The book that follows developed from a chapter written for my History of France 1460–1560 that I was unable to include in the final version. Since then, I have kept the problems I sketched out in mind and published a number of related studies. This is an attempt, then, to consider a range of problems I began to think about for my earlier work, War and Government in the French Provinces: Picardy 1460–1560 but now approached on a broader canvass. It is an attempt to map out how the long period of conflict from the Italian Wars to the Habsburg-Valois wars was understood in France, how its armies developed in terms of diversity and armament, how France itself became for the first time a country massively fortified in the modern style and, finally, how war impinged on the public consciousness of French society. The role of France in the early stages of the still controversially labelled ‘military revolution’ has not been fully recognised and, though much useful work has been done, there has hitherto been no attempt to pull together an overall picture. The royal army in the Wars of Religion has been effectively studied by James Wood and Philip Contamine's remarkable work on the late medieval French army has many important implications for the 16th century. The bibliography alone indicates the depth of my debt to Professor Contamine. Much of this book concerns military organisation (though unfortunately there has not been space enough to cover developments in naval warfare). The overarching theme, though, is the reasons for war, its impact and mentality as well as the cultural dimensions of war. It is hoped that the last three chapters will place that dimension in the cultural context of public opinion.

Among the many colleagues in the field whose advice has proved invaluable, I would wish to single out Steven Gunn, who generously made an early copy of his work on war in England and the Netherlands available and, as ever, Robert Knecht, who constantly shared his unrivalled knowledge of the French sixteenth century. My debt to him is profound and is reflected in the dedication of this book. I must also acknowledge the enlightened support of the British Academy, for a grant which enabled me to undertake research in Paris.

My thanks to those who discussed parts of this book at seminars in Oxford, Leiden, London and Canterbury must also be expressed.