ABSTRACT
War was central to the politics of Europe and to the government of its states. Preparation for conflict, the conduct of war and its consequences provided an agenda of concern and activity that dominated the domestic history of European countries. The demands of military preparedness and war pressed differently upon the people of Europe, varying chronologically, nationally and socially, but they became more pressing from the late seventeenth century as the size and cost of armed forces rose and as effective conscription and militia systems replaced in part the use of paid volunteers. On the other hand, the disruptive impact of war on areas of conflict diminished because of improvements in logistics and more regularized systems of obtaining supplies from occupied territories:1 in effect enforced taxation replaced depredation.
