The essays in this volume explore the extent to which the chivalric ethos andmilitary professionalism were incompatible as well as their relativesignificance fo... » 

The essays in this volume explore the extent to which the chivalric ethos andmilitary professionalism were incompatible as well as their relativesignificance for developments in the art of war and the rise of the state.Essays explore the armies and societies of latemedieval and earlymodernFrance Italy Portugal Spain Germany England and the Netherlands. Theyexamine both the theory and practice of war using literary archival andartistic evidence. Overall the volume probes what constitutes militaryprofessionalism assesses the real long term significance of developments inthis period and considers whether military professionalism required the waningof the chivalric ethos or merely resulted in it.Analysis of elite culture makes this valuable for historians of culture andpolitics. Military operations are related to organisations and structuresbridging the gap of military enthusiasts and academic historians. «