The Wars of Louis XIV - Annotated Bibliography

Following my post about the Wars of Louis XIV, the following are a list of books that I have consulted in my studies. Some of these books are long out of print but can be found for between $10-$30 on Amazon, eBay, Thriftbooks, AbeBooks, and other online book sellers. Many are published by Helion & Company, which is an invaluable publisher which seems to cater mostly to specialists and wargamers. The publisher frequently runs sales on their books and ebooks, though shipping to the USA is rather expensive. I do not consider this list exhaustive, but I will give my opinions on the works which I have read. Those marked with a star (★) are highly recommended.

The Entire Period

★ The Wars of Louis XIV 1667-1714 by John A. Lynn, published by Longman, 1999, as part of the “Modern Wars in Perspective” series. This book is by far the best introduction to the period written in English, well-written and highly readable to boot. While not going into too much depth on any of the conflicts, it provides a good overview of why each war was fought and what happened. Cannot recommend this book enough, it may satisfy your interest in the period or act as a starting point to go deeper into a particular subject.  

The Armies and Wars of the Sun King 1643-1715 by René Chartrand, published in four volumes by Helion & Company, 2019-2021 as part of the “Century of the Soldier” series. These books provide an overview of the entire period to the same depth that John Lynn goes, but with more even coverage, though the real value is in its highly detailed look at Louis XIV’s Army. I will be discussing each individual volume below.

Histoire militaire du règne de Louis-le-Grand by the Marquis de Quincy, published in 1726 in seven volumes. This work is the progenitor of all studies of the period, written by a French officer who fought in the wars. The only available English translation that I am aware of is by George Nafziger, available for ~$600. He divides the work into 24 volumes which is great if one wants only to study a particular war or campaign, and he sells the entire set for a significant discount. However, the French text is highly available online, and Google Translate is a great friend for one who was more time than money to spend.

The War of Devolution

The Guard of Louis XIV, volume 1 of Chartrand’s Armies and Wars, published in 2019 by Helion & Company. In the first part of this work, Chartrand discusses the military exploits of Louis XIV’s minority, from the Thirty Years’ War and Franco-Spanish War, into his personal rule, concluding with the War of Devolution. In this, Chartrand does not seem to go far beyond what the Marquis de Quincy writes of the War of Devolution, but in the second half of the book he provides an in-depth look at Louis XIV’s Guard, which provides valuable information for wargamers and reenactors. (If one is interested in what Quincy says about the War of Devolution, I have provided an English translation of that section of his Histoire militaire in a previous post.)

The Dutch War

The Failure of Louis XIV’s Dutch War by Carl J. Ekberg, originally published in 1979 by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Press. Although this work only focuses on a single year of the war, 1673, it provides a sound and thorough explanation for the decisions of the French King who turned a limited regional conflict into a wider war between the great powers of Europe, which proved to be the first in a trilogy of wars that exhausted all combatants. For a thorough analysis of the actual causes of the Dutch War, one might consult Paul Sonnino’s Louis XIV and the Origins of the Dutch War, published in 1988 by Cambridge University Press.

The Infantry of Louis XIV, volume 2 of Chartrand’s Armies and Wars, published in 2020 by Helion & Company. The Franco-Dutch War is the main focus of the first part of the book, and goes into more detail about each campaign than Lynn does. This section concludes in 1684, after the War of Devolution. The second half of the book discusses French Infantry throughout the entire period which is invaluable.

Wars and Soldiers in the Early Reign of Louis XIV, by Bruno Mugnai, specifically volumes 1, 2, and 4, published between 2019-2021 by Helion & Company. Volume 1 is titled The Army of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, 1660–1687 and provides an excellent look, not only at the Dutch Army, but also at their military and political context at the time of the Dutch War. The section on the Dutch War itself is the most detailed I have read on the subject. Volume 2 is titled The Imperial Army 1657–1687, and while this is mainly focused on the other wars fought by the HRE at the time, it provides a rare look at the Rhineland front of the Dutch War from the German perspective. Volume 4 is titled The Armies of Spain 1659-1688, and provides an exhaustive look at Spain’s dispersed and varied army in this little-noted period, but says disappointingly little about Spain’s involvement in either the Dutch War or the wars of Devolution and Reunions. Mugnai is set to publish volume 7 of his work about the armies of the German States between 1660 and 1687 this fall, which is bound to contain some good information about the armies of the smaller German participants in this war, particularly Brandenburg. The main value of Mugnai’s work is that he provides thorough context for each of the victims of Louis XIV’s aggression in this period, as well as detailed lists of units and their flags and uniforms, as well as color plates drawn by the author himself.

