Garrison town (802 words)
The word garrison a French loanword. In the 18th century, Krünitz defined it as “the squad or body of soldiers stationed in a town to defend it against enemies or to guard it and at the same to keep the people obedient” [1. 143 f.]. During the Thirty Years’ War, numerous European states and territories began to create permanent troop formations that were no longer demobilized at the end of a campaign (Standing army). Strategically important sites, normally towns, were assigned a permanent body of hired mercenaries or conscripted soldiers, i.e. a garrison.
In the 17th and 18th …
Cite this page
Kroll, Stefan,
“Garrison town”, in:
Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012.
Consulted online on 07 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_019608>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180208
▲ Back to top ▲