Category Archives: Articles

New Evidence for the Teutonic Order’s Bavarian Origins: Fragments Found

This brief article publicizes four little-known sources relevant to the history of the Teutonic Order’s first Grand Master, Heinrich Walpott von Bassenheim, for the purpose of notifying specialists and promoting further research. Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , | Comments Off on New Evidence for the Teutonic Order’s Bavarian Origins: Fragments Found

Ayyubids, Mamluks, and the Latin East in the Thirteenth Century

Ayyubids, Mamluks, and the Latin East in the Thirteenth Century By R. Stephen Humphreys Mamluk Studies Review, Vol.2 (1990) We thank Mamluk Studies Review for their permission to republish this article. This journal published by the Middle East Documentation Center devoted to the … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ayyubids, Mamluks, and the Latin East in the Thirteenth Century

Rotting Ships and Razed Harbors: The Naval Policy of the Mamluks

Rotting Ships and Razed Harbors: The Naval Policy of the Mamluks By Albrecht Fuess Mamluk Studies Review, Vol.5 (2001) We thank Mamluk Studies Review for permission to republish this article. This refereed journal published by the Middle East Documentation Center … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Rotting Ships and Razed Harbors: The Naval Policy of the Mamluks

Observations upon a Scene in the Bayeux Tapestry, the Battle of Hastings and the Military System of the Late Anglo-Saxon State

Observations upon a Scene in the Bayeux Tapestry, the Battle of Hastings and the Military System of the Late Anglo-Saxon State By M. K. Lawson The Medieval State: Essays Presented to James Campbell (2000) If a relative plethora of sources … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Comments Off on Observations upon a Scene in the Bayeux Tapestry, the Battle of Hastings and the Military System of the Late Anglo-Saxon State

Guns and Government: A Comparative Study of Europe and Japan

What role does technological innovation play in shaping histori–cal change in the premodern world? In general terms, this is the problem I address in this article. Specifically, I analyze the “military revolution” that emerged from Europe in the sixteenth century and the similar military changes that characterized sixteenth-century Japan. Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Comments Off on Guns and Government: A Comparative Study of Europe and Japan

‘Mount the War-Horses, Take your Lance in your Grip . . .’ Logistics Preparations for the Gascon Campaign of 1294

In June of 1294 Edward I decided to embark on the most ambitious and desperate campaign of his reign – the recovery of the Gascon lands seized by Philip IV, king of France. Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on ‘Mount the War-Horses, Take your Lance in your Grip . . .’ Logistics Preparations for the Gascon Campaign of 1294

‘The Lord put His people to the sword’: Contemporary perceptions of the Battle of Hattin (1187)

This study will seek to argue that such categories were of secondary importance to both Christian and Muslim contemporaries who either fought in the battle or lived through the summer of 1187 when compared with religious explanations. Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on ‘The Lord put His people to the sword’: Contemporary perceptions of the Battle of Hattin (1187)

William Marshal, King Henry II and the Honour of Chateauroux

William Marshal, King Henry II and the Honour of Chateauroux By Nicholas Vincent Archives: The Journal of the British Record Association Vol.25 No.102 (2000) Chance plays a large part in the survival of medieval charters. Written on parchment, and in many … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on William Marshal, King Henry II and the Honour of Chateauroux

Profit and Loss in the Hundred Years War: the Subcontracts of Sir John Strother, 1374

Profit and Loss in the Hundred Years War: the Subcontracts of Sir John Strother, 1374 By Simon Walker The Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Studies, Vol.58 (1985) Among the Swinburne manuscripts in the Northumberland County Record Office is preserved a … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Profit and Loss in the Hundred Years War: the Subcontracts of Sir John Strother, 1374

The Expression of Power in a Medieval Kingdom: Thirteenth-Century Scottish Castles

The Expression of Power in a Medieval Kingdom: Thirteenth-Century Scottish Castles By Fiona Watson Scottish Power Centres from the Early Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century, Foster, S., Macinnes, A. and MacInnes, R., (eds.)  (Glasgow, 1998)

