Medieval Warfare: A History

by Maurice Keen

Paperback, 2001

Status

Available

Call number

355.00940902

Genres

Collection

Physical Books

Publication

Oxford Paperbacks (2001), Paperback

Description

This richly illustrated book explores over seven hundred years of European warfare, from the time of Charlemagne to the end of the middle ages (c.1500). The period covered has a distinctive character in military history. It was an age when organization for war was integral to social structure, when the secular aristocrat was by necessity also a warrior, and whose culture was profoundly influenced by martial ideas. Twelve scholars, experts in their own fields, have contributed to this finely illustrated book. It is divided into two parts. Part I seeks to explore the experience of war viewed chr

User reviews

LibraryThing member Poleaxe

Maurice Keen's "Medieval Warfare, a History" is actually a collection of essay's written by various experts on certain facets of the subject. The first half of the book is a chronological look at Medieval Warfare in general, starting the Carolingian and Ottonian area and finishing with the Hundred

Years War. A particular author is assigned different periods of this time frame and each lends their talent and expertise to the reader, greatly enhancing the usefullness of the text. This section did start out a bit slow and tedious but rapidly transformed into a nicely comprehensive study into the various periods of Medival Warfare.
The second half of the book, entitled "The Arts of Warfare", covered subjects such as fortification and sieges, arms, armour, horses, naval warfare, non-combatants, and finally firearms with permanent armies. Again, each subject is address by an author considered expert in the field. If found this book very informative and probaly not too intimidating to the beginner. Mr. Keen did an excellent job at selecting the subjects and writers of this book along with a clear and informative presentation.

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