Women and Military Institutions in Early Modern Europe: A Reconnaissance

Military history has ignored the vital role women played in the armies during the early modern period. The roles of women as sutlers and laundresses were common, unrewarded, and then forgotten as the nature of armies changed in the industrialized 19th century. During the Thirty Years War, wives were encouraged to carry on household tasks in the camps. During wars of the 18th century, women chose the army for the freedom it provided and as an alternative to poverty.