Journal Articles by Caleb Karges
International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 2019
The Austrian and British alliance in the Western Mediterranean from 1703 to 1708 is used as a cas... more The Austrian and British alliance in the Western Mediterranean from 1703 to 1708 is used as a case study in the problem of getting allies to cooperate at the strategic and operational levels of war. Differing grand strategies can lead to disagreements about strategic priorities and the value of possible operations. However, poor personal relations can do more to wreck an alliance than differing opinions over strategy. While good personal relations can keep an alliance operating smoothly, it is often military necessity (and the threat of grand strategic failure) that forces important compromises. In the case of the Western Mediterranean, it was the urgent situation created by the Allied defeat at Almanza that forced the British and Austrians to create a workable solution.
Book Chapters by Caleb Karges
Der Spanische Erbfolgekrieg (1701–1714) und seine Auswirkungen, 2018
PhD Dissertation by Caleb Karges
The War of the Spanish Succession saw the culmination in the development of European warfare duri... more The War of the Spanish Succession saw the culmination in the development of European warfare during the “Military Revolution” period, which saw European states fielding larger armies with geographically more ambitious strategies under the umbrella of the nascent eighteenth-century phenomenon of the “Fiscal-Military State.” By investigating the Austro-British alliance at the diplomatic, strategic, logistical, and operational levels during the war, greater insight can be gained into the mechanics of alliance warfare and how two allies reconcile independent war strategies in order to achieve a common goal. This is done in particular by exploring British attempts to influence Austrian war strategy through the tools of diplomacy and logistics in order to bring it more in line with British war strategy, particularly in the region of southern Europe.
The chronological approach adopted by this thesis will demonstrate how the course of a war can influence strategy and, in turn, facilitate or impede allied collaboration. The early years of the war saw unsuccessful attempts at Austro-British collaboration due to the distance between the two allies and the limited contact between them. The 1703 crisis of the Austrian monarchy following financial collapse, rebellion, and a hostile Bavaria forced a dramatic revision of British strategy, culminating the Blenheim campaign of 1704. The expansion of the war into Iberia saw a broadening of Austro-British military contacts, and the strategic situation in Italy was the source of greater collaboration. However, this expanded collaboration could prove diplomatically damaging when strategic or operational goals diverged. The later years of the war saw Austro-British collaboration reach its peak, but Austria had to sacrifice much of the direction of its own war effort in the Mediterranean to Britain as the price for British support. The final years of the war saw British and Austrian war strategies diverge in light of the death of Joseph I.
Reference Works by Caleb Karges
Oxford Bibliographies in Military History, 2022
Oxford Bibliographies in Military History, 2020
The War of the Spanish Succession was a large military conflict that encompassed most of western ... more The War of the Spanish Succession was a large military conflict that encompassed most of western and central Europe spawning additional fighting in the Americas and the world’s oceans. Hostilities began with the invasion of Lombardy by imperial forces in 1701 and were concluded be the treaties of Utrecht (1713), Rastatt, and Baden (1714). The trigger for the war was the long-anticipated death of the childless King Charles II of Spain in 1700 and his will, which ignored several partition treaties signed by other powers and passed the entirety of the Spanish monarchy to Louis XIV of France’s grandson, Philip, Duke of Anjou (Philip V of Spain). The Austrian Habsburgs under Emperor Leopold I contested the will on the behalf of his second son the Archduke Charles (Charles VI of the Holy Roman Empire). With the European balance of power jeopardized by the prospect of a Bourbon succession in Spain, the Kingdom of England (Great Britain after 1707) and the United Provinces joined the Holy Roman Emperor in forming the Grand Alliance in 1702. The Grand Alliance, heretofore referred to as the Allies, expanded to consist ultimately of the emperor of and the states of the Holy Roman Empire (with a few notable exceptions), Great Britain, the United Provinces, Portugal, and the Duchy of Savoy-Piedmont. The pro-Bourbon alliance opposing the Grand Alliance consisted of France, Spain, the Electorate of Bavaria, and the Archbishopric of Cologne. The main military operations largely occurred along the frontiers of France and in the Spanish possessions in Europe such as the Spanish Netherlands, Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula. Of notable exception were the Bavarian campaigns in 1703 and 1704. Throughout the war, each side tried to exploit real and potential revolts/insurgencies in the other’s territory. The Allies maintained a large military presence in Catalonia and set up a rival court in Barcelona under the Archduke Charles as “Charles III of Spain.” The land war in Europe was characterized by the military victories of the Allied commanders, the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy in Flanders, Germany, and Italy. However, the Bourbons maintained their supremacy in Spain itself. As the war protracted, financial and political exhaustion beset all sides. Despite sustained losses bringing France to the brink of collapse, Louis XIV continued to resist until Allied resolve softened with the events of 1710 and 1711 (the Tory victory in the British elections, the battle of Brihuega, and the death of Emperor Joseph I). The war ended with the signing of the treaties of Utrecht, Rastatt, and Baden (collectively known as the Peace of Utrecht) in 1713 and 1714. The British gained significant colonial possessions and concessions from the Bourbon powers as well as the territories of Gibraltar and Minorca. The Dutch received a reinforced barrier in the Low Countries. The Austrians received Spain’s possessions in Italy and the Low Countries. Philip V retained Spain and its colonial possessions.