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Expression of Power in a Medieval Kingdom: Thirteenth-Century Scottish Castles

Ibn al-Athīr’s Accounts of the Rūs: A Commentary and Translation

Ibn al-Athīr’s Accounts of the Rūs: A Commentary and Translation By William E. Watson Canadian/American Slavic Studies, Vol.35 (2001) The evidence on the early Rūs contained in medieval Arabic geographical literature has long been part of the Normanist/anti-Normanist controversy.1 The … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ibn al-Athīr’s Accounts of the Rūs: A Commentary and Translation

Turkish Raids in Friuli at the End of the Fifteenth Century

Turkish Raids in Friuli at the End of the Fifteenth Century By Maria Pia Pedani Acta Viennensia Ottomanica, edited by Markus Kohbach, Gisela Prochaska-Eisl, and Claudia Romer (Vienna: Im Selbrstverlag des Instituts fur Orientalistik, 1999) Acta Viennensia Ottomanica is collection of … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Turkish Raids in Friuli at the End of the Fifteenth Century

The Contest between Lithuania-Rus’ and the Golden Horde in the Fourteenth Century for Supremacy over Eastern Europe

The Contest between Lithuania-Rus’ and the Golden Horde in the Fourteenth Century for Supremacy over Eastern Europe By Jaroslaw Pelinski Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi, Vol.2 (1982) Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi focuses on the Eurasian steppes and adjoining regions from the fifth … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Contest between Lithuania-Rus’ and the Golden Horde in the Fourteenth Century for Supremacy over Eastern Europe

Invasion, Conquest, and the Creation of Livonia

Invasion, Conquest, and the Creation of Livonia By Andrejs Plakans The Latvians: A Short History (Hoover Institution Press, 1995) The section is the second chapter of The Latvians: A Short History, by Andrejs Plakans, which was published by Hoover Institution Press in 1995. … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Invasion, Conquest, and the Creation of Livonia

Chaucer’s Knight, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, and the Medieval Laws of War: a Reconsideration

Chaucer’s Knight, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, and the Medieval Laws of War: a Reconsideration By Elizabeth Porter Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol.27 (1983)  Nottingham Medieval Studies is published by the Department of History, University of Nottingham. For more information, please see their website. … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , | Comments Off on Chaucer’s Knight, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, and the Medieval Laws of War: a Reconsideration

Frederick II and the Rebellion of the Muslims of Sicily, 1200-1224

Frederick II and the Rebellion of the Muslims of Sicily, 1200-1224 By James M. Powell Uluslararasi Hacli Seferleri Sempozyumu (1999) In 1999 the Turkish Historical Society/Turk Tarifrh Kurumu published this volume which is devoted to the Crusades in the medieval Middle … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Frederick II and the Rebellion of the Muslims of Sicily, 1200-1224

English Armies in the Early Stages of the Hundred Years War: A Scheme in 1341

English Armies in the Early Stages of the Hundred Years War: A Scheme in 1341 By Michael Prestwich The Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Studies, Vol.56 (1983) We thank the Institute of Historical Studies and the authors for giving … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on English Armies in the Early Stages of the Hundred Years War: A Scheme in 1341

Venice and the Conquest of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem

Venice and the Conquest of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem By Donald E. Queller and Irene B. Katele Studi Veneziani, Vol.21 (1986) Studi Veneziani is published by Istituto di Storia della Società e dello Stato Veneziano. We thank the editors for their permission … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Venice and the Conquest of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem

Hungarian strategy against the Ottomans (1365-1526)

Hungarian strategy against the Ottomans (1365-1526) By Gyula Razso From Crecy to Mohacs: Warfare in the Late Middle Ages (1346-1526): XXIInd Colloquium of the International Commission of Military History (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum: Vienna, 1997) We thank the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum of Vienna for … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , | Comments Off on Hungarian strategy against the Ottomans (1365-1526)

Historical Invasions/Historiographical Inventions: Snorri Sturluson and the Battle of Stamford Bridge

