European Medieval Tactics (1)

Author: David Nicolle
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781849085038
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Osprey's elite title on the rise and fall of European medieval cavalry during an 800 year period. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire there was a decline in professional cavalry forces, and infantry dominated in the Germanic successor barbarian kingdoms. In the Carolingian and Norman periods from the 9th to the 11th centuries, under the impact of Viking, Saracen and Magyar advances, the cavalry arm gradually expanded from the small remaining aristocratic elite. Even so, the supposedly complete dominance of the knight in the 12th and 13th centuries is grossly exaggerated, as integrated cavalry and infantry tactics were nearly always the key to success. This is the first in a two-part treatment of medieval tactics, covering developments in both cavalry and infantry tactics. Throughout the period there was a steady evolution of training in both individual and unit skills, of armor and weapons, and thus of tactics on the battlefield. This book covers key moments in this story of evolution from Hastings in 1066 to Legnano in 1176. It also details the later development of cavalry versus cavalry tactics and the two key set piece battles of Bouvines in 1214 and Pelagonia in 1259, the former an example of abject failure of cavalry tactics and the latter a stunning success.

European Medieval Tactics (2)

Author: David Nicolle
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781849087391
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Longbows, crossbows, heavy spears, swiss pikes, catapaults, and especially gunpowder artillery and handheld guns such as the arquebus gradually but profoundly changed European warfare. By about 1260 the steady rise of the European heavily armoured mounted knight to the predominant role in most pitched battles was complete. But though he dominated the actual day of battle, he did not dominate warfare - there were plenty of vital though unglamorous tasks for which footsoldiers were still necessary, 'cleaning up round the edges'. With the development in the 13th century of co-operative tactics using crossbowmen and heavy spearmen, deployed together to compensate for each others' vulnerabilities, circumstance began to arise in which the charge by Muslim horse-archers, and then by European armoured knights, could be defied. Infantry were far cheaper and easier to train than knights, and potentially there were far more of them. Slowly, tactics emerged by which more numerous and more varied infantry played an increasing part in battles. The best-known examples of this 'democratization of the battlefield' are the English longbowmen who won battles against French knights in the Hundred Years' War, and the massed Swiss spearmen and halberdiers who did the same in wars against the Dukes of Burgundy. Illustrated with specially commissioned full-colour artwork depicting the tactical formations of the era, this book traces these and other examples of this 'jerky' and uneven process through its regional differences, which were invariably entwined with parallel cavalry developments - the balanced army of 'mixed arms' was always the key to success. By the time serious hand-held firearms appeared on battlefields in large numbers in about 1500, the face of medieval warfare had been transformed.

Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World

Author: Matthew Bennett
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780312348205
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
Describes the fighting techniques of soldiers in Europe and the Near East in an age before the widespread use of gunpowder.

Medieval Siege Weapons (1)

Author: David Nicolle
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781841762357
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 52

Book Description
The Medieval era was a period of huge variety and invention in siege warfare. Before the use of cannon and other gun-powder artillery, siege engines relied on assorted sources of power, from torsion 'energy storage' systems to man-power, counter-balances and others. This book reveals how technological traditions from the Graeco-Roman world, Persia, India and above all China made a massive contribution to siege warfare techniques. It also covers developments in military engineering, such as mining, counter-mining, the breaking of walls, the use of noxious and chemical fumes and the use of fire-weapons.

Medieval Siege Warfare

Author: Christopher Gravett
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781841765310
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 68

Book Description

The Art of Warfare in Western Europe During the Middle Ages

Author: J. F. Verbruggen
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 9780851155708
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 430

Book Description
He begins by analysing the sources for our knowledge of the military history of the period, assessing their reliability: some chroniclers exaggerate, others are careful observers or have access to official records. There follows an examination of the constituent parts of the medieval army, knights and footsoldiers, equipment and terms of service, behaviour on the field, and psychology, before the problematic question of medieval tactics is addressed through analysis of accounts of a series of major battles. Strategy is discussed in the context of these battles: whether to seek battle, fight a defensive war, or attempt a war of conquest.

Medieval Armies and Weapons in Western Europe

Author: Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786462515
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 287

Book Description
The Middle Ages are commonly divided into three periods--early, high or central, and late. Each period was marked by its own crises and wars, and the weapons and fighters reflected the technological and other advancements being made. This book is a richly illustrated history of warfare in Western Europe during those years. Part One, the early Middle Ages, covers the late Romans, the Germanic invaders and Byzantines, the Franks, the Vikings and Hungarians, and the Anglo-Saxons and Normans in England. Part Two, the high or central Middle Ages, considers the feudal system, knights and chivalry, knights at war, infantrymen, land warfare, siege and naval warfare, crusades in Palestine, templars and hospitalers, the Reconquista in Spain, and the Teutonic knights. Part Three, the late Middle Ages, discusses the evolution of new types of armor and weapons, the Hundred Years' War, mercenaries, and firearms.

Pike and Shot Tactics 1590–1660

Author: Keith Roberts
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780967845
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 144

Book Description
Throughout the 17th century large parts of Europe were depopulated during the wide-ranging and savage wars of religion and dynasty, involving all of the major powers. This was therefore a key period in the development of 'modern' infantry tactics, such as the use of pole-arms and muskets together hence the popular expression 'pike and shot'. These infantry tactics involved different national schools on thought and practice, and were tested bloodily in great battles. This title covers the Dutch-Spanish wars of independence, The Thirty Years' War and the English Civil Wars.

The Colonial Wars Source Book

Author: Philip J. Haythornthwaite
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781840672312
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Book Description
In the style that caused his Napoleonic Source Book and World War One Source Book to become mainstays of military history sine their publication, Philip Haythornthwaite again brings his orderly thoroughness to the evaluation of the colonial warfare which afflicted the world in the 19th century. He provides the finest single volume narrative reference on the subject with full coverage of events involving Britain, the Americas, Africa, the Far East, the Indian sub-continent and Australia. The Colonial Wars Source Book provides biographical details of the important personalities involved, an extensive glossary, a full chapter of sources and sundry fascinating quotes and anecdotes which interweave the entertaining and informative text.

Medieval Maritime Warfare

Author: Charles D. Stanton
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473856299
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 653

Book Description
This sweeping history of maritime warfare through the Middle Ages ranges from the 8th century to the 14th, covering the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. After the fall of Rome, the sea becomes the center of conflict for Western Civilization. In a world of few roads and great disorder, it is where power is projected and wealth is sought. Yet, since this turbulent period in the history of maritime warfare has rarely been studied, it is little known and even less understood. In Medieval Maritime Warfare, Charles Stanton depicts the development of maritime warfare from the end of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance, recounting the wars waged in the Mediterranean by the Byzantines, Ottomans, Normans, Crusaders, and the Italian maritime republics, as well as those fought in northern waters by the Vikings, English, French and the Hanseatic League. Weaving together details of medieval ship design and naval strategy with vivid depictions of seafaring culture, this pioneering study makes a significant contribution to maritime history.