Defining Soldiers: Britain’s Military, <i>c</i>.1740–1815

Even though the concept of honour has varied throughout history, this paper will deal exclusively with military honour in nineteenth-century Spain, after examining how the meaning of this term evolved from Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars onwards. This crucial ethic value was learnt from the moment someone joined the army and even before, through education and common public military demonstrations. It was related to individual behaviour while also maintaining a high collective and corporative aspect, and it varied depending on gender, class and social group. It was part of the political thought of most relevant Spanish generals' and consequently it influenced the Spanish political dynamics, guided by the top brass of the military. The court of honour, an institution in Spain that was not regulated until 1811, (and not really enforced until 1867) controlled honour compliance. The last section of this paper focuses on how and why these institutions were born and explains their early legislative evolution. Spanish political and military development are bound together, to the extent that a deepening sense in the nature of honour and its effects on the army and civilian ethics is equivalent to delving into a whole socio-political analysis of the country during nineteenth century.

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Wellington's Men: The British Soldier of the Napoleonic Wars

Linch

McCormack

2015

History Compass

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The bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo offers an opportunity to think critically about the historiography of the Napoleonic Wars. This article argues that orthodox military histories of the period have tended to neglect the experience of the common soldier. By contrast, the article offers an overview of recent work on the history of war, which applies techniques from social and cultural history in order to explore the perspective of the combatant. By thinking about the social origins and experiences of soldiers and how those experiences were handled in cultural terms, this work sheds new light on the humble redcoat who fought under Wellington at Waterloo.

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Defining Soldiers: Britain’s Military, c.1740–1815

Cited by 5 publications

References 8 publications

Britain’s Armed Forces

Britain’s Armed Forces

“Worth More Than Life Itself”: Military Honour and the Birth of Its Courts in Spain (1810–1870)

Wellington's Men: The British Soldier of the Napoleonic Wars

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