1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910507200703321

Autore

Govaerts Sander

Titolo

Armies and Ecosystems in Premodern Europe : The Meuse Region, 1250-1850 / / Sander Govaerts

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leeds : , : Arc Humanities Press, , 2021

©2021

ISBN

1-64189-399-0

Edizione

[New edition.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (1 volume) : illustrations (black and white), maps (black and white) ;

Collana

War and conflict in premodern societies

Soggetti

Armed Forces - Environmental aspects

Armed Forces

Military history

Europe Meuse River Region

Europe

Europe Armed Forces

Europe History, Military

Meuse River Region History, Military

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- List of Illustrations -- Preface -- Introduction -- Part One LANDSCAPES -- Chapter 1. Frontiers -- Chapter 2. Fortifications -- Part Two BIOTIC COMMUNITIES -- Chapter 3. Disturbances -- Chapter 4. Policing -- Part Three PATHOGENS -- Chapter 5. Army Health -- Conclusion -- Appendix. Overview of plants found in the fortifications of Maastricht in 1868 -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Using the ecosystem concept as his starting point, the author examines the complex relationship between premodern armed forces and their environment at three levels: landscapes, living beings, and diseases. The study focuses on Europe's Meuse Region, well-known among historians of war as a battleground between France and Germany. By analyzing soldiers' long-term interactions with nature, this book engages with current debates about the ecological impact of the



military, and provides new impetus for contemporary armed forces to make greater effort to reduce their environmental footprint. "This is an impressive interdisciplinary study, contributing to environmental history, the history of war and historical geography. The book advances an original and intriguing argument that armed forces have had a vested interest in preserving the environments and habitats in which they operate, and have thus contributed to environmental conservation long before this became a popular cause of wider humanity. The work will provide a template for how this topic can be researched for other parts of the world or for other time periods." Peter H. Wilson, Chichele Professor of the History of War, University of Oxford