Conference Papers by Caleb Karges
Global and Local Perspectives on Military History Scholarly Conference, 2023
During the War of the Spanish Succession, continuous military campaigning took place in Florida. ... more During the War of the Spanish Succession, continuous military campaigning took place in Florida. While larger campaigns launched by the British to capture major Spanish forts failed, raiding conducted by them and their Creek allies proved devastating to the Apalachee population of northern Florida. However, scholarship has only looked at these campaigns from a localized context. This paper will set these campaigns within their global context as a part of the War of the Spanish Succession by placing them within the grand strategies of the belligerents. I will argue that British sought to conquer Florida outright in line with British grand strategy in the Western Hemisphere, which was to strengthen the positions of their North American and Caribbean colonies by removing the Spanish base that separated them. The Franco-Spanish goal of preserving the Spanish inheritance could be successfully implemented in defending key Spanish fortresses on the coast but proved difficult to achieve when it came to defending inland Apalachee settlements along Florida’s long frontier. Here, the Creek in their goal to eliminate a rival people helped Britain achieve their grand strategic goal in a roundabout way by undercutting the long-term viability of Florida as a Spanish possession.
The Society for Military History Annual Meeting, 2023
The death of Carlos II unleashed nearly continuous military campaigning in the north of Florida f... more The death of Carlos II unleashed nearly continuous military campaigning in the north of Florida for the duration of the War of the Spanish Succession as an Franco-Spanish-Apalachee Coalition fought off invasion attempts from an Anglo-Creek coalition. This paper examines how each coalition member employed different strategies to achieve their political goals in the region. How did the interaction of these strategies shape the course of the war and Florida by the war’s end? This paper argues that British forces, largely operating from South Carolina, attempted to a conquer Spanish Florida through a strategy of annihilation by taking Florida’s key fortresses. Spanish and French defenders were able to utilize Florida’s geography to exhaust British expeditions and ultimately preserve Florida as a Spanish possession for the time being. However, the Creek strategy of attrition, as expressed in raids and slave taking, appealed more to the colonists of South Carolina and rescued the failed British strategy of annihilation by undermining the long term viability of the Spanish defensive network in Florida. The inability of the Spanish to develop an effective counterstrategy led to the destruction of their mission network and the Apalachee as a people. This then raises the question, did the Spanish have the means or will to respond to Creek-Carolina raiding? Ultimately, the strategies employed in Florida aligned with those employed on the European continent during the war. The British utilized alliances and attrition in their war against France, while Spain sought to preserve its monarchy through exhaustion. That goal along with limited resource, caused Florida’s defenders to merely react to the raiding rather than stop it at its source.
The Austrian Studies Association Annual Conference, 2022
Coterminous with the War of the Spanish Succession, the Rakoczi Revolt and accompanying Peace of ... more Coterminous with the War of the Spanish Succession, the Rakoczi Revolt and accompanying Peace of Szatmar proved a pivotal moment in the political development of the Habsburg monarchy in which the Emperor confirmed the traditional constitution of the Kingdom of Hungary. While historians have thoroughly explored the significance of the events, their course, and their origins in Hungarian domestic politics, little has benn done in the way of connecting the Rakoczi Revolt with the conduct of the War of the Spanish Succession. Using archival sources from Vienna and London, this paper argues that the Hofkriegsrat’s foolhardy pursuit of Habsburg imperial ambitions in the kingdom of Naples by means of the alliance with England led to the draining of the Hungarian garrisons, which allowed the Rakoczi Revolt to take hold.
The study of prisoners of war has taken on a number of useful forms in military history. Historia... more The study of prisoners of war has taken on a number of useful forms in military history. Historians have often looked at the experiences of POWs to understand how individual soldiers, captors, and civilians understand the concept of surrender or to see how enemies interact when there is no fighting. Historians have used these experiences to show how local populations, when confronted with the captured foe, conceive of a war and their enemy. This approach can give great insight into the nature of a conflict. Additionally, military historians have demonstrated the value POWs as a source of military intelligence. More generally, the subject of POWs has lent itself to the study of human rights, which has provided insight into how societies value human lives and conduct wars. Nevertheless, most scholarship on POWs examines the relationship between POWs and their captors, elucidating the obligations of a government towards its captives. On the other hand, there has been relatively little exploration of the obligations of a government towards its own troops in captivity. This approach can also provide insight into how societies conceive of conflicts and human life. Using original archival research, this paper seeks to balance these two approaches by examining the British government's administration of POWs during the War of the Spanish Succession and, in turn, elucidate the obligations of belligerent powers in eighteenth century Europe towards their captives as well as towards their own subjects in captivity. This will be done by examining how the British government handled French POWs in Britain, and how it administered British subject troops held in captivity in France and Spain during the war. This naturally leads to an examination of the supervisors, troops, and civilian contractors (both local and foreign) required in accomplishing the necessary tasks of an eighteenth century fiscal-military state.
