3 - The Honors of War in Early Modern Surrender, 1650–1789

Summary

In the more centralized states of early modern Europe, rulers exerted greater control over warfare. They established ransom, parole, and exchange for all ranks, not simply the elites. Men taken in battle and held by enemy forces could be ransomed by the states for which they fought. In certain circumstances, prisoners could be free of confinement until ransoms were paid, a new sense of parole. Prisoners could also be exchanged between warring parties. The details of these practices were set out in formal agreements, “cartels,” between adversaries. State surrenders in European wars were set down in treaties; however, the language of the treaties was typified by respectful treatment of the defeated, avoiding the term “surrender,” and praising the return of peace. Moderate language conformed to the principles of an age in which contemporary writings praised the more civilized, even polite, conduct of war. Surrender of military units was common, particularly in siege warfare. The besieged could win advantages by surrender. Garrisons might be given the honors of war, by which a defeated garrison would be allowed to march out and proceed to a friendly camp or garrison, rejoining their own army and escaping imprisonment.