Phillip Konstandaras 42925304 What was revolutionary about the “Military Revolution” in early modern Europe? The idea of a "military revolution" was first introduced by the historian Michael Roberts in 1955 and has become a dominant theory concerning the narrative and study of military history 1 . Roberts' 'military revolution' occurs between 1560 and 1660 2 and consists of four essential components, "four smaller revolutions within the larger one" 3 ; (firstly) a revolution in tactics 4 ; (secondly) a revolution in strategy 5 ; (thirdly) a "prodigious increase in the scale of warfare in Europe" 6 and, (fourthly) a "dramatically accentuated" 7 impact upon society. However, Roberts model of a "military revolution" has been thoroughly challenged since its first appearance, with many historians debating his conclusions and time frame. To better understand Roberts' categories and the true nature of the "military revolution" we must first explore the constituents of each of these four broad categories and the problems found therein. To do so I have chosen to use the Eighty Years War and the Thirty Years War, and the nations involved in each, as points of comparison and examples that show that the "military revolution" that occurred in Early Modern Europe, while containing revolutionary aspects, is better described as the evolution of European militaries and of Europe itself. Firstly, Roberts' "revolution in tactics" is the result of "one more attempt to solve the perennial problem" 8 of battlefield tactics, that is, how to best combine "hitting power, mobility and defensive strength" 9 . Roberts' focuses on the reforms of Maurice of Orange (during the Eighty Years War) and Gustav Adolphus (during the Thirty Years War) who 1 Chickering, R & Forster, C; "War in an Age of Revolution, 1775-1815" 2010, Cambridge University Press pp. 1 2 Roberts, Michael 'Military Revolution 1560-1660', found in 'Military Revolution Debate: Readings on the Military Transformation of Early Modern Europe', edited by Clifford J. Rogers, Westview Press, Inc. pp. 13 3 Kingra, Mahinder, 'The Trace Italienne and the Military Revolution During the Eighty Years' War, 1567-1648', The Journal of Military History, Vol. 57, No. 3 1993, Society for Military History pp. 431 4 Parker, Geoffrey 'The "Military Revolution," 1560-1660 - a Myth?' The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 48, Issue 2 (June, 1976) pp.196 5 ibid. pp.196 6 ibid. pp. 197 7 ibid. pp.197 8 Roberts, Military Revolution, pp. 13 9 ibid. pp. 13 1