The national service in Spain during the 17th century

Abstract

A decisive turn took place in the military policy of Spain in the seventeenth century: a change from the prevalence of centralized and volunteer recruitment to a more diversified one noncentralized and obligatory. The aforementioned turn was a very important historical event because it determinated the evolution of the model of the spanish infantry regiment (profesional army, mercenary and voluntier) towards an army-military, based on the combination of regular troops and militias. I intend to analyze some of the clues of the military service and recruitment methods of the XVIIth century: the traditional one, XVIth century and the recruitment made through nobelmen and municipalities.