DOC Bondage: Labor and Rights in Eurasia from the Sixteenth to the Early Twentieth Centuries (International Studies in Social History) by Alessandro Stanziani in History

Description

Austria's Balkan frontier – the disputed borderland between Europe and the Ottoman Turks – was defended in the 18th century by a unique organization of hardy communities who were granted farmland in return for armed service. These Grenzers; masters of guerrilla warfare; were later incorporated into Austria's regular forces; and earned a wider reputation fighting against the army of Frederik the Great's Prussia. By the start of the wars against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France they provided a significant part of the Austrian Line. This book unravels their complex history; and illustrates the development of their colourful folk costumes into striking uniforms.