The Army of Charles II by John Childs, published in 1976 by University of Toronto Press. This work provides a detailed look at the British Army between 1660-1685, and discusses England’s involvement on both sides of the Dutch War in 1673 and 1678, as well as her commitments to Tangier and the Covenanter Rebellions in Scotland.

The War of Reunions

No work I have found presents this conflict as more than a sideshow, but it serves as an important prelude to the Nine Years’ War. John Lynn covers it to some depth in Wars of Louis XIV, Chartrand has three pages on it in volume 2 of his Armies and Wars, and Mugnai to about the same length in volume 4 of his Wars and Soldiers.

The Nine Years War

★ The Nine Years’ War and the British Army 1688-97, the Operations in the Low Countries by John Lynn, published in 1991 by Manchester University Press. This is the foremost work in English about the Nine Years’ War, focusing on the Spanish Netherlands with a special eye towards the British Army. It goes into detail about the men, the armies, how they fought and maintained themselves, as well as a separate chapter for each of the campaigns in the Spanish Netherlands. It does not provide an adequate overview of other fronts and theaters but does exceedingly well at what it sets out to do.

The Cavalry of Louis XIV, volume 3 of Chartrand’s Armies and Wars, published in 2020 by Helion & Company. This volume discusses France during the Nine Years War, as well as a section about France’s involvement in the Williamite War in Ireland. And the second section provides a look at the Horse and Dragoons of the French Army during Louis XIV’s reign.

★ William III’s Italian Ally: Piedmont and the War of the League of Augsburg 1683-1697, by Ciro Paoletti, published in 2019 by Helion & Company. An excellent work that fills a large hole in the historiography of the Nine Years’ War, focusing on the war in Piedmont and Savoy, the second-most active theater after Flanders. It also goes back as far as 1683 to discuss Piedmont’s prior collaborations with France, including the Reunions and their war against the Waldensians. It also provides ample information on the Savoyard Army during the period.

The most minutely detailed resource in English that I have discovered about the Nine Years’ War is not a book, but a series of online resources written by Ian Weir at Red Sash Games, which is linked here. Written from a wargamer’s perspective, his commentaries on the four main theaters of the Nine Years’ War goes into ample detail, explaining the movements of both armies. His battle and campaign maps are especially clear and concise.

The War of Spanish Succession

★ The War of the Spanish Succession 1701-1714, by James Falkner, published in 2015 by Pen and Sword. Because of the decisive nature of this conflict, there is a wealth of information available, especially about the Duke of Marlborough’s campaigns. But for a single volume history that goes into sufficient depth for the casual reader to get a thorough understanding of the war, you cannot do better than Falkner’s book.

The War of Spanish Succession, Artillery, Engineers and Militias, volume 4 of Chartrand’s Armies and Wars, published in 2021 by Helion & Company. This work’s discussion of the war is only a basic overview, but again, the real value of Chartrand’s work is his discussion of Louis XIV’s army, which goes into all the detail that a wargamer would need to know about French artillery, engineers, and militia.

Marlborough as Military Commander by David Chandler, published 1973 by Scribner’s. A detailed look at all of Marlborough’s campaigns from Monmouth’s Rebellion to the end of the WSS, with many good maps and illustrations.

★ Italy, Piedmont, and the War of Spanish Succession 1701-1712, by Ciro Paoletti, published in 2020 by Helion & Company. An excellent follow-up to his previous, William III’s Italian Ally, which discusses Piedmont-Savoy’s contributions in the WSS. The first six chapters are reiterations of material included in Paoletti’s first book, but the rest of the work discusses the entire Italian Theater from Eugene’s 1701 campaign to the failed Siege of Toulon in 1707, as well as discussing what was happening in Naples during the war.

