model Army. Using contemporary accounts to describe events, this book looks at Waller’s campaigns from the siege of Portsmouth in June 1642 to April 1645 when his army was disbanded. It includeshis victories in the West in 1643, the raising of a new army in August 1643, the sieges of Basing House and Arundel Castle along with the defence of Farnham and the storming of Alton. Also included is Waller’s many battles including Lansdown, Roundway Down, Cheriton, Cropredy Bridge, and the Second Battle of Newbury. The book also covers the logistics of putting Waller’s Army into the field, including clothing, arms, and taxation as well as the tension between Waller and the Earl of Essex.

Albrecht von Wallenstein! His very name is synonymous with the Thirty Years War. From a poor nobleman he rose to become the Duke of Friedland and Mecklenburg. Many see his assassination at Eger in 1634 as the end of the “interesting” period of the war, since he was the last of the war’s titans to be killed. However, his army continued to serve the Emperor loyally to the end of the war, and a few regiments existed well into the 20th century. These would see action in the First World War as part of the Austrian Army and, after the Austrian Anschluss of March 1938, in the German Army during the Second World War. Despite Wallenstein’s Army being infamous, very little has been written about it, especially in English. However, by using archives from record offices from Germany, Czechoslovakia (formerly Bohemia), Sweden and Britain, as well as the latest archaeological evidence from mass graves of the Thirty Years War period, this book looks to rectify this by giving a vivid account of what life was like for a soldier in Wallenstein’s Army. The chapters include recruiting the army, its officers, as well as the logistics of clothing, equipping and feeding the army. There are also chapters on regimental colours, how to quarter an army, and the arms industry, plus case studies on siege warfare using Stralsund and the Alte Veste as an example, as well as Wallenstein’s tactics at the Battle of Lutzen. It also dispels the myths that have arisen about Wallenstein’s Army, such as it being one of the first to be well clothed during the war, and did not follow the Catholic League’s General Johan von Tilly’s alleged doctrine of “a ragged soldier and a bright musket” (which in itself is incorrect). Therefore this book will be essential reading to anyone interested in the Thirty Years War, the English Civil War or warfare in the early modern period.

The Battle of the White Mountain and the Bohemian Revolt, 1618-1622 looks not only at the battle of the White Mountain, but also the campaigns and events leading up to the battle, such as the Bohemian Army’s march on Vienna, the sieges of Pilsen and Bautzen and the battle of Zablat. These events are often described using the words of the protagonists themselves. It also examines the armies that took part in these campaigns, the soldiers from which came not only from Bohemia, but also Britain, the Dutch Republic, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Poland, Spain, the Spanish Netherlands and Transylvania. However, even before the battle of the White Mountain the seeds had been sewn for the war to last 30 years and such was the Emperor Ferdinand’s Counter Reformation policy that when the sword which executed some Bohemian rebels when on display in the nineteenth century it had to be removed for fear of a public disturbance and has been compared with the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazi Germany in 1938. Therefore this book is essential reading to anyone interested in the wars of the early seventeenth century, not just the Thirty Years War.

True, the concept of Britain dates back to Roman times, but it was James I that founded Britain in the modern sense. With his accession to the throne in 1603 for the first time Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland were united - with James bestowing on himself the title of 'King of Great Britain'. Before this time, Scots and Irishmen may have served in the English Army as mercenaries, but it was known as an English Army - but now the King’s (or British) flag flew over the castles and forts throughout the land. The army raised by Charles I in 1625 for his war against Spain -and subsequently, with France - is most famous for its failure. However, it is one of the best-documented armies of the early 17th century. Using archival and archaeological evidence, the first half of the book covers the lives of the officers and men serving in the army at this time - as well as the women who accompanied them. The author discusses the origins of officers and why they decided to serve in the army - and how the men from England, Scotland and Ireland were recruited (as well as how they were clothed and what they ate; the medical care; and the tactics used by the army at this time). It also covers the hidden faction of tailors, armourers and merchants who helped to put the army into the field. The second half of the book covers not only the expeditions to Cadiz, the Isle de Rhe and the siege of La Rochelle, but also their effect on an England who feared a Spanish (and later a French) invasion. Also covered are the campaigns of Count Ernest von Mansfeldt’s and Sir Charles Morgan’s armies at this time, which fought at Breda, Dessau Bridge and against the forces of the Holy Roman Empire. The final chapter looks at what became of the soldiers and their widows once the army had been disbanded - therefore, the book will be essential reading for anyone interested in Early Modern History, including the English Civil War and the Thirty Years War.

