A Czech Military Handbook from 1618
| Pages | 44–52 |
|---|---|
| DOI | 10.37520/amnpsc.2020.005 |
| Keywords | military handbooks – military organisation –Thirty Years’ War – Czech printing – 17th century |
| Type of Article | Peer-reviewed |
| Citation | ANDRESOVÁ, Klára. A Czech Military Handbook from 1618. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum. Prague: National Museum, 2020, 65(1-2), 44–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/amnpsc.2020.005. ISSN 2570-6861 (Print), 2570-687X (Online). Also available from: https://publikace.nm.cz/en/periodicals/amnphl/65-1-2/a-czech-military-handbook-from-1618 |
In the early modern period, only a few military handbooks were printed in the Czech language in the Kingdom of Bohemia. The first of them was a translation of Kriegs Discurs written by Lazarus von Schwendi, which was published by Daniel Carolides in Prague in 1618 as Discurs o běhu válečném [A Discourse on the Course of War]. The book was translated from German by Bartoloměj Havlík of Varvažov and edited by his son Jan Havlík of Varvažov. It was published only six months after the beginning of the Bohemian Revolt, which started the Thirty Years’ War. It is possible that this handbook was printed because its originators wanted to support the Bohemian Revolt. The book was dedicated to one of the main figures of the revolt – Albrecht Jan Smiřický, who however died only a few days after the publication of the title. Discurs o běhu válečném presented military thoughts from the 1550s together with some later ideas from the 1570s. The publication discussed the military organisation, various military ranks and offices and the obligations of soldiers. The book has been published in Czech only once, but there are at least four editions in German.
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