Wars and Soldiers in the Early Reign of Louis XIV Volume 9: The Swedish Army, 1655-1690

In the mid-17th century, Sweden enjoyed the status of major European power, feared and admired by its contemporaries. Sweden's achievement was undoubtedly substantial, because It had triumphantly reversed the pattern of the previous half-century in which, for all its limited military success against Muscovy, it had experienced a long run of battles against the Poles, and finally against the Habsburgs and the Catholic League. By 1632, Sweden astonished contemporaries; historians ever since have sought to explain how its military success could be achieved on such a precarious economic base. Nevertheless, by 1655, during the devastating war against a host of enemies, Sweden held its own on many fronts. Military historians praised the Swedes for their reputation as aggressive and brave soldiers, but the factors which helped Sweden to maintain its predominance was the effective organization of the army, which represented a completely original model in the European scenario, no less successful than the ones of France and the Dutch Republic.