What do you think?
Rate this book
Війна в європейській історії
Ніби з висоти пташиного польоту автор слідкує за тим, як змінювалися засоби війни, починаючи від середніх віків, аж до ядерної доби, демонструючи нам, як війни формували суспільство і, нарешті, як суспільство формує війни на зламі тисячоліть європейської історії.
168 pages, Paperback
First published July 22, 1976
62 people are currently reading
1019 people want to read
About the author
Michael Eliot Howard
61 books78 followersSir Michael Eliot Howard was an English military historian, formerly Chichele Professor of the History of War, Honorary Fellow of All Souls College, Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, Robert A. Lovett Professor of Military and Naval History at Yale University, and founder of the Department of War Studies, King's College London.
In 1958, he co-founded the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
In 2013, Howard was described in the Financial Times as "Britain's greatest living historian". The Guardian described him as "Britain's foremost expert on conflict".
In 1958, he co-founded the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
In 2013, Howard was described in the Financial Times as "Britain's greatest living historian". The Guardian described him as "Britain's foremost expert on conflict".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 1, 2022
Ακριβώς αυτό που λέει ο τίτλος. Μικρή αναφορά στα γεγονότα της περιόδου και κυρίως ανάλυση της σημασίας τους. Να ευχαριστήσω το φίλτατο @costas papagiannis για την πρότασή του!
May 10, 2015
This is a relatively famous tract on how war has affected European history since the Middle Ages. It was first published in 1976, but republished in 2009 with an added epilogue by the author. But you should take the author's advice at the beginning of his epilogue: "This book is about 'War in European History'; not 'The History of War,' so the reader should not expect a survey of warfare...". In other words, don't be looking for lengthy tales of great battles or detailed biographies of military figures. This book takes a very evolutionary approach to the study of warfare in Europe, showing how the ideals and tactics changed over time. And because of this, it can be a little boring at times, particularly in the first four chapters as the strategies and tactics of warfare were so different that Mr. Howard's admittedly lucid storytelling does not help explain. But when Mr. Howard reaches the Revolutionary era and has the colossal figure of Napoleon to wrap his narrative around (side note: Mr. Howard does a great job of showing how Napoleon's military genius changed the nature of warfare in Europe). This is where Mr. Howard begins to shine as warfare takes on a more familiar form and some of the more recognizable military figures in history begin to appear. As a whole, this is a book that is barely passable as an introduction to warfare in Europe, but is great at conveying how warfare shaped European history. It may be esoteric in its subject, but it may be worth the read for those who are interested in European history.
August 1, 2008
This book was perfectly phenomenal. In 144 pages, Howard packed in so much, without making it appear over-packed. 1,000 years of warfare, with all the attendant strategies, tactics, and developments, are presented in a readable and thorough fashion, without coming across as simplistic or factoid laden. Howard finished the book in 2001 (I’m thinking in the pre-9/11 2001) and in the last page he nailed some of the major issues the world would be dealing with in the early stages of the 21st century. First, he properly casts doubt on the Revolution in Military Affairs approach (doubt, mind you, and not a complete discard); second, he recognizes the likely rise of terrorism; and third, he points out that troops will be taking on far more than conventional battle missions, which will come to include peacekeeping, counterinsurgency warfare, and a host of other previously difficult to imagine military missions.
January 29, 2022
I can only point to a few books that have distilled so much knowledge onto me that it fundamentally changed the way I view a topic. War in European History by Michael Howard is one of them.
The book covers European history from the Medieval period to the current War on Terror. The book looks at this period in a unique way, examining how war has changed European society and vice versa.
This makes for an enlightening read, one that allows the reader to gain information that is still as relevant as ever. The evolution of tactics, taxation, and technology are covered in detail (but not too much detail to confuse general readers), as are a whole host of other topics.
There is so much information packed into this 171 page book, yet it's still an engaging read. I highly recommend this book for any history buff.
The book covers European history from the Medieval period to the current War on Terror. The book looks at this period in a unique way, examining how war has changed European society and vice versa.
This makes for an enlightening read, one that allows the reader to gain information that is still as relevant as ever. The evolution of tactics, taxation, and technology are covered in detail (but not too much detail to confuse general readers), as are a whole host of other topics.
There is so much information packed into this 171 page book, yet it's still an engaging read. I highly recommend this book for any history buff.
December 14, 2015
This book is probably the best history book under 200 pages that I've ever read. Howard divides up European military history into a series of ages in concise but rich prose. This isn't a thesis driven book, but it does provide an eagle-eyed scope on European history and war, focusing on the interaction of society, politics, economics, thought, and war. It's remarkable just how differently societies have organized themselves to wage war within this time span. I highly recommend this book to any student of war or European history, as well as anyone looking for a very brief account of European history in the last 1,000 years or so.
