Simplicius - Overland Travel

Art is Scene from the Thirty Years' War, Pieter Meulener. Between 1567 and 1633, the Spanish Road saw more than 100,000 soldiers march along her 620 mile length. Sending troops to the Spanish Netherlands proved a logistical challenge for her overlords, who were eager to put down the long and bloody revolt against their rule. While the most obvious route would be through the English Channel, Spain was hostile to France, England, and of course the Netherlands, three strong naval powers in the region. Instead, the Habsburgs opted for a land-based route. They would ship soldiers from Barcelona to Genoa, up through Milan where they could meet with soldiers from Spain's Italian holdings. They would then head north to their Burgundian lands, via Savoy or the Valtelline, and finally onto the Spanish Netherlands. The average journey along this route took 48 days, marching around 13 miles a day; a far cry from a contemporary sailing ship's average of 120 miles per day. The fastest...