It was a commonly-held belief that Italy offered little of interest to military historians after the Renaissance and that it had been deservedly forgotten, with the Italian Risorgimento desperately wishing to repudiate the values of the previous centuries. In place of a politically fragmented and militarily weak collection of small states in the thrall of Counter-Reformation Catholicism, the 19th century historians dreamed of a united, secular, industrial and well-armed country that could stand comparison with Great Britain, Germany, and France. The lack of interest in this period increased even more under the fascist regime, which preferred to avoid a period in which Italian states appeared as political entities dominated by foreign interference and focus on the unreal Imperial myth reworked from the vestiges of the monuments of ancient Rome. In the 17th century, Italy was the third-largest country in Europe, by population size, after France and Germany, passing into second position for a century after 1650. Northern as well as southern Italy held a key place in the strategic duel between Spain and France, and the Peninsula lay on the frontline in the struggle against the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, Italian states constituted good examples of efficient governance, developing many aspects including their military forces. Some of these states experienced long periods of war, to the point that the claim that social elites progressively demilitarized to an extent unequalled anywhere else in Europe should be considered as no longer valid. The second part of Volume 6 looks at the armies of the lesser Italian states.

The armies of Genoa, the Papal States, Tuscany, Parma, Modena, Mantua, Lucca, and many others are all examined in a level of detail never before seen in the English language. This volume also covers the nature and execution of military affairs and war in Italy. The book is lavishly illustrated and comes with 16 specially-commissioned colour plates drawn by the author.