After Napoleon's abandonment of Moscow on 18 October 1812, throughout the subsequent Wars of Liberation that saw most of Europe turn against the French and right up to the capitulation of Paris on 31 March 1814, it was the vast armies of Imperial Russia that bore the brunt of the fighting against forces of France and her dwindling list of allies. The Russian Jaegers - nominally skirmishers, but in reality spearhead troops tasked with a host of different and demanding battlefield roles, from storming villages to defending strongpoints - were a relatively new arm of service that gained enormously in combat experience and prestige in the bitter struggle to rid Europe of Napoleon's armies. The French Emperor's Young Guard - elite assault troops hand-picked from the best conscripts available - expanded hugely in the first months of 1813, eventually forming four divisions, and became the main strike force of the French field armies in the battles for Germany and France in 1813-14.

These two forces clashed repeatedly during the period. At Krasnoe, southwest of Smolensk, the Russian forces overtook the retreating French army and threatened the invaders' road home, and so on 17 November 1812 the 1er Tirailleurs and 1er Voltigeurs of Roguet's 2nd Guard Infantry Division were ordered to take and hold the town of Uvarovo to cover the retreat of other French troops, clashing with the Tsar's Lifeguard Jaegers among others; although they held off the Russians and allowed Napoleon's decimated forces to evade capture, the two senior Young Guard regiments suffered appalling casualties. At the climactic battle of Leipzig nearly a year later the Finland Lifeguard Regiment, equipped and trained as Jaegers, took part in the Russian 2nd Lifeguard Infantry Division's successful counter-attack on the hotly contested Saxon village of Gossa on 16 October 1813, ejecting the French garrison, which included several Voltigeur regiments of Oudinot's I Infantry Corps of the Young Guard. At Craonne, near Reims, the veteran 14th Jaegers played a key role in frustrating Napoleon's plans to advance on Laon; these crack troops defended their well-sited emplacements for several hours, throwing back the Tirailleurs and Voltigeurs of Meunier and Curial's Young Guard divisions, which had attacked prematurely over difficult ground under heavy artillery fire.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork, expert analysis and carefully chosen first-hand accounts, this absorbing study traces the evolving trial of strength between Russia's Jaegers and France's Young Guardsmen by examining three key clashes at unit level.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Cossacks were Russia's unique and plentiful supply of irregular cavalry. They were employed as skirmishers, raiders and scouts, and their tactics of harassment and harrying caused great problems for Napoleon's Grand Armée as it retreated through Russia in 1812. This title shows how, although labelled as rapacious, lascivious, mercenary and ill-disciplined on the field by their detractors, they laid claim to being the finest light cavalry in Europe. This book also details the various tribes that made up the Cossack nation, the social structure of Cossack life, and how they were organised and employed in war.

This title provides a comprehensive and vivid account of life in the Russian infantry at the turn of the 19th century - a time when the Russian army was arguably one of the most important in the world. Although hopelessly outdated at the outbreak of war in 1799, the army underwent radical changes and modernisation after Czar Paul I's murder. This book details recruitment and training procedures, tactics and equipment, and daily life both at home and on campaign. The experiences of the average soldier are examined, and several commonly held assumptions regarding his character and motivation are reassessed.