La pensée militaire du duc Charles V de Lorraine et ses sources

This paper analyzes the military thought of Duke Charles V of Lorraine (1643-1690) and its sources. He was one of the greatest captains of the 17th century, he fought the French and Ottoman armies on both fronts of the Habsburg Monarchy and achieved considerable victories. The majority of the sources of his campaigns are conserved in Vienna in the collections of the Maison de Lorraine of the Austrian National Archives (Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv, Lothringisches Hausarchiv), but we can find others in different other European archives (Paris, Budapest etc.). After a brief presentation of the biography of Charles of Lorraine, this work turns to the origins of his military thought. Then, his diaries of campaigns are presented and analyzed by subjects. Finally, the study examines the military reforms proposed in the posthumous work Testament politique attributed to the Duke of Lorraine. Historical sources describing his decision-making confirm the idea that Charles of Lorraine was one of the most significant strategists of his time.