Midterm Review

Week 6: Thursday, February 26

On the midterm, I will provide you with four of the following short essay questions and two of the following long essay questions. You will have to answer two short essay questions and one long essay question.

Short Essays

1) In what ways was Agincourt typical of late medieval battles?

2) Could Henry V's English army at Agincourt have conquered the Aztec empire? In what ways does this question help provide us with insight into the influence of the military revolution?

3) Why was Gustavus Adolphus a significant figure in military history?

4) How did the "religious wars" of the 16th and 17th century inspire Europe to embrace limits on violence and look for new ways to order the world?

5) Was the absolutist state and army a culmination of the military revolution? How and why?

6) How did the French Revolution fundamentally alter the absolutist system?

Long Essays

1) Using the various definitions of the word "revolution" that we discussed on the second day of class, can we say that a military revolution took place at any point between 1300 and 1660?

2) If you believe a military revolution took place between 1300 and 1660, explain what it was. What major changes did it effect? As you do so, describe its limits. In other words, was its impact distributed evenly across all regions, all types of forces, and all elements of politics and society?

3) How did the balance within the paradoxical trinity change between 1300 and 1789? In other words, how and when did particular elements of the trinity grow stronger and weaker? How did this fluctuating balance change the character of war throughout this period?