The Habsburg Monarchy as a Fiscal-Military State : Contours and Perspectives 1648-1815

Renders greater precision and depth to the concept of the fiscal-military state and applies it to the Habsburg Monarchy, one of early modern Europe's foremost war machines. It systematically integrates the problems of armed conflict and foreign competition into perceptions of society and government in the Monarchy ruled from Vienna.

Bringing together a team of leading international experts to examine the impact of the rise and expansion of a large standing army on government and society over nearly two centuries, this themed volume provides the first major analysis of the Habsburg Monarchy as a fiscal-military state. This volumes offers a broadly comparative perspective on the Habsburg Monarchy, with particular attention to the United Kingdom and France, but also the wider international system. The contributors spotlight a range of structures, practices, and historical actors that sustained the Habsburg Monarchy as a leading fiscal-military power, including the recruitment of the common soldier, the enrolment of officers, military economy, borrowing and public credit, taxation, the provincial Estates and diets, noble brokers and contractors, and landowners. This volume not only provides a new perspective on vast areas of early modern Europe - the Monarchy encompassed in whole or part no fewer than 14 current states - but also offers an internationally accessible framework for future research.