The early modern period (c. 1500-1800) of world history is characterized
by the establishment and aggressive expansion of European empires, and
warfare between imperial powers and indigenous peoples was a central
component of the quest for global dominance. From the Portuguese in
Africa to the Russians and Ottomans in Central Asia, empire builders
could not avoid military interactions with native populations, and many
discovered that imperial expansion was impossible without the
cooperation, and, in some cases, alliances with the natives they
encountered in the new worlds they sought to rule.
Empires and Indigenes is a sweeping examination of how intercultural
interactions between Europeans and indigenous people influenced military
choices and strategic action. Ranging from the Muscovites on the western
steppe to the French and English in North America, it analyzes how
diplomatic and military systems were designed to accommodate the demands
and expectations of local peoples, who aided the imperial powers even as
they often became subordinated to them. Contributors take on the
analytical problem from a variety of levels, from the detailed case
studies of the different ways indigenous peoples could be employed, to
more comprehensive syntheses and theoretical examinations of diplomatic
processes, ethnic soldier mobilization, and the interaction of culture
and military technology.
Contributors: Virginia Aksan, David R. Jones, Marjoleine Kars, Wayne E.
Lee, Mark Meuwese, Douglas M. Peers, Geoffrey Plank, Jenny Hale
Pulsipher, and John K. Thornton
