Duke of Marlborough signing Despatch Blenheim Bavaria 1704
Robert Alexander Hillingford
Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz - Richard Knötel (1857-1914)
German No. 69, NightPiece No. 18, Tattoo No. 21, March No. 30 (year 1758)
The 20th regiment of foot at Minden, 1759 - Rob Chapman
Paul Sandby, circa 1760
Three views of a drummer, 1711 - Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)
The Prussian princes Augustus William, Henry and Ferdinand, around the time of the Seven Years’ War - Engraving by Johann Michael Motz after J. Gottlieb Rugendas
Austrian officer and soldiers, circa 1748 - Johann Michael Probst after Haidt
Austrian cavalry charging Turks, 1717 - attributed to Francesco Simonini (1686-1755)
Past midnight here in GMT +1. I turn twenty-three today and the day opened to the questionably marvelous discover that, exactly 266 years ago, the Infante of Spain was very concerned with desertion running rampant in his army in Italy. I remain painfully ignorant in historical economics and can’t judge if 30 to 54 livres of Milan is an alluring bounty enough for bringing back an infantry deserter; the Austrians offered 4 sequins, regardless of whether the deserter was brought in while enjoying the right of asylum, and as far as I’ve seen so far they didn’t even have a differentiated, higher price for cavalry deserters. Cf. the same Spanish grida linked above, promising a bounty of 162 livres.