Joseph Roth’s short novel set in interwar Austria, “The Emperor’s Tomb,” contains a deeply-flawed... more Joseph Roth’s short novel set in interwar Austria, “The Emperor’s Tomb,” contains a deeply-flawed protagonist, Trotta, who is incapable of any action that may have any effect on his own life. Instead Trotta’s life is swept up in the turbulent flow of history, and all he can do is yearn for the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which culminates in his despairing retreat into the tombs of the emperors upon the Anschluss of Austria into the Nazi Reich. Roth’s provocative and overlooked work would make an excellent addition to any core text program, since it would present students with hard questions about the individual’s role in history, particularly relating to an individual who has lost their “homeland” and for times when a great evil is arising. Furthermore, “the Emperor’s Tomb” presents a literary and historical exploration of the concepts regarding government and society found in other core texts ranging from the Greeks to Edmund Burke.
When the Emperor Leopold I initiated theWar of the Spanish Succession by sending an army
into Lo... more When the Emperor Leopold I initiated theWar of the Spanish Succession by sending an army
into Lombardy to forcibly assert his family’s claims to large portions of the Spanish inheritance.
In the eyes of the Emperor and his ministers the most significant part of the Spanish patrimony
in Italy was the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. An attempted revolt by pro-Habsburg Neapolitan
nobles at the war’s opening failed, and the Imperial court at Vienna was soon overrun with
discontented Neapolitians, who promised widespread popular support for any Habsburg
invasion force. Furthermore, many of Leopold’s administrators, particularly his president of the
warministry, Count Heinrich von Mansfeld-Fondi, had held lands and titles within the kingdom
under the Habsburg kings of Spain.With sufficientmotive, Mansfeld set out to find the means
tomake the kingdom’s invasion possible. Although Austria was denied land access to Naples
and had no navy to speak of,Mansfeld found the solution in the navy of his British allies, who
had promised to send a portion of the fleet to the Adriatic to clear it of French privateers. This
promise had been cemented with the dispatch of Sir Edmund Halley to Croatia to prepare a
port to receive Royal Navy vessels. Mansfeld prepared an invasion force by pulling the garrisons
from Hungary. However, his British allies changed their plans, and the fleet never came. The
result was widespread rebellion in Hungary.
Since John Brewer originally outlined the concept of the British Fiscal-Military State in the lat... more Since John Brewer originally outlined the concept of the British Fiscal-Military State in the late 1980s through his study of British administrative and financial practices, historians have sought to further understand its contours by investigating the contractors and creditors who were the key pillars for making this system work. Deriving from my on-going doctoral research on Anglo-Austrian relations in the War of the Spanish Succession this paper will explore the importance of the Republic of Genoa as an entrepot of the British Fiscal-Military State during this conflict, particularly in regards to the Spanish theatre of war. Unlike the Flanders theatre where British forces could utilize the efficient logistical system already put in place by the Dutch and with its close geographical proximity to the major financial centres of London and Amsterdam, British forces in Spain found themselves in a land with little resources and little money – as has been demonstrated in the last 100 years through the scholarship of C.T. Atkinson, I. F. Burton, and A.D. Francis. British agents therefore used the resources of Genoa to make up for some of the logistical deficiencies that were naturally found on the Iberian Peninsula. In Genoa they found a ready money market with a large enough merchant community that could allow the British to raise credit for Her Majesty’s forces in Spain, and more importantly provide food for allied forces and the pro-Habsburg inhabitants of Catalonia. Furthermore, Genoa was the key location in solving British manpower problems in Spain as it was the point of reception and departure for Austrian troops bound for Spain under the pay of the Queen. Through the linkup of British money and Austrian manpower in Genoa, we can get a clearer idea of how far British (and Allied) power could be projected into the Western Mediterranean. Finally, by looking at this interaction between the British and Austrian systems in Genoa, we can gain a greater understanding of the contours of the British fiscal-military state.
This paper will compare the officer corps of the British and Austrian armies from circa 1680 to 1... more This paper will compare the officer corps of the British and Austrian armies from circa 1680 to 1714. It will explore how the two states attempted to create militarily competent and politically loyal officer corps within their armies. This includes exploring the social, religious, military, and ethnic origins of the officers. Moreover, it will look at how were the men promoted, their relation to the government, and their ownership in military units. The ultimate goal will be to explore how compatible were the two forces and how their officer corps affected their military efficiency.
