Army, Society and Warfare in the Bohemian Lands under the Habsburgs (1526-1918) - Conference Programme

Army, Society and Warfare in the Bohemian Lands under the Habsburgs (1526–1918)

Great Hall of Pardubice Castle, Pardubice and Josefov Fortress, Czech Republic (14-16 September 2023)

International Conference co-organised by 

• Institute of Habsburg and Balkan Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences
• Institute of History, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, University of Pardubice
• Czech Society for Military Historical Research

Gunther Rothenberg noted that “The army was one of the most important, if not the most important, single institution of the multinational empire of the Habsburgs.” This view, that the Habsburg army stood largely above the national, cultural and religious conflicts that ultimately tore the Austro-Hungarian Empire apart, has until now not been thoroughly questioned. This duality of division and centrifugal forces on the one hand, and unification and cohesion on the other also characterises the historiography of the Habsburg military in the Bohemian Lands. The same metaphor can be used to understand the memory of the Habsburg army and its heritage after 1918. On the one side, we see divisive sites, such as White Mountain, and unifying ones such as Kolin or Königsgratz on the other. In what sense can this centrifugal-centralising dynamic be viewed in the light of new research in military history and historiography?

Our Conference welcomes papers on any aspect of Army, Society and Warfare in the Bohemian Lands from the beginning of the Habsburg rule to the breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy at the end of the First World War. Our geographical remit is Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia (until the Seven Years War) and Lusatia (until the thirty Years War). We are particularly interested in papers based on new and original archival research. There will be panel on heritage studies, a special roundtable on re-enactment, and a separate poster session, accessible to the general public.