November 19, 2018
excellent, and well worth reading.
August 18, 2025
Eyes started to bleed a little bit when getting into the details of Teutonic knights and Feudalism in the first couple chapters…but overall great overview on the history of war in Europe and how it is and always has been interwoven with society.
January 18, 2025
I read this for class. I'm a fan of Howard.
June 1, 2025
A wonderful widescreen review of European warfare. Howard traces the evolution of political and economic organization (with an extra emphasis on the economic character, placing material conditions over the development of ideas, almost Marxist in tone) and the development of warfare, going from the feudal era where there were class distinctions in who fought and who didn't, usually landowners who offered their military services as a way to maintain hegemony over Royal property, to the emergence of merchant middle class and wars of conquest and booty to the emergence of irregular warfare in light of Napoleon all the way to the Great Wars of the 20th century and the advent of the nuclear bomb. There's even a mention of Prussian professionalism, which France sought to imitate after their defeat in the Franco-Prussian war, strengthening their patriotism so history wouldn't repeat itself. I'd imagine this book is just as fatalistic as William H. McNeill's "Pursuit Of Power" albeit shorter but neither is as deep and anthropological as John Keegan's "A History Of Warfare". However I have yet to read the former and I ended up dropping the latter because of its pacing. I figure I should probably attempt Keegan again and McNeill for the first time since I want to get a three dimensional view of military conflict for my research. This is short but a good introduction to the history of warfare, however, if a bit narrow in focus.
May 2, 2019
Michael Howard's superb book, War in European History, is absolutely worth the time and effort to sit down and read it. Well written, concise, intellectually well-organized, and provocatively insightful, Michael Howard opens your eyes and thinking to the breadth of actions and outcomes that impact nations and societies, often with totally unintended consequences.
I read the updated edition, published in 2009. I think this is the edition you want to read. Michael Howard has added an epilogue, "The End of the European Era," as part of the updated edition that in and of itself is a brilliant essay, and absolutely an important, thoughtful and insightful look at today's international scene.
"War in European History" dramatically and successfully substantiates why Professor Michael Howard is such a revered and respected historian. It is in one word, superb.
I read the updated edition, published in 2009. I think this is the edition you want to read. Michael Howard has added an epilogue, "The End of the European Era," as part of the updated edition that in and of itself is a brilliant essay, and absolutely an important, thoughtful and insightful look at today's international scene.
"War in European History" dramatically and successfully substantiates why Professor Michael Howard is such a revered and respected historian. It is in one word, superb.
May 21, 2017
Great book. It was on Fareed Zakaria's book of the week list which is why I read it. The book's value is its perspective on how technological, social, and economic factors shaped war in Europe. What would I would like to find is a similar book or essay on both European and Asian warfare. It is all too common for analysts to make generalizations on the 'inevitable' course of history based on European events, only to have them contradicted by Asian history. If anyone knows of such a book please let me know.
August 20, 2021
Not long, but packed, this book is a fantastic overview of the evolution of warfare in Europe from the feudalism of the middle ages until today. Howard describes the relationship of warfare to the wider society, and how political reshaping and technological innovation through the centuries was reflected in the methods, objectives, and consequences of war. It's filled with insight into societal dynamics, and I could see it being one I re-read.
July 9, 2019
Izuzetno kvalitetan prikaz nemile dimenzije povijesti čovječanstva, pri kojoj autor stilski nenametljivo i vješto uzima u obzir širi kontekst promjena u različitim sferama društva. Nužno štivo za ozbiljnije poznavatelje povijesti.
February 4, 2022
A very concise, useful, perspective on the emergence of the relations between the aspects of national power. Strong evidence from social trends, technological advancements, land/sea/air power, and international relations. Great read.
May 5, 2020
Author seems knowledgeable but boy was it boring. Or should I, in the style of the book, say, très ennuyeux and not explain what that means.
July 23, 2019
Howard has written a slim (eight chapters, 150 pages) history of war in Europe for he past fifteen centuries. His goal, he writes, is not to write about war as a game with all of its techniques, but to try to put it into a context of economic, social, and cultural forces. It’s insightful in seeing war as part of larger movements in society.
With the end of stability in the Roman Empire, war began with conflicts with invaders. Goths and Vandals came from the east, Muslims from the South, and worst of all, Howard writes, were the Vikings from the North. The object of this initial fighting resulted in loot and ransom. As the continent stabilized and developed into a feudal society, war became more local with tribes , families, and cities pitted against each other. This was the start of war specialists, beginning with the knights.
