The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road 1567-1659: The Logistics of Spanish Victory and Defeat in the Low Countries' Wars

A true must-have if you are into military history and the early modern period. This was the first book of purely military history that i read so it took a while to digest but was well worth it in order to understand this fascinating period of the history of Spain and the rest of Europe. The Spanish branch of the Habsburgs was able to maintain a huge army equipped with the latest and best in military technology to fight a grueling war of attrition in a far away land that was separated from its power base by mostly hostile territory. For people who aren't that familiar with the formation of nation-states, this was not the same as the modern Spanish state deploying an expeditionary force overseas. The crown of Spain (itself composed of Aragon, Castilla, Andalucia, etc. was the main possession of the senior Habsburg branch, which also its American colonies, the Netherlands, and parts of Italy. So this was a very decentralized entity, and to make matters worse, the junior Habsburg branch in Austria was far too busy fending off the Turkish invasions to lend much support. Despite this, the Spanish crown managed to maintain control of most of its European and American territories until its extinction at the end of the 17th century. Parker explains that its downfall was an outmoded, inflexible strategy that required Spain as the Catholic champion of Europe to defend against Protestant heresy everywhere and saw a negotiated settlement with the rebels as an insult to the honor of the Crown and the Church.

This is a classic... I had the original edition, but I wanted a copy of the updated edition for Parker's new introduction.

This is one of those magnificent books for the specialist that stay below the radar of a general readership in History. The short narrative of the attack on the fortress of Maastricht is the stuff of martial legends, and worth the price of the book. G. Parker has become the foremost historian in English of Spain in 16th & 17th Century and specifically of the 30 Years War. This splendid monograph is the gold on the background of the Tercio's banners.