Montecuccoli - Mémoires - 1712

Reasoned War: Montecuccoli Between Theory and Power in Louis XIV’s Europe
The Mémoires de Montecuccoli constitute one of the foundational texts of modern military theory and one of the most influential treatises on strategy between the 17th and 18th centuries. This Paris edition of 1712 represents the first complete French translation of the work, organized into three books and accompanied by a frontispiece portrait and plates outside the text. Montecuccoli does not offer mere autobiographical memories, but a rational system of warfare, based on the direct experience of European conflicts and on a scientific conception of the art of war. The work fully fits into the political and military context of absolutist Europe, becoming a standard reference for generations of officers."
Market value
In the antiquarian market, the Paris edition of 1712 of Mémoires de Montecuccoli generally trades between 400 and 600 euros. Complete copies of the frontispiece portrait and of the plates outside the text, like the present one, are particularly sought after and can command the high end of the valuation.

Physical description and condition
In-12. Complete with an engraved portrait on the frontispiece and 3 leaves plates out of text, comprising 5 figures. Text divided into three books. Copy in contemporary bindings in full brown sheepskin/basane, spine with raised bands with richly gilt compartments and a red morocco inlay with title in gold. Wear to the margins, defects to the headcaps and hinges, consistent with use. Pages with widespread browning and occasional foxing, without significant lacunae. In old books, with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 2 nn; 442; 16 nn; (4).

Full title and author
Memoirs of Montecuccoli, Generalissimo of the Emperor's Troops, or Principles of the Military Art in general.
Paris, Jean Geoffroy Nyon, 1712.
Raimondo Montecuccoli.

Context and Significance
The work is divided into three books:
On military art in general.
About the war against the Turks in Hungary.
Report on the military operations conducted during the recent wars in Hungary, from 1661 to 1664.
Montecuccoli analyzes war as a complex phenomenon, grounded in discipline, logistics, troop organization, and the governance of time and space. The sections devoted to campaigns against the Ottoman Empire constitute one of the most important testimonies of the Austro-Turkish War of the 17th century, observed by one of its principal protagonists.

Biography of the Author
Raimondo Montecuccoli (1609–1680) was a general of the imperial army of the Holy Roman Empire and one of the greatest strategists of his time. A direct rival of Turenne, he fought in Germany, Hungary and the Balkans. He was named generalissimo of the imperial army and commanded the Habsburg forces in Germany and in Hungary. His theoretical work had a decisive influence on European military thought up to the Napoleonic era.

Printing history and circulation
Montecuccoli's works circulated initially in manuscript and in Italian and Latin editions. The French translation of 1712 marks a key moment in the European diffusion of his thought, making the text accessible to the French military and political audience. This edition, complete with iconographic apparatus, was widely used as a theoretical and practical manual.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Paret, Makers of Modern Strategy.
Hale, War and Society in Renaissance Europe.
Montecuccoli, Military Works, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century editions.
WorldCat, catalogues of the French editions of Montecuccoli's Mémoires.