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European Military Books and Intellectual Cultures of War in 17th-Century Russia
From Translation to Adaptation
Series: - History of Warfare, Volume: 147
Author:
This book discusses the role Western military books and their translations played in 17th-century Russia. By tracing how these translations were produced, distributed and read, the study argues that foreign military treatises significantly shaped intellectual culture of the Russian elite. It also presents Tsar Peter the Great in a new light â not only as a military and political leader but as a devoted book reader and passionate student of military science.
Oleg Rusakovskiy, Dr. Phil (2022), University of Tübingen, is lecturer at the University of Potsdam. He has published numerous articles on the military history of Eastern Europe and also prepared an edition with commentary of the diary of Christoph Bousch, a 17th-century German translator in Russian service (2024).
Acknowledgements
Note on Translation, Spelling, and Dates
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations
Introduction
â1 Early Modern Military Books and Intellectual Cultures of War
â2 17th-Century Russia: a Case for Research
â3 Sources, Historiography, and Research Questions
1 An Early Beginning: the Russian Translation of Leonhard Fronspergerâs KriegÃbuch of 1607/20
â1 Voinskaia kniga of 1607 and 1620
â2 The Foreign Original and the Translatorsâ Techniques
2 The First Book in Print: Johann Jacobi von Wallhausenâs Kriegskunst zu Fuà in the Russian Edition of 1649
â1 Translation and Publishing Process
â2 Uchenie i khitrostâ in the Context of Russian Military Reforms
â3 The Bookâs Readers
3 âForeign Military Learningâ: Discourses on Warfare under Tsar Alexei
â1 Beyond Wallhausen: Lesser Military Translations of Alexeiâs Era
â2 âMilitary Learningâ as an Intellectual Concept
â3 Juraj KrižaniÄ against Westernizing Military Reforms
4 Books for the Young Tsar: Military Translations for Peter I
â1 Military Translations under Fedor and Sophia
â2 The First Textbooks on Warfare for Peter I
â3 The Rise in Military Translations in 1693/94
â4 Manuals on Fortification and Siege Technique
5 Translators at Work: Book Production in the Ambassadorial Chancery
â1 The Chanceryâs Translators: Qualifications and Working Modes
â2 Texts and Paratexts
â3 Illustrations and Technical Drawings
6 An Antiquarian Turn: Classical Military Treatises in the Late 17th Century
â1 Intellectual Opposition to Military Change
â2 Frontinusâ Strategemata in the Translation of 1692
â3 The Taktika of Emperor Leo VI in the Translation of 1697
7 The Royal Disciple: Peter I as a Student of Military Books
â1 Peter I as a Military Intellectual
â2 Infantry Tactics and Drill
â3 Mock Battles
â4 Naval Training
8 The Art of Gunnery: Fireworks and Shooting Exercises in the 1680s and 1690s
â1 A Chronological Overview
â2 The Quest for the Optimal Shooting Method
â3 Fireworks in Text, Picture, and Life
9 A Victorious Fortress: Military Architecture in Theory and Practice in the Late 17th Century
â1 Toy Fortresses and Mock Sieges
â2 The Russian Army under Azov in 1695 and 1696
â3 European Engineers at the Azov Sea Shore
10 The Great Arithmetician: Applied Sciences and Military Art at the Petrine Court
â1 Mathematics at Military Disposal
â2 Measuring and Drawing for Military Technology
â3 Intellectual Discourses on Warfare
Conclusion
Bibliography
Subject Index
Personal Index
Geographical Index
Note on Translation, Spelling, and Dates
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations
Introduction
â1 Early Modern Military Books and Intellectual Cultures of War
â2 17th-Century Russia: a Case for Research
â3 Sources, Historiography, and Research Questions
1 An Early Beginning: the Russian Translation of Leonhard Fronspergerâs KriegÃbuch of 1607/20
â1 Voinskaia kniga of 1607 and 1620
â2 The Foreign Original and the Translatorsâ Techniques
2 The First Book in Print: Johann Jacobi von Wallhausenâs Kriegskunst zu Fuà in the Russian Edition of 1649
â1 Translation and Publishing Process
â2 Uchenie i khitrostâ in the Context of Russian Military Reforms
â3 The Bookâs Readers
3 âForeign Military Learningâ: Discourses on Warfare under Tsar Alexei
â1 Beyond Wallhausen: Lesser Military Translations of Alexeiâs Era
â2 âMilitary Learningâ as an Intellectual Concept
â3 Juraj KrižaniÄ against Westernizing Military Reforms
4 Books for the Young Tsar: Military Translations for Peter I
â1 Military Translations under Fedor and Sophia
â2 The First Textbooks on Warfare for Peter I
â3 The Rise in Military Translations in 1693/94
â4 Manuals on Fortification and Siege Technique
5 Translators at Work: Book Production in the Ambassadorial Chancery
â1 The Chanceryâs Translators: Qualifications and Working Modes
â2 Texts and Paratexts
â3 Illustrations and Technical Drawings
6 An Antiquarian Turn: Classical Military Treatises in the Late 17th Century
â1 Intellectual Opposition to Military Change
â2 Frontinusâ Strategemata in the Translation of 1692
â3 The Taktika of Emperor Leo VI in the Translation of 1697
7 The Royal Disciple: Peter I as a Student of Military Books
â1 Peter I as a Military Intellectual
â2 Infantry Tactics and Drill
â3 Mock Battles
â4 Naval Training
8 The Art of Gunnery: Fireworks and Shooting Exercises in the 1680s and 1690s
â1 A Chronological Overview
â2 The Quest for the Optimal Shooting Method
â3 Fireworks in Text, Picture, and Life
9 A Victorious Fortress: Military Architecture in Theory and Practice in the Late 17th Century
â1 Toy Fortresses and Mock Sieges
â2 The Russian Army under Azov in 1695 and 1696
â3 European Engineers at the Azov Sea Shore
10 The Great Arithmetician: Applied Sciences and Military Art at the Petrine Court
â1 Mathematics at Military Disposal
â2 Measuring and Drawing for Military Technology
â3 Intellectual Discourses on Warfare
Conclusion
Bibliography
Subject Index
Personal Index
Geographical Index
Students and researchers in the field of Early Modern military history, Russian and, broadly defined, Eastern European history, history of translation, book culture, and science in Early Modern Europe.