Here's a thread for all those who wanted to post their recommendations for good history books of the period covered in EU.
Here's a thread for all those who wanted to post their recommendations for good history books of the period covered in EU.
These books comprise an excellent treatise on the economics of the period covered in Europa Universalis. The author is Fernand Braudel, a fairly recently deceased French historian.
The Structures of Everyday Life : The Limits of the Possible : Civilization and Capitalism 15Th-18th Century
The Wheels of Commerce : Civilization and Capitalism 15Th-18th Century
The Perspective of the World : Civilization and Capitalism 15Th-18th Century
Another by Fernand Braudel of interest:
'The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II' in 2 volumes.
Covers the trade, economics, geography, human structures, politics, history, etc, of the Mediterraneain world in the 16th century. This includes the area of operations of Turkey, Spain, Venice, all the Italian, North African, and Balkan States and provinces.
I found Your Majesty's Army divided into three parts. The part which is above ground is composed of pillagers and marauders; the second part is underground; and the third in hospital. Should I retire with the first; or wait until we join the other two?
Count Clermont, writing to Louis XV, 1 March 1758
An excellent book to read while playing any grand strategy game is the 'Illustrated History of Warfare' by Cambridge Press(or something). IT includes battles, weapons, generals, tactics, armor, etc. info from the Assyrians to the Gulf War.
R. Trevor Davies, THE GOLDEN CENTURY OF SPAIN, 1501-1621. I'd start here. There was a Harper paperback reprint you should be able to find. He's a fan, especially of Phillip II, and writes well.
J.H. Elliott, IMPERIAL SPAIN, 1469-1716. If you can read only one book, this is it. Thorough and more up to date than Davies, more objective and a little less dramatic for it.
R.B. Merriman, THE RISE OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE IN THE OLD WORLD AND THE NEW (4 volumes). The classic.
L. Ranke, THE OTTOMAN AND THE SPANISH EMPIRES IN THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES. Written in 1843, scarcely 50 years after the end of the GC, it's still full of insights if you can find a translation.
E.J. Hamilton, AMERICAN TREASURE AND THE PRICE REVOLUTION IN SPAIN, 1501-1650. Hamilton took Deep Throat's advice and 'followed the money' way back in 1934. His work has come under attack in modern times, but he first broke the ground that Braudel, in works others have noted, plowed in remarkable detail.
Even Braudel's work seems superficial when compared to SEVILLE ET L'ATLANTIQUE. It's a massive--8 volume--study of the economies of Spain and its American empire in the period 1500-1650, by H.& P. Chaunu So far as I know it hasn't been translated, though.
If you're interested in a modest (180 pp.) survey of the wider European economy of the period, there's Harry Miskimin's THE ECONOMY OF LATER RENAISSANCE EUROPE, 1460-1600.
..."if I do this, there would be nothing more left for Your Excellency to do in order to become ruler of the world." H. Cortez to Charles V, 15 Oct 1524
Other good book
Other good book is Peter Englund's Pultava! It's about the battle of Poltava. I've seen it in Finnish and Swedish...
Boris - I've been reading Vol 1 of Braudel's book for the past 6 months (mostly before bed - its not the only book I'm reading, btw), and while it has some interesting points, it often puts me to sleep. He has some terrific research to display, but often the 'narrative' devolves into examining bills of lading and such. There is so much minutiae that he won't show the forest for the trees. Is Vol2 a better read? It looks like a more straight history than vol 1.
I'm considering something I read years ago, The Galleys of Lepanto, by Jack Beeching, covering roughly the same period (16th century), but centering on the Spanish/Papal/Venetian conflict with the Turks. It was quite good.
I ordered the Elliot book a week ago.
It is wonderful to discover such learned interest in european history in a game forum. I don't think many other games stimulates interest in actual history to such a degree as Europa Universalis.
Many interesting books have already been mentioned, but I think a minor review of the main topics of the mentioned books would benefit more than mere titles.
Let this be a suggestion. It would certainly save us all a few trips to the library!
Here is a quick breakdown on the best books on Spanish imperial history in my opinion:
In regard to John H. Elliots 'Imperial Spain', I agree that it is a book of the highest standard. It is excellent mainly because it incorporates the spanish colonial system as a natural part of the spanish empire.
The book is a bit old though, even if most of the facts still hold true.
For the sixteenth century I would recommend A. W. Lovetts 'Early Habsburg Spain, 1517-1598' covering the government of Emperor Charles V and King Philip II.
It was published from Oxford University Press in 1986, and is also splendid as a guide to further reading, since it has an excellent and extensive bibliography.
For the change in the governmental structure of Spain during the reigns of Philip II and Philip III, check out I. A. A. Thompsons 'War and government in Habsburg Spain 1560-1620' published from Athlone in 1976.
Thompson shows how the spanish administrative structure becomes increasingly decentralised due to the military and financial pressures at the turn of the century.
Concerning the development of the spanish colonial empire, John H. Parry is the main expert. He has published quite a few books (many of them suspiciously similar!) and has a firm grasp of the main events.
'The Spanish seaborne empire', published from Hutchinson in 1967 is the best of his purely spanish books.
The book is incidentally part of a larger series, also covering the dutch and portuguese overseas empires with similar titles.
