Analysis of War in Europe by Martines Lauro - Book Report/Review Example

The authorities in Europe had unleashed the military forces being motivated by dynastic greed, religion, or geopolitical realignments. These military forces acted out of control as their soldiers were negligently not paid or fed properly. As a result, many of the non-combatants suffered disasters as they were at the mercy of soldiers who were starved and angry. The book covers the martial roots of modern Europe, captures the early modern war along with its brutality, and how these events completely shaped the continent’s history1.

The best part about the book is the approach to the renaissance that the author has chosen. There may have been many books and authors that have talked about the renaissance as the period of humanist brilliance and human achievements, and as the era of Shakespeare, Montaigne, and Michelangelo. Martines approach to the renaissance was rather different as he talked about the harrowing warfare of that era. He described through his writings how the armies had shaped the continent as a modern nation-state that emerged from a feudal society.

Martines highlights the armies as they were in that era. He explained that the armies consisted of thousands of men who were mobile destroying food and other supplies across miles. The armies threatened the towns with disease and famine resulting in lethal rather than combat. With the newly introduced weapons, the levels of violence increased. As the author has recognized the theme of his book to be the misery of the war, he has explained many ways it was destructive and enduring. The book involves the reader because it has focused on the misery rather than on the techniques and strategies used in these wars about which most people are already aware.

Martines has chosen the sharp end of the warfare writing from the perspective of the victim. The book becomes attractive when the author writes about something different and deals with ordinary people’s lives at the hands of the oppressors. This is mostly what makes the readers involved and gripped in the story. At the same time, the readers are exposed to the rarely known reality and the horrifying events. Martines has used an immense number of primary and secondary sources for his book.

The research comes from the study and conclusions drawn from the primary sources which include several books and journals of well-known writers of history. Throughout the book, Martines has explained and referred to many of the writings and case studies followed by conclusions through his analysis of those. However, the approach remains through the perspective of the men and women who endured the war. The author has recreated the war and strikes details about what the war did to ordinary village people and civilians.

As many people believe that history is the imaginative recreation of the past, Martines has proved it. The major strength of this book is that the author has recreated the moments from the war but a different view; the victim’s perspective. The readers are involved in the theme of the book from the beginning as the book starts with the highlight of 500 women being killed senselessly and then goes on to mention details of the massacre after massacre. Apart from that, the language and words that are used by the author are pleasing for any reader.