Skip to content
Vestes Bellica Military history archive

Vestes Bellica

French troops in Alsace in the 19th century.

The Garrisons of Alsace in the 19th Century. Illustrated work of 100 plates in color. Strasbourg 1911.

The following plates were taken from the original work. It comprised 100 plates. The plates that follow are primarily those from the Restoration period onward.

Recommended Articles

Uniformierung & Ausrüstung

A Short History of the Uniform - Part 5 - The Development of the Uniform from the 17th to the 18th Century Using the Example of France

In the second half of the 17th century a unified government authority with absolute power emerged in France. When Cardinal Mazarin died on 09.03.1661, the young King Louis XIV declared that he would appoint no successor and would henceforth rule personally. However, he allowed himself to be advised by the Secret Council of State. State power now concentrated entirely in the hands of King Louis XIV (05.09.1638 – 01.09.1715). He is regarded as the principal representative of courtly absolutism and became a model for many other European rulers. Convinced of the divine right of kings, the monarch presented himself magnificently and, after overcoming the noble Fronde, claimed absolute authority in all state matters as an autocrat.