Succeeding chapters continue to describe the role of specialists in warfare as they became mercenaries and sold their services to whoever would pay them. This corresponded with the rise of money as a medium of exchange and meant in many cases that merchants would go to war to protect their commercial interests. As governmental kingdoms developed, they would encourage attacks on their enemies using essentially “private enterprise” warriors., particularly the case at sea where privateers worked for governments.
War changed essentially with revolutionary movements, especially in France. Men from the general population now began fighting for ideals, and armies began to be made up of ordinary citizens. Manpower , more than weaponry, became important and to supply citizen soldiers, conscription was introduced. Not only were battles fought with other countries but standing armies were used to keep peace internally.
Through World War I, manpower was still crucial to victory, even with technological advances, particularly in artillery, and that accounts for the staggering number of casualties in battles where both sides were dug in, 800,000 Germans and French, for example, at Verdun in l916. World War II, though, while casualties cannot be minimized, relied much more on specialists in all areas of battle.
1945, the end of WW II, was followed by three fourths of a century of peace with the role of specialists ever increasing. Nuclear weapons were only used twice (in Japan) and acted as deterrents to a general war. Howard’s book was written over 40 years ago, and so barely touches on advancements in missiles, not to mention drones and cyber warfare. War, if It comes, may well again revert to fighing by small groups as in the Middle Ages.
With the end of stability in the Roman Empire, war began with conflicts with invaders. Goths and Vandals came from the east, Muslims from the South, and worst of all, Howard writes, were the Vikings from the North. The object of this initial fighting resulted in loot and ransom. As the continent stabilized and developed into a feudal society, war became more local with tribes , families, and cities pitted against each other. This was the start of war specialists, beginning with the knights.
Succeeding chapters continue to describe the role of specialists in warfare as they became mercenaries and sold their services to whoever would pay them. This corresponded with the rise of money as a medium of exchange and meant in many cases that merchants would go to war to protect their commercial interests. As governmental kingdoms developed, they would encourage attacks on their enemies using essentially “private enterprise” warriors., particularly the case at sea where privateers worked for governments.
War changed essentially with revolutionary movements, especially in France. Men from the general population now began fighting for ideals, and armies began to be made up of ordinary citizens. Manpower , more than weaponry, became important and to supply citizen soldiers, conscription was introduced. Not only were battles fought with other countries but standing armies were used to keep peace internally.
Through World War I, manpower was still crucial to victory, even with technological advances, particularly in artillery, and that accounts for the staggering number of casualties in battles where both sides were dug in, 800,000 Germans and French, for example, at Verdun in l916. World War II, though, while casualties cannot be minimized, relied much more on specialists in all areas of battle.
1945, the end of WW II, was followed by three fourths of a century of peace with the role of specialists ever increasing. Nuclear weapons were only used twice (in Japan) and acted as deterrents to a general war. Howard’s book was written over 40 years ago, and so barely touches on advancements in missiles, not to mention drones and cyber warfare. War, if It comes, may well again revert to fighing by small groups as in the Middle Ages.
December 16, 2024
War in European History by Michael Howard is a good distillation of close to 1000 years of warfare in a manageable 144 pages of densely packed prose. It places evolving strategies, technologies, and tactics in context with broader evolutions in European politics, economics, and society as a whole. The book is a broad survey, which Howard is not shy of admitting, and on the whole, it accomplishes its job of giving a comprehensive introduction to war in European history.
If I had one gripe, and it is relatively minor, it would be about the overall organization of the book. Howard has structured chapters thematically ("The Wars of the Knights," "The Wars of the Nations," etc.) and chronologically. Although the chronology is largely linear, because of each chapter's rigid adherence to its thematic argument, there is a certain degree of jumping forward and backward in time usually at the beginning and ending of individual chapters. In chapters about the 20th century that I have a relatively solid background in, this lapse was somewhat annoying but ultimately did not impact my understanding of the chapter. In other instances in which I have very little background, such as the chapters on the wars of mercenaries and merchants, the lack of a solid chronological timeline made it difficult to follow.
Ultimately, dividing 1000 years of history into clear thematic chapters while maintaining a consistent narrative under tight page limits is a challenging task. It is one that Howard has effectively accomplished. He hits all the highlights, key events, and individuals that any student of international relations or European history would be familiar with. This is a great introduction to the study of war in European history, valuable for its clarity and breadth, as well as the extensive further reading list that occupies the last pages.
