James Falkner – författare

The Battle of Fontenoy marked a turning point in the War of the Austrian Succession, yet it has rarely been analysed in depth and the Europe-wide conflict in which it played a part is little understood. James Falkner, in this perceptive and original account, puts the record straight by describing the fighting in graphic detail and setting it in the context of the sequence of wars that determined the shape of Europe during the eighteenth century.Great Britain with her Austrian and Dutch allies fought to ensure that Maria Theresa of Austria should be able to take the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. Ranged against her interests was the might of Louis XV's France, which strove to weaken Austria by promoting a Bavarian aspirant to the Imperial throne. On 11 May 1745 at Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands the two sides met in a ferocious day-long struggle that changed course of the war.James Falkner's narrative gives a fascinating insight into the Battle of Fontenoy itself and more widely into the nature of warfare in Europe 250 years ago.

Blenheim has gone down in history as one of the turning points of the War of the Spanish Succession – and some would say in the history of conflict in Europe. The overwhelming Allied victory ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of the Grand Alliance. Bavaria was knocked out of the war, and Louis XIV’s hopes for a quick victory came to an end. France suffered over 30,000 casualties. If you truly want to understand what happened and why – read Battle Story.

The War of the Spanish Succession, fought between 1701 and 1714 to decide who should inherit the Spanish throne, was a conflict on an unprecedented scale, stretching across most of western Europe, the high seas and the Americas. Yet this major subject is not well known and is little understood. That is why the publication of James Falkner's absorbing new study is so timely and important. In a clear and perceptive narrative he describes and analyses the complex political manoeuvres and a series of military campaigns which also involved the threat posed by Ottoman Turks in the east and Sweden and Russia in the north. Fighting took place not just in Europe but in the Americas and Canada, and on the high seas. All European powers, large and small, were involved - France, Spain, Great Britain, Holland, Austria and Portugal were the major players. The end result of eleven years of outright war was a French prince firmly established on the throne in Madrid and a division of the old Spanish empire. More notably though, French power, previously so dominant, was curbed for almost ninety years.

For over 70 years, from 1643 to 1715, Louis XIV fought a series of increasingly bitter wars with the Dutch, the Spanish, the British and the Austrians. During his long reign France was the foremost power in Europe and the king used his military and economic strength to expand French territory to the north into the Low Countries, to the Rhine, and south to the Pyrenees. To enable this expansion, and defend it against the powerful armies that combined to oppose him, he depended on a select group of exceptional commanders – remarkable men close to the throne, who held the prestigious title of Marshal of France. These are the distinguished soldiers James Falkner focuses on in this perceptive and original study, and their colourful careers and long-reaching campaigns give us a fascinating insight into the European warfare of the period and into their relationship with their master, the Sun King. Among them are Turenne, the pre-eminent commander of the early years of Louis’s reign; Luxembourg who never lost a battle; elegant Villeroi who confronted the Duke of Marlborough at the Battle of Ramillies; Boufflers, famous for his defence of Lille; Villars who remarkably outwitted and defeated Prince Eugene; Tallard, who endured catastrophe and capture at the Battle of Blenheim; Berwick, James II’s illegitimate son, the English Marshal; and brawling Vendôme who, though defeated at Oudenarde, later triumphed against the British and Austrians in Spain.Their skill as commanders and their qualities of leadership during a turbulent era in European history are a primary focus of James Falkner’s absorbing book, but he also looks at them as remarkable and varied individuals who expressed the military spirit of their age.

Prince Eugene of Savoy-Carignan (1663-1736), French born of an Italian mother, was destined for the church, but fled France as a young man and chose the life of a soldier. He entered the service of the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I in 1683 and rose rapidly to become one of the greatest military commanders of the age, playing a leading role in the wars against both the Ottoman Turks and the French. James Falkner, in this the first full biography of Eugene to be published in English for forty years, reconstructs his military campaigns in compelling detail and describes his career as a politician and statesman.Eugene first showed his military genius during the siege of Vienna in 1683 where the Ottoman Turkish threat to western Europe was thrown back, and he commanded the Imperial army at the resounding victory over the Ottomans at Zenta in 1697. Most famously for English readers, he joined John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough in the victory over the French at Blenheim in 1704 and served alongside Marlborough at the subsequent victories at Oudenarde and Malplaquet. His later triumph, again over the Ottomans, at the capture of Belgrade in 1717, sealed his reputation as a great captain.A lifelong bachelor although fond of women, Eugene was both a typical hard-bitten soldier and an accomplished diplomat, as well as a great patron of the arts. His summer palace, The Belvedere in Vienna, stands today as a fine monument to this extraordinary man.

Many books have been written about the 1st Duke of Marlborough's famous victories, but none of the previous studies has really concentrated on how the warfare was perceived by the men and women who took part - those who experienced the action at first hand. James Falkner has brought together a vivid selection of contemporary accounts of every aspect of the war to create a panoramic yet minutely detailed picture of those years of turmoil. The story is told through memoirs, letters, official documents, despatches, newspaper reports and eyewitness testimony from the French and Allied sides of the conflict. His linking narrative provides a penetrating analysis of the strategy and tactics of warfare at the time.

Prince Eugene of Savoy-Carignan (1663-1736), French born of an Italian mother, was destined for the church, but fled France as a young man and chose the life of a soldier. He entered the service of the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I in 1683 and rose rapidly to become one of the greatest military commanders of the age, playing a leading role in the wars against both the Ottoman Turks and the French. James Falkner, in this the first full biography of Eugene to be published in English for forty years, reconstructs his military campaigns in compelling detail and describes his career as a politician and statesman.Eugene first showed his military genius during the siege of Vienna in 1683 where the Ottoman Turkish threat to western Europe was thrown back, and he commanded the Imperial army at the resounding victory over the Ottomans at Zenta in 1697\. Most famously for English readers, he joined John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough in the victory over the French at Blenheim in 1704 and served alongside Marlborough at the subsequent victories at Oudenarde and Malplaquet. His later triumph, again over the Ottomans, at the capture of Belgrade in 1717, sealed his reputation as a great captain.A lifelong bachelor although fond of women, Eugene was both a typical hard-bitten soldier and an accomplished diplomat, as well as a great patron of the arts. His summer palace, The Belvedere in Vienna, stands today as a fine monument to this extraordinary man.

Blenheim, Ramilles , Oudenarde, Malplaquet - much has been written about the brilliant victories of the Duke of Marlborough's Anglo-Dutch army over the armies of Louis XIV of France during the War of the Spanish Succession. Less attention has been focused on the men and the military organization that made these achievements possible - the soldiers, the commanders, the army structure and administration, the logistics, engineering, weapons and finance. That is why James Falkner's penetrating account of the composition and operation of Marlborough's army is of such value. His clear analysis gives a fascinating insight into Marlborough's war machine and into the conduct of war in Europe 300 years ago.