Marlborough’s Other Army: The British Army and the Campaigns of the First Peninsular War, 1702-1712, by Nicholas Dorrell, published in 2015 by Helion & Company, second edition published 2019 with new color plates. This work provides an exhaustive look at the armies that fought in Spain itself during the WSS, with a basic narrative of the individual campaigns, disjointed by the chapters on the units that came and went from the Iberian Peninsula. It is a work ideal for wargamers, but less so for the casual reader.

Individual Battles and Campaigns

Blenheim and Malplaquet by Hilaire Belloc, which are available on Project Gutenberg and were my first introductions to Marlborough’s battles. Osprey has published fairly detailed books about Blenheim, Ramillies, and Malplaquet as well.

Biography and Memoirs

★ Marlborough, His Life and Times, by Winston Churchill, published in four volumes between 1933-1938. Almost a million words written in great detail about one of the greatest generals who ever lived, penned in excellent prose by one of his descendants who had access to all of the Duke’s papers. However, the work is accurately described as a panegyric or a hagiography, in which Churchill casts Marlborough as the saintly soldier overcoming odds at every step and always working for the greater good. The Duke had many controversies, had betrayed one King and was thrown in the Tower of London during the next king’s reign. But His Life and Times is a work of apologetics as well, in which Churchill attempts to dispute and explain all of the charges laid at Marlborough’s feet by previous historians. Winston Churchill finds no fault whatsoever in his ancestor, even when Marlborough is sleeping with the King’s mistress for money, abandoning his life-long patron and king, then remaining in secret communication with that king even after his deposition and exile. Even when we arrive at the charges that led to Marlborough’s dismissal in 1712, Churchill’s defense runs that “It never happened, but even if it did, it was a common practice in those days.” All that being said, Marlborough, His Life and Times is roaring good history, and one of those works of history that rises to the level of excellent literature. One just has to keep Winston Churchill’s biases in mind, and to understand that a work written primarily from a man’s own papers will be favorable to him. The work is widely available in many reprints, as well as ebook and audiobook, the formats I have used.

Military Memoirs of Marlborough’s Campaigns 1702-1712, edited by David Chandler, published in 1998 by Greenhill Books. This volume contains the memoirs of Captain Robert Parker of the Royal Irish, and Count Merode-Westerloo, who fought on both sides of the war, edited and annotated by the great historian. Excellent reference material.

Marlborough’s Wars, Eyewitness Accounts 1702-1713, by James Falkner, published 2005 by Pen and Sword. This work incorporates all the English diaries and memoirs from Marlborough’s campaigns, as well as a chapter on the Spanish theater.

Marshal Vauban and the Defence of Louis XIV’s France, by James Falkner, published 2011 by Pen and Sword. A look at Vauban’s career in the context of all of Louis XIV’s wars, a good read and a valuable book, especially for its chapter on siege warfare in the period.

Prince Eugene of Savoy: A Genius for War Against Louis XIV and the Ottoman Empire, by James Falkner, published in 2022 by Pen and Sword. A much needed and accessible biography of an important but underrated figure in English-language sources. Focuses mainly on Eugene’s part in the WSS, which is Falkner’s strong suit.

Weapons and Warfare

Warfare in the Seventeenth Century by John Childs, published in 2001 by Cassel & Co. A look at all aspects of war from the Thirty Years’ War to the Nine Years’ War, with lots of useful maps and illustrations. Most widely available of all of John Childs’ books.

★ The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough, by David Chandler, published in 1976 by B. T. Batsford Limited. Defining the “Age of Marlborough” as running from the 1680s all the way up to the War of Austrian Succession, Chandler discusses organization and tactics of Horse and Foot, as well as artillery and engineers.

The Perfection of Military Discipline: the Plug Bayonet and the English Army 1660-1705, by Mark Shearwood, published in 2020 by Helion & Company. Intended to reevaluate the use of the plug bayonet in the late 17^th Century, it discusses the weapons and arms of the later Stuart armies, which developed in parallel with the rest of Europe.

Soli Deo Gloria!