As the Viking Age gave way to the Middle Ages the development of Scandinavian armies showed special local characteristics, due both to the rough terrain and the relatively 'egalitarian' nature of society. Though Denmark's proximity to Germany led to the appearance there of a kind of feudal system an[...]
This period saw profound changes, as Scandinavia became greatly influenced by military events and developments elsewhere in Europe. Most noticeably, plate armour began to take over from mail; and important evidence is provided by the remarkable 14th century battle grave finds at Wisby, where many co[...]
The battle of Poitiers was one of the most important battles of the first part of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. With an Anglo-Gascon army, the Black Prince carried out a large raid into the heart of France in the summer of 1356, causing King John of France to bring his superior [...]
The MiG-21 provided the backbone of frontline Arab air combat strength for many years and remained the Arabs only real hope of challenging Israeli air supremacy. This book tells, in great detail, the story of the MiG-21 in Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi service. It includes numerous photographs, most of[...]
Crusader castles and other fortifications in Cyprus, the south-western coast of Turkey and Greece are amongst the best examples of late medieval military architecture to be seen in Europe. These important fortifications, erected by the Hospitallers during the 15th century to face the growing Ottoman[...]
The history of Poland is a fascinating study of a people struggling to achieve nationhood in the face of internal and external enemies. Poland became a unified Christian state in AD 966 and by the 12th century a knightly class had emerged - a force that was integral to the defense of Poland against [...]
Few centuries in world history have had such a profound and long-lasting impact as the first hundred years of Islamic history. In this book, David Nicolle examines the extensive Islamic conquests between AD 632 and 750. These years saw the religion and culture of Islam erupt from the Arabian Peninsu[...]
The Ottoman Empire was heir to the architectural traditions not only of the Byzantine Empire but also to those of the medieval Islamic Middle East. Having learned from these, the Ottomans created a fusion of military architectural styles to which they added what they learned from their later medieva[...]
"The Great Chevauchee: John of Gaunt's Raid on France 1373".
With the development in the 13th century of co-operative tactics using crossbowmen and heavy spearmen, 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 pote[...]
From humble beginnings, in the course of three centuries the Portuguese built the world's first truly global empire, stretching from modern Brazil to sub-Saharan Africa and from India to the East Indies (Indonesia). Portugal had established its present-day borders by 1300 and the following century s[...]
Rome's desert frontier was one where the Empire faced few dangers, for here relations were generally based on a mutual interest in trade across the frontier. Yet when Rome did clash with desert peoples, particularly those of Syria and Arabia, the mobility, fighting skills and ability to withdraw int[...]
By the late 4th century the pressures on the frontiers of the Roman Empire had transformed the nature of the army which defended it. With the western half of the empire in economic decline and chronic manpower shortages the army had proved incapable of defending the line of the frontier. Necessity f[...]
In Europe the Mamluks of Egypt are remembered as so-called 'Slave Kings' who drove out the Crusaders from the Holy Land; but they were far more than that. Though its frontiers barely changed, the Mamluk Sultanate remained a 'great power' for two and a half centuries. Its armies were the culmination [...]
The Janissaries comprised an elite corps in the service of the Ottoman Empire. It was composed of war captives and Christian youths pressed into service; all of whom were converted to Islam and trained under the strictest discipline. In many ways, Jannisaries reflected Ottoman society, which was its[...]
The Ottoman army was arguably the most colourful of all the military forces to take the field in the Napoleonic wars. This period was one of transition as the Ottoman empire struggled to come to terms with the upheavals caused by war to modernise her military forces in the face of threats from Franc[...]
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were a time of great upheaval for medieval France. In 1328 the Capetian line came to an end. This was the trigger for the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) as successive English kings attempted to uphold their claim to the French throne. Catastrophic defeats at Cre[...]
The 8th century heralded the start of a golden age in the history of the Islamic world. At this time, the Sunni Muslim 'Abbasid Caliphate, with its capital at Baghdad, ruled virtually the entire Islamic world. Islamic military power peaked in the 9th century, but by the end of this golden age in the[...]
In the centuries following the first expeditions down the great rivers of northern Russia by Viking traders and adventurers, the foundations for a new state were laid. Many influences combined in this colourful culture which grew up first around the great cities of Kiev and Novgorod - Scandinavian, [...]
The high point of medieval islamic expansion was the 700-year presence of the 'Moors' in Spain and Portugal. The Arab and Berber conquest was followed by the establishment of a richly distinct culture in Andalusia, where for a while Muslim and Christian co-operated as often as they fought. The rise [...]
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