Matchlocks to Flintlocks: Warfare in Europe and Beyond, 1500-1700

In the early modern world three dominant cultures of war were shaped by a synergy of their internal and external interactions. One was Latin Christian western Europe. Another was Ottoman Islam. The third, no less vital for so often being overlooked, was central and east Europe: Poland/Lithuania, Livonia, Russia, the freebooting Cossacks, a volatile mix of variations on a general Christian theme.

William Urban's fascinating narrative is an integrated account of early modern war at the sharp e...