War and Society in Renaissance Europe, 1450-1620

J.R. Hale is professor of Italian history at University College, London, and a fellow of the British Academy. Among his many previous works are Renaissance Europe: The Individual and Society, 1480-1520 and, most recently, The Military Organization of a Renaissance State: Venice c. 1400 to 1617 (with M.E. Mallett).

• Editor's prefaceAuthor's prefaceChapter 1. Why there were warsChapter 2. The military reformation: techniques and organizationChapter 3. Recruitment: personal and organized violence; the Second EstateChapter 4. Recruitment: the reaction of the Third EstateChapter 5. The society of soldiers: the professionalsChapter 6. The society of soldiers: conditions of serviceChapter 7. The direct impact of war on civiliansChapter 8. The inderect impact: war and the economyChapter 9. The indirect impact: war, taxation and governmentNotesSelect bibliographyIndex

This book is very readable; it is full of epigrams and bon mots. It is also full of important and often provocative comments on European society during the Renaissance. No historian of the period should miss it or fail to recommend it to his students. Times Literary Supplement