"The Founding of the Swiss Militarry System 1300–1400" Topic

"Albert Winkler's The Founding of the Swiss Military System, 1300–1400 is one of those history books that might look super serious on the cover— but once you get into it, it is actually a really approachable deep dive into how the early Swiss basically reinvented the idea of infantry warfare.

This is not a dry academic slog. Winkler writes like someone who genuinely enjoys explaining why a bunch of alpine farmers suddenly became Europe's most annoying problem for mounted knights. The whole thing feels like a guided tour through four key battles, each with its own flavour; Morgarten, with its chaotic ambush energy, Laupen, Sempach and Näfels. There is even a chapter on a subject I knew absolutely nothing about, ‘The Gugler Invasion', where the Swiss faced the prospect of meeting the famed English longbowmen in battle when, in 1375 the latter invaded (unsuccessfully) Swiss lands before withdrawing due, among other things, to lack of shelter, provisions, the weather (it being Christmas) and several Swiss successes in a number of ambushes, raids and other small actions…"

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Armand