The Trials of War
The Trials of War
This chapter asks how the ill-effects of war and princes' efforts to mitigate them affected their relationship with their subjects. Attempts to discipline soldiers often failed to prevent them from terrorizing civilians, while wartime disturbance bred crime more generally. Both problems were more severe in the Netherlands than in England, as was the disruption to trade and agriculture caused by war. However, they did not always alienate subjects from rulers, for the rulers' case that war was to be blamed on the enemy seems to have been widely accepted. Those engaged in the arms trade benefited from war, but they were not a significant interest group. Governments took significant powers over food supply, transport, trade with the enemy, and fishing in contested waters, which increased their ability to direct economic life, yet in so doing compromised with wealthy groups to secure funding for their wars.
Keywords: agriculture, arms trade, crime, food supply, fishing, soldiers, trade, transport
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