The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765
The business of war—meaning the commercial supply, financing, and organisation of soldiers and materiel for armies and navies—was one of the leading economic sectors in early modern Europe. During this turbulent period, civil unrest and wars were the norm rather than the exception. Changes in the pr...
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| Language: | English |
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Helsinki University Press
2026
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| Online Access: | ONIX_20260519T105721_9789523691490_3 |
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| description | The business of war—meaning the commercial supply, financing, and organisation of soldiers and materiel for armies and navies—was one of the leading economic sectors in early modern Europe. During this turbulent period, civil unrest and wars were the norm rather than the exception. Changes in the practice of war brought along an increasing demand for manpower, expensive new technologies, and new forms of administrative competence. Many potentates turned to the private market for the necessary military resources. While some of these could be acquired locally, the bulk were obtained through transnational networks of merchants and military entrepreneurs, making this a pan-European and even global endeavour. The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 explores the development of the fiscal-military networks and military markets over three centuries. Despite growing interest towards the early modern business of war, the research field remains scattered. Recent scholarship has highlighted the significance of this business and public-private cooperation in the Mediterranean and Central-Western Europe, yet the North has been largely overlooked. This volume offers a holistic overview of the business of war in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region. The aims of this volume are threefold. Firstly, it explores the particular features and realities of the business of war in the Baltic Sea region, where fiscal-military operations were characterised by long distances, difficult terrain, lack of infrastructure, and a low degree of urbanisation. Secondly, the volume offers a broader view of resources provided by private military suppliers. Beyond manpower and materiel, it examines funding, financial services, and crucial intangible assets, such as knowledge, expertise, and social capital. Finally, the book analyses the agency of the private suppliers themselves. By focusing on individuals rather than institutions, this volume offers a fresh perspective highlighting the motivations and operational logic of the people and groups involved in a way that macro-level studies cannot do. Together, the chapters portray the complexity and diversity of the early modern business of war. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-176594 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Helsinki University Press |
| publisherStr | Helsinki University Press |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1765942026-05-20T05:45:40Z The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 Schiavone, Sebastian Björklund, Jaakko Murdoch, Steve Lahtinen, Anu Business of war Mercenaries Military enterprise Military migration Military networks Military supply thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DN Northern Europe, Scandinavia thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXF Arms trade thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXN Mercenaries thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KC Economics::KCZ Economic history thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KJ Business and Management thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHW Military history::NHWF Early modern warfare (including gunpowder warfare) The business of war—meaning the commercial supply, financing, and organisation of soldiers and materiel for armies and navies—was one of the leading economic sectors in early modern Europe. During this turbulent period, civil unrest and wars were the norm rather than the exception. Changes in the practice of war brought along an increasing demand for manpower, expensive new technologies, and new forms of administrative competence. Many potentates turned to the private market for the necessary military resources. While some of these could be acquired locally, the bulk were obtained through transnational networks of merchants and military entrepreneurs, making this a pan-European and even global endeavour. The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 explores the development of the fiscal-military networks and military markets over three centuries. Despite growing interest towards the early modern business of war, the research field remains scattered. Recent scholarship has highlighted the significance of this business and public-private cooperation in the Mediterranean and Central-Western Europe, yet the North has been largely overlooked. This volume offers a holistic overview of the business of war in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region. The aims of this volume are threefold. Firstly, it explores the particular features and realities of the business of war in the Baltic Sea region, where fiscal-military operations were characterised by long distances, difficult terrain, lack of infrastructure, and a low degree of urbanisation. Secondly, the volume offers a broader view of resources provided by private military suppliers. Beyond manpower and materiel, it examines funding, financial services, and crucial intangible assets, such as knowledge, expertise, and social capital. Finally, the book analyses the agency of the private suppliers themselves. By focusing on individuals rather than institutions, this volume offers a fresh perspective highlighting the motivations and operational logic of the people and groups involved in a way that macro-level studies cannot do. Together, the chapters portray the complexity and diversity of the early modern business of war. 2026-05-20T05:45:33Z 2026-05-20T05:45:33Z 2026-05-19T12:51:38Z 2026 book ONIX_20260519T105721_9789523691490_3 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/113232 9789523691490 9789523691506 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/176594 eng open access image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/113232/1/9789523691490.pdf Helsinki University Press Helsinki University Press 10.33134/HUP-37 10.33134/HUP-37 cf5d0b3e-caff-497f-94d0-292cc4b4fce2 9789523691490 9789523691506 Helsinki University Press 390 Helsinki, Finland open access |
| spellingShingle | Business of war Mercenaries Military enterprise Military migration Military networks Military supply thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DN Northern Europe, Scandinavia thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXF Arms trade thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXN Mercenaries thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KC Economics::KCZ Economic history thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KJ Business and Management thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHW Military history::NHWF Early modern warfare (including gunpowder warfare) The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 |
| title | The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 |
| title_full | The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 |
| title_fullStr | The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 |
| title_short | The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region, 1530–1765 |
| title_sort | business of war in the early modern baltic sea region 1530 1765 |
| topic | Business of war Mercenaries Military enterprise Military migration Military networks Military supply thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DN Northern Europe, Scandinavia thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXF Arms trade thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXN Mercenaries thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KC Economics::KCZ Economic history thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KJ Business and Management thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHW Military history::NHWF Early modern warfare (including gunpowder warfare) |
| topic_facet | Business of war Mercenaries Military enterprise Military migration Military networks Military supply thema EDItEUR::1 Place qualifiers::1D Europe::1DN Northern Europe, Scandinavia thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXF Arms trade thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JW Warfare and defence::JWX Other warfare and defence issues::JWXN Mercenaries thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KC Economics::KCZ Economic history thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KJ Business and Management thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHW Military history::NHWF Early modern warfare (including gunpowder warfare) |
| url | ONIX_20260519T105721_9789523691490_3 |