The story, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the Spanish and Portuguese armies in the period 1660-1687 are dealt for the first time in a single book, after archive’s sources and unpublished iconography. It has been a commonly held historical belief that in the second half of the 17th century, the Spanish army suffered such catastrophic defeats that it effectively brought about the collapse of the state as a major player on the European stage. The wars, fought out in Catalonia, Franche Comte, Flanders and Italy, resulted in a series of substantial defeats for Spain. The forces of Louis XIV carried all before them. Spain’s ability to fend off the French monarch’s assault was not eased by the fact that, at the same time, Spain had faced the Portuguese in the Iberian Peninsula, the English in the Caribbean, the Algerians in Melilla, as well as further insidious French assault in southern Italy and in the colonies. In this regard, it would be more correct to consider this age as a period of resilience, rather than military defeats. Equally superficially, the Portuguese War of Independence too was considered as a peripheral conflict of minor interest, while it also involved France and England in addition to the countries directly concerned. The story, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the Spanish and Portuguese armies of this age are dealt for the first time in a single book, after archive’s sources and unpublished iconography. AUTHOR: Bruno Mugnai was born in Florence in 1962 and still lives there with Silvia. Active for many years as a history researcher, he has written and illustrated books for publishers such as the historical Office of the Italian Army, Soldiershop Publishing, Itinera Progetti and many others. His publications cover a wide range of periods and geographical areas, such as the military history of the Ancient Italian States, along with the martial affairs of Central and eastern Europe in the 16th, 17th and 18th century, and South America after the conquest. This is Bruno’s fifth book for Helion, to join titles about the Cretan War 1645-6171 and the first three volumes of the series ‘Wars and Soldiers in the Early Reign of Louis XIV’. As an Illustrator, he has collaborated with Italian important institutions such as the Stibbert Museum of Florence. Bruno is a Rugby Union fan, who is still rusting in the Italian Grand Slam in the Six nation Tournament.
8-16 colour plates, 70 photographs, illustrations and diagrams
