For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army, 1619-1918 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780300219678)

The definitive history of Austria's multinational army and its immense role during three centuries of European military history

Among the finest examples of deeply researched and colorfully written military history, Richard Bassett's For God and Kaiser is a major account of the Habsburg army told for the first time in English. Bassett shows how the Imperial Austrian Army, time and again, was a decisive factor in the story of Europe, the balance of international power, and the defense of Christendom. Moreover it was the first pan-European army made up of different nationalities and faiths, counting among its soldiers not only Christians but also Muslims and Jews.

Bassett tours some of the most important campaigns and battles in modern European military history, from the seventeenth century through World War I. He details technical and social developments that coincided with the army's story and provides fascinating portraits of the great military leaders as well as noteworthy figures of lesser renown. Departing from conventional assessments of the Habsburg army as ineffective, outdated, and repeatedly inadequate, the author argues that it was a uniquely cohesive and formidable fighting force, in many respects one of the glories of the old Europe.

Author: Richard Bassett
ISBN-10: 0300219679
ISBN-13: 9780300219678
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 04/05/2016
Pages: 616
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 7.80h x 5.10w x 1.90d