From the late 16th to the early 18th century the western parts of the Holy Roman Empire were more or less continuously effected by the European wars of the time, especially the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands (1568-1648), the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), and the wars of Louis XIV (1667-1714). Because of their vicinity to the politically unstable Netherlands and the expanding kingdom of France, the Rhineland, the Palatinate, and the Upper Rhine became theatres of war, areas of passage and retreat for mercenary troops, and destinations for numerous refugees. The authors of this volume come from Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. They discuss the everyday life in times of war and ask about the social consequences as well as the perceptions and experiences of military violence in early modern times.