Detailed item info | Size | | Length: | 396 pages | | Height: | 10.5 in. | | Width: | 7.3 in. | | Thickness: | 1.2 in. | | Weight: | 42.4 oz. |
| | Publisher's Note | Medieval warfare was hard, grueling, and often unrewarding. While military life in this era is sometimes pictured in terms of knights in armor with splendid coats of arms, the reality more often consisted of men struggling against cold and damp and against elusive foes who refused to do battle. In this fascinating book, Michael Prestwich re-creates the real experience of medieval warfare, examining how English medieval armies fought, how men of all ranks of society were recruited, how the troops were fed, supplied, and deployed, what new weapons were developed, and what structure was set in place for military command.
Michael Prestwich challenges many common assumptions about medieval warfare. He argues that medieval commanders were capable of much more sophisticated strategies than is usually assumed: spies were an important part of the machinery of war, and the destruction of crops and the burning of villages were part of a deliberate plan to force a foe to negotiate, rather than an indication of lack of discipline. Sieges, often lengthy and expensive, were more prevalent in war than were battles. In battle, the mounted knight was never as dominant as is often thought: even in the twelfth century, many battles were won by unmounted men. Medieval warfare was not, on the whole, any more chivalric than warfare of other periods, although there were many notable individual deeds, particularly during the Hundred Years War, that brought great chivalric renown to those who performed them.
Written by a leading scholar of the period and filled with anecdotes and illustrations, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the social history of war in the Middle Ages.
Medieval warfare was hard, gruelling and often unrewarding. While military life in this era is sometimes pictured in terms of knights resplendent in armour and bearing colourful standards and coats of arms, the reality more often consisted of men struggling against cold, damp and hunger, pressing elusive foes who refused to do battle. In this fascinating book, Michael Prestwich re-creates the real experience of medieval warfare, examining how men of all ranks of society were recruited, how troops were fed, supplied, and deployed, the development of new weapons, and the structures of military command. Michael Prestwich challenges many common assumptions about medieval warfare. He shows that medieval commanders were capable of far more sophisticated strategy than is usually assumed: spies were an important part of the machinery of war, and the destruction of crops and burning of villages were part of a deliberate plan to force a foe to negotiate, rather than an indication of lack of discipline. Sieges, often lengthy and expensive, were more prevalent than physical battles. And in actual engagement the mounted knight was never as dominant as is often supposed: even in the twelfth century, many battles were won by unmounted men. Medieval warfare was not, on the whole, any more chivalric than warfare of other periods, although there were many instances of individual heroism, particularly during the Hundred Years War, that brought glory and renown to those who performed them.
| | Industry reviews | "...the 300-plus pages of facts, figures, and citations he has assembled aim to show that the changes in warfare since the Middle Ages were more evolution that revolution....There is much here to fascinate the curious and inform even the most expert."
Philadelphia Inquirer - John R. Alden (05/26/1996)
"In all this, then, there is much open to debate...But what is not open to debate is the value and originality of Prestwich's book. This lies less in any overarching theories than in the range of topics covered and the extraordinary detail with which they are illustrated."
Times Literary Supplement - D. A. Carpenter (08/23/1996)
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