His book "the wars of Louis XIV" was first published in 1999 with an English publisher, the first French version was the 2010 Perrin, with output in pocket format in the Tempus collection in 2014. Its objective is to provide military analysis of the wars of Louis XIV, with limited processing on laspect operational and strategic rather than an analytical study of all battles at the tactical level: the analysis covers 50 years of war in 1714. A sétalant de1667 theses louvrage plants is that lépoque wars of Louis XIV were fundamentally different from those that lead Napoleon. For the author the Sun King will lead "continuous wars" which are characterized by 5 elements: - the undecided battle dune nature or of a seat; - Slow operations; - Pillaging enemy territory to feed the army (he Sagira in practice dune raising contribution that Louis XIV personally impose to end the plunder of enemy territories by his troops); - Gradual exhaustion of the combatants; - The importance considerable diplomatic negotiations.
For the author the wars of Louis XIV had considerable importance insofar as they partly modified the borders LEUROPE and France in particular. Louis XIV added to the territory that it had received significant portions of Lartois Flanders and Hainaut, France and the County and the Alsace, also its occupation of Lorraine allowed its annexation in the eighteenth century. Demographically his conquests enrich the France of hundreds of thousands, millions who would become some generation later. Institutionally and administratively monarch Louis XIV exercising absolute power through ministers or dextraction modest recent nobility (Colbert, Vauban, Louvois) set up a powerful Detat bureaucracy. Dune more complex way, wars and the rise of the centralized state helped, according to John Lynn, contributed to the development of the French national consciousness.
When the Sun King ascended the throne in 1643 at the age of 5 years France is already at war for 8 years and she would jusquen 1659. This conflict is not recognized in the wars of Louis XIV by historians since he was initiated by his father, Louis XIII and led by Cardinal Richelieu and his protégé Jules Mazarin. Cardinal Mazarin is deemed to have strongly influenced Louis XIV in serving as a tutor and substitute father.
On its own, Louis XIV sengagea in 5 wars, two of which have a minor character: Devolution war (1667-1668) and the war of meetings (1683-1684), while 3 are major wars - the war Holland (1672-1678); - The war of the league dAugsbourg (1688 1697) and the war of succession dEspagne (1701-1714) to impose a Bourbon on the Spanish throne to the great displeasure of the Habsburgs.
Note that Mr. Lynn gives chronological elements for understanding the reign of Louis XIV over the 30-year war that ended in 1648 by the treaties of Westphalia, without ending lhostilité between France and Spain that would continue for 11 years and expires in 1659 a year after the victory of Turenne on Spanish forces led by Conde, during the Battle of the Dunes. Internally France was severely shaken by the Fronde from 1648 to 1653.
The author shows how on strategic issues, the Sun King regulated the process of decision-making by a series of tips which he chaired the meetings. The most important advice, he fact that addressed the issues of war and peace was the "den High Council" whose members enjoyed the title Detat ministers. The moderator role of Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) is mentioned with its commitment to the fight against dopposer dune means war on the continent against the Dutch war by commerce: Colbert had serious difficulties in pursuing its financial reforms to improve the economic situation of the monarchy and was especially need a sustained period of peace which was never the case.
The author shows linquiétante trend of French public finances to be constantly on the brink of bankruptcy, on the one hand by the direct and indirect cost of the wars of Louis XIV, but also by poor organization of the taxation, taxation would become overwhelming for proper French At this exorbitant taxation added more the inability to establish a central bank on the Dutch and British model for fair credit administration Looks like financial flaws described by Mr. Lynn persisted jusquen 2014
For the rest, Mr. Lynn shows a monarch eager to continue its wars for personal glory, with a propensity to present its action ostentatious and bellicose manner so that the actions of France can not be seen only as a very belligerent other European countries. To a large extent, Mr. Lynn quen reality demonstrates the French goals were defensive type, especially by a systematic policy of consolidation of land borders through fortifications and strongholds remarkable due to the genius of Vauban: the limited territorial acquisitions conducted by France were intended to surround the borders impregnable strongholds primarily to prevent adverse offensives against France. In practice, the territorial readjustments Meeting wars were regarded as very hostile by opponents of France (not without why).
By its demographic power, and the establishment dune whose powerful army recruitment method widely foreshadowed the professional armies of Louis XIV land army emerges as a formidable tool with a modernization of the equipment that is not negligible either (guns flintlock muskets replacing locks, pikes replaced by bayonet sockets invented by Vauban, siege artillery making a very powerful use of large mortars firing curve ..). But this formidable aspect, is born very powerful opposing military coalitions that will be very difficult to defeat militarily and render illusory the will to conduct campaigns of short duration.
Mr. Lynn shows that Louis XIV preferred to conduct wars seats, less costly in lives than conventional wars or strafe troops in a deadly dattrition process, or the most mobile data resides in cavalry charges, often great difficulty to take away the military decision in the modern sense of the term, which led more Louis XIV conduct diplomatic negotiations, there or Napoleon essentially seek annihilation of the opposing military capabilities distinction which is one of the central theses defended by Mr. Lynn.
The analysis of Mr. Lynn suggests that Louis XIV's strategy was evolving despite the concept of royal glory attached to the nature of conflict. For Mr. Lynn can be seen a first period (1661-1675), or the Sun King seeks to increase its glory by conquering new territories for France. During a second period (1677-1697), the French strategy becomes much more defensive in its aims, though offensive in its means, and finally in a third and final period (1697-1714) the struggle for the Spanish succession dominated.
Mr. Lynn Louvrage allows to benefit from the distanced perspective of a university Anglo-Saxon over the period, this view is expressed methodically and moderation, it is carefully argued and lon can consider its attention by the French public Military enthusiast of history and of history of the Grand Siècle is a good thing.