J.H. Elliott and J.H. Parry are the main experts to consult in grander works concerning colonial developments and the impact of the colonies on european society.
Parrys 'Europe and a wider world 1415-1715', published from Hutchinson in 1969, and Elliotts 'The old world and the new 1492-1650', republished from Cambridge Univ. Press in 1992, are both extremely fascinating.
My favorite book(s), with direct EU relevance, is by far Immanuel Wallersteins 'The modern worldsystem' in 3 volumes, published from Academic Press in New York, the first volume published in 1974.
Wallerstein does a widesweeping neo marxist analysis of the emergence of a revolutionary world encompassing capitalist economic system after 1492, and he argues, that all major social change must be analysed within this system. (Including the change of the european states).
The World System, he argues, was constructed as a consequence of the merging of the Mediteranian and the Baltic trade centers due to the discovery of the new world! As a consequence of the dynamic european economic expansion, Europe became the center in a trade system that quickly came to include most of the rest of the world.
The european dynanism he explanes with the great posibilities for european pastoral farming in the wide american territories, and with the dynanism created by the influx of american precious metals.
In Europe the center of the trading system became located around the English Channel with the dutch and english being the main benefactors. In this capitalist center part of the workforce was freed for manufacture and trade, because of an inequal trade with the perifery (America, Africa and Eastern Europe). In the perifery production was focused on primary products (grain, metal etc.) that could be sold to the capitalist center, while the center became a producer of manufactured goods.
In the end, this explains the industrial revolution and the great coercion states in Eastern Europe.
The book(s) are an incredible read - even if the author has an annoying habit of plastering his text with extremely long foot notes.
A must for EU players with interest in economic history.
Parry does seem to have been like one of those pop singers who kept repackaging their old material in new albums to keep the sales volume up, doesn't he? This one was a Harper Torchbook, so it should be easy to find used:
J.H. Parry, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EUROPEAN HEGEMONY: 1415-1715. Subtitled 'Trade and Exploration in the Age of the Renaissance'. In spite of the sweeping title, it would hardly make a good chapter in Braudel--only 175 pp. But he does give you a good summary of exploration and colonization, and his analysis is for the most part good. He gives due credit to what Albuquerque achieved in the Indian Ocean early in the 16th Century, for example. In sea power terms, what Albuquerque did ranks right up there with what Cortez and Pizarro achieved on land in the Western Hemisphere. It remains largely unknown today because the Portugese government never understood, let alone appreciated, what he had done.
Technical and production developments--mainly of naval artillery--during the period are covered in:
Carlo M. Cipolla, GUNS, SAILS AND EMPIRES, 'Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion, 1400-1700.'
If you're looking for a book on the Armada, I'd recommend:
Colin Martin & Geoffrey Parker, THE SPANISH ARMADA. It's good history, beautifully illustrated, and you can probably find a used Penquin paperback copy.
..."if I do this, there would be nothing more left for Your Excellency to do in order to become ruler of the world." H. Cortez to Charles V, 15 Oct 1524
More books...
For anyone interested in dutch history try:
Jonathan Israel, THE DUTCH REPUBLIC, subtitled , Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477-1806
It gives a background to the 'golden years' of the Netherlands (if You manage to read all the 1200 pages)
A rather densely written, but very informative book on the Great pwers of Europe in the enlightenment period is The Ancien Regime in Europe by E N Williams. It gives a very good overview of each of Frederick the Great's 7 great powers from 1648 to 1789.
A very thorough and well written book on British colonial history is Revolutionary Empire by Angus Calder. It covers every non-English bit of the empire, from Borneo to the Mosquito coast and the Darien venture.
Can anyone recommend any books on the Thirty Years War or the Napoleonic Wars?
'Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns' by Owen Connelly
An interesting account of Napoleon's career by someone who wants to debunk his image as a great general, but who can't help failing. Short at 222 pages.
David Chandler, THE CAMPAIGNS OF NAPOLEON.
Cicely Wedgewood, THE THIRY YEARS WAR.
The authoritative English histories of those topics, IMHO--and both well written. Wedgewood is a history of the war, not of its campaigns, by the way.
..."if I do this, there would be nothing more left for Your Excellency to do in order to become ruler of the world." H. Cortez to Charles V, 15 Oct 1524
One major title is Geoffrey Parker 'The thirty years' war' (1987)
A more recent general intro is
Asch, Ronald G.
The Thirty Years War : the Holy Roman Empire and Europe, 1618-48 / Ronald
G. Asch. - New York : St. Martin's Press, 1997.
A classic on the 17th Century as a period is Henry Kamen, The Iron century. It's rather old (1971), but probably available at most larger libraries.
Thank you guys for the recommendations Ill be heading up to borders soon and I will look for them.
On the Napoleonic era, John R. Elting's Swords Around a Throne is pretty good. I also enjoyed Alan Schom's books (a bio of Napoleon, and histories of Trafalgar and the Hundred Days).
A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic - Stalin
Here a list of good books for the period.
-Warfare in the age of Malborough - Chandler (ENG)
-Tra Borboni e Asburgo - Paoletti, Ilari (ITA)
-La corona di Lombardia- Paoletti, Ilari (ITA)
All the Osprey Publishing series, for istance "Poltava - Russia comes of Age"
Try them
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