Book Reviews by Caleb Karges
Michigan War Studies Review, 2022
Michigan War Studies Review, 2021
Austrian History Yearbook, 2021
Journal of Military History, 2021
Michigan War Studies Review, 2020
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Journal Articles by Caleb Karges
Book Chapters by Caleb Karges
PhD Dissertation by Caleb Karges
The chronological approach adopted by this thesis will demonstrate how the course of a war can influence strategy and, in turn, facilitate or impede allied collaboration. The early years of the war saw unsuccessful attempts at Austro-British collaboration due to the distance between the two allies and the limited contact between them. The 1703 crisis of the Austrian monarchy following financial collapse, rebellion, and a hostile Bavaria forced a dramatic revision of British strategy, culminating the Blenheim campaign of 1704. The expansion of the war into Iberia saw a broadening of Austro-British military contacts, and the strategic situation in Italy was the source of greater collaboration. However, this expanded collaboration could prove diplomatically damaging when strategic or operational goals diverged. The later years of the war saw Austro-British collaboration reach its peak, but Austria had to sacrifice much of the direction of its own war effort in the Mediterranean to Britain as the price for British support. The final years of the war saw British and Austrian war strategies diverge in light of the death of Joseph I.
Reference Works by Caleb Karges
Conference Papers by Caleb Karges
into Lombardy to forcibly assert his family’s claims to large portions of the Spanish inheritance.
In the eyes of the Emperor and his ministers the most significant part of the Spanish patrimony
in Italy was the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. An attempted revolt by pro-Habsburg Neapolitan
nobles at the war’s opening failed, and the Imperial court at Vienna was soon overrun with
discontented Neapolitians, who promised widespread popular support for any Habsburg
invasion force. Furthermore, many of Leopold’s administrators, particularly his president of the
warministry, Count Heinrich von Mansfeld-Fondi, had held lands and titles within the kingdom
under the Habsburg kings of Spain.With sufficientmotive, Mansfeld set out to find the means
tomake the kingdom’s invasion possible. Although Austria was denied land access to Naples
and had no navy to speak of,Mansfeld found the solution in the navy of his British allies, who
had promised to send a portion of the fleet to the Adriatic to clear it of French privateers. This
promise had been cemented with the dispatch of Sir Edmund Halley to Croatia to prepare a
port to receive Royal Navy vessels. Mansfeld prepared an invasion force by pulling the garrisons
from Hungary. However, his British allies changed their plans, and the fleet never came. The
result was widespread rebellion in Hungary.
Book Reviews by Caleb Karges
The chronological approach adopted by this thesis will demonstrate how the course of a war can influence strategy and, in turn, facilitate or impede allied collaboration. The early years of the war saw unsuccessful attempts at Austro-British collaboration due to the distance between the two allies and the limited contact between them. The 1703 crisis of the Austrian monarchy following financial collapse, rebellion, and a hostile Bavaria forced a dramatic revision of British strategy, culminating the Blenheim campaign of 1704. The expansion of the war into Iberia saw a broadening of Austro-British military contacts, and the strategic situation in Italy was the source of greater collaboration. However, this expanded collaboration could prove diplomatically damaging when strategic or operational goals diverged. The later years of the war saw Austro-British collaboration reach its peak, but Austria had to sacrifice much of the direction of its own war effort in the Mediterranean to Britain as the price for British support. The final years of the war saw British and Austrian war strategies diverge in light of the death of Joseph I.
into Lombardy to forcibly assert his family’s claims to large portions of the Spanish inheritance.
In the eyes of the Emperor and his ministers the most significant part of the Spanish patrimony
in Italy was the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. An attempted revolt by pro-Habsburg Neapolitan
nobles at the war’s opening failed, and the Imperial court at Vienna was soon overrun with
discontented Neapolitians, who promised widespread popular support for any Habsburg
invasion force. Furthermore, many of Leopold’s administrators, particularly his president of the
warministry, Count Heinrich von Mansfeld-Fondi, had held lands and titles within the kingdom
under the Habsburg kings of Spain.With sufficientmotive, Mansfeld set out to find the means
tomake the kingdom’s invasion possible. Although Austria was denied land access to Naples
and had no navy to speak of,Mansfeld found the solution in the navy of his British allies, who
had promised to send a portion of the fleet to the Adriatic to clear it of French privateers. This
promise had been cemented with the dispatch of Sir Edmund Halley to Croatia to prepare a
port to receive Royal Navy vessels. Mansfeld prepared an invasion force by pulling the garrisons
from Hungary. However, his British allies changed their plans, and the fleet never came. The
result was widespread rebellion in Hungary.