At the turn of the 15th to 16th centuries, Europe was shaken by a series of conflicts and clashes between European powers competing for dominance over Italian space. These wars involved both great powers and smaller states, especially the Italian city states. The main rivalry was between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg dynasty. A particularly important part of these conflicts was the war between Emperor Maximilian and the Venetian Republic, which lasted from 1508 to 1516. The war also affected the Slovene ethnic territory to a large extent, especially the Carniolan Provincial Estates, who bore a significant military burden on the Habsburg side. The feudal army was a key part of Maximilian’s army, despite the fact that at the end of the 15th century a number of military innovations changed the way warfare was conducted. Firearms were used to a greater extent, infantry became the main force on the battlefield, while the ideal of knighthood and heavy cavalry remained an important part of any army. Light cavalry was also beginning to make its presence felt in Europe. The period around 1500 thus represented the initial phase of a military transformation that would last for at least 100 years.
|
