Why was war endemic in EME?

Question 1

Problem

Answer 1

Is war natural or not

Can we organise a world in which war is not needed?

Question 2

Hypotheses

Answer 2

War is inherent
It is dependent to a group’s feelings
Mankind can (to an extent) be trained out of war

Question 3

Who can declare war?

Answer 3

Emperor, Pope, kings (increasingly)

Question 4

Early modern state and war

Answer 4

Blend propensity towards fending externally with a suppressing subordinate use of violence internally
Wars between petty lords and cities decline
Wars between states continue and increases

Question 5

Causes of war

Answer 5

Religion
Dynasticism
Strategy

Question 6

M. Van Crevald - struggle against the church

Answer 6

Reformation - e.g. Luther who believed church had no right to invade the realm of secular power
Reformation also allowed secular rulers to lay their hands on ecclesiastical estates

Question 7

Van Crevald - struggle against the empire

Answer 7

Key man in 16th c - Charles V (Spain) - out of his empire, the British emerge

Question 8

Van Crevald - the struggle against towns

Answer 8

Towns went against feudalism which was based on interlocking rights of superiors over inferiors.
Influence of towns was supplemented by the connections they maintained across territorial borders
Biggest enemy - nobility
Ally - crown

Question 9

Van Crevald - the monarch’s triumph

Answer 9

Conflict between emperor and pope allowed monarchs to play off against each other
Monarchs able to play a game of ‘divide and rule’
Monarchs sought to preserve their status by marrying into each other’s families