If I had one gripe, and it is relatively minor, it would be about the overall organization of the book. Howard has structured chapters thematically ("The Wars of the Knights," "The Wars of the Nations," etc.) and chronologically. Although the chronology is largely linear, because of each chapter's rigid adherence to its thematic argument, there is a certain degree of jumping forward and backward in time usually at the beginning and ending of individual chapters. In chapters about the 20th century that I have a relatively solid background in, this lapse was somewhat annoying but ultimately did not impact my understanding of the chapter. In other instances in which I have very little background, such as the chapters on the wars of mercenaries and merchants, the lack of a solid chronological timeline made it difficult to follow.
Ultimately, dividing 1000 years of history into clear thematic chapters while maintaining a consistent narrative under tight page limits is a challenging task. It is one that Howard has effectively accomplished. He hits all the highlights, key events, and individuals that any student of international relations or European history would be familiar with. This is a great introduction to the study of war in European history, valuable for its clarity and breadth, as well as the extensive further reading list that occupies the last pages.
September 21, 2022
I'm always a bit skeptical when something with a title like "War in European History" is only 143 pages long, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this one.
Excellent overview of the changes in how warfare has been conducted from the Middle Ages to the end of the Cold War. This book condenses concepts of war and culture into a few (albeit cherry-picked) examples throughout hundreds of years of history, marking the most significant alterations in weapon technology, state systems, cultural identity, and ideologies. Interesting and concise, I'll be referring back to this one constantly as I continue studying warfare and culture.
Excellent overview of the changes in how warfare has been conducted from the Middle Ages to the end of the Cold War. This book condenses concepts of war and culture into a few (albeit cherry-picked) examples throughout hundreds of years of history, marking the most significant alterations in weapon technology, state systems, cultural identity, and ideologies. Interesting and concise, I'll be referring back to this one constantly as I continue studying warfare and culture.
August 9, 2018
These types of books are why I like history - they present the material in context allowing the reader to put the dots together in a general sense of how things happened (without bogging me down in details of battles and which individual did what to whom, etc...) Howard succinctly (mostly) moves through dispensations of history amply showing, in context (which is what I found the most beneficial to the book) how and why men, mercenaries, professionals, and nations went to war and how they conducted themselves.
June 24, 2025
Overview history of how European society and politics were shaped by war.
Why I started this book: Selected it as a quick read back in March because of the page count...
Why I finished it: Interesting perspective on how wars shaped European society and politics based on who could fight, how they fought and by what methods. Howard divided his history into seven eras, that surprised and delighted me with the simplicity and insight. (It's been a while since I've read a sweeping history, so this may be standard.)
Why I started this book: Selected it as a quick read back in March because of the page count...
Why I finished it: Interesting perspective on how wars shaped European society and politics based on who could fight, how they fought and by what methods. Howard divided his history into seven eras, that surprised and delighted me with the simplicity and insight. (It's been a while since I've read a sweeping history, so this may be standard.)
May 21, 2017
This is an outstanding survey of war from the 15th to the 20th centuries. The title may lead one to believe this book is all about the military, but Michael Howard does an outstanding job weaving together political, economic, social, and military developments. The book does start off rather slow in the first chapter "War of the Knights," but after that, it picks up quickly.
June 12, 2021
A really good overview of the evolution of war in Europe from the medieval period to wwii. Very readable, and Howard's synthesis of social and military history is excellent. I especially appreciated that the philosophy which is the foundation of the book is that war is not separable from the societies which are fighting.
December 3, 2017
Excelente reading
Gran estructura, narrativa e hilo de conducción. Muestra clara de la intimidad entre las guerras europeas y su influencia en la evolución de las mismas sociedades que las generaron.
Gran estructura, narrativa e hilo de conducción. Muestra clara de la intimidad entre las guerras europeas y su influencia en la evolución de las mismas sociedades que las generaron.
June 21, 2024
There is a reason this book has survived every one of the “cullings / downsizings” I inflict on my personal library every few years or so. It is a classic in the field of Military History that has still not been surpassed.
April 25, 2018
Superb
December 10, 2018
A classic.
November 29, 2019
Even though this book is sometimes a bit too simplifying, it is an enjoyable read. Short and to the point, with interesting ideas and really good as introduction to a more classic study of war.
September 1, 2020
What an excellent insightful book from 1976. A grand strategic view looking down from 20 thousand feet. Still relevant and insightful today.
June 7, 2021
Excellent, concise overview.
June 6, 2022
Great summary with enough detail to educate but now overwhelm
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews