Glamping with Guns. Louis XIV, the Camp of Compiegne and the Origins of the Modern Military Exercise

Activity: Talk or presentation typesInvited talk

Description

Reprising my 2017 inaugural lecture at St Andrews, this seminar pape, given in the History of War seminar series of the Faculty of History at Oxford University, looked at the Camp of Compiegne held in 1698 by Louis XIV. It argued that this was the world's first major training exercise, at the level of division-size and higher, in preparation for future warfare, it sought some of its own origins in the previous two centuries, and it revealed comparisons and contrasts with the military exercises that became much more frequent and regular from the later 19th century. Attendance was approximately 30 people, including serving military officers and international visiting staff and students in the Changing Character of War programme at Oxford.
Period30 May 2018
Held atUniversity of Oxford, United Kingdom
Degree of RecognitionInternational