Historical Invasions/Historiographical Inventions: Snorri Sturluson and the Battle of Stamford Bridge By Elizabeth Ashman Rowe Medievalia: A Journal of Medieval Studies, Vol. 17 (1994)  

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Historical Invasions/Historiographical Inventions: Snorri Sturluson and the Battle of Stamford Bridge

Cloth and Credit: Aragonese War Finance in the Mid-Fifteenth Century

Cloth and Credit: Aragonese War Finance in the Mid-Fifteenth Century By Alan Ryder War and Society, Vol.2:1 (1984) War & Society publishes scholarly articles on the causes, experience and impact of war in all periods of history. While articles dealing with … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , | Comments Off on Cloth and Credit: Aragonese War Finance in the Mid-Fifteenth Century

From ‘Milites Christi’ to ‘Mali Christiani’: The Italian Communes in Western Historical Literature

From ‘Milites Christi’ to ‘Mali Christiani’: The Italian Communes in Western Historical Literature By Sylvia Schein I Comuni Italiani nel Regno Crociato di Gerusalemme / The Italian communes in the Crusading Kingdom of Jerusalem, edited by Gabriella Airaldi and Benjamin … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged | Comments Off on From ‘Milites Christi’ to ‘Mali Christiani’: The Italian Communes in Western Historical Literature

Between East and West: the Jews in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099-1291

Between East and West: the Jews in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099-1291 By Sylvia Schein East and West in the Crusader States : Context, Contacts, Confrontations Vol.1 (1996) East and West in the Crusader States: Context, Contacts, Confrontations is a series … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Between East and West: the Jews in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099-1291

Rival and Epigone of Kiev: The Vladimir-Suzdal’ Principality

Rival and Epigone of Kiev: The Vladimir-Suzdal’ Principality By Ihor Sevcenko Ukraine between East and West: Essays on Cultural History to the Early Eighteenth Century (Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, 1996) Thank you to Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Rival and Epigone of Kiev: The Vladimir-Suzdal’ Principality

The Alexandrian Crusade (1365) and the Mamluk Sources: Reassessment of the kitab al-ilmam of an-Nuwayri al-Iskandarani

The Alexandrian Crusade (1365) and the Mamluk Sources: Reassessment of the kitab al-ilmam of an-Nuwayri al-Iskandarani By Jo Van Steenbergen East and West in the crusader states : context, contacts, confrontations, Vol.3 (2003)

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Alexandrian Crusade (1365) and the Mamluk Sources: Reassessment of the kitab al-ilmam of an-Nuwayri al-Iskandarani

‘Spurred on by the Fear of Death’: Refugees and Displaced Populations during the Mongol Invasion of Hungary

“Spurred on by the Fear of Death”: Refugees and Displaced Populations during the Mongol Invasion of Hungary By James Ross Sweeney Nomadic Diplomacy, Destruction and Religion from the Pacific to the Adriatic: Papers prepared for the Central and Inner Asian … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | Comments Off on ‘Spurred on by the Fear of Death’: Refugees and Displaced Populations during the Mongol Invasion of Hungary

Killing or Clemency? Ransom, Chivalry and Changing Attitudes to Defeated Opponents in Britain and Northern France, 7-12th centuries

Killing or Clemency? Ransom, Chivalry and Changing Attitudes to Defeated Opponents in Britain and Northern France, 7-12th centuries Matthew J. Strickland Krieg im Mittelalter (2001) On 25 September, 1066, the forces of King Harold II of England fell upon the … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Killing or Clemency? Ransom, Chivalry and Changing Attitudes to Defeated Opponents in Britain and Northern France, 7-12th centuries

Knightly Arms – Plebian Arms

Knightly Arms – Plebian Arms Zdzislaw Zygulski Jr. (Kraków, Poland) Quaestiones medii aevi novae:  vol. 4 (1999) The science dealing with the arms of the past – Waffenkunde, hoplology – developed during the second half of the nineteenth century and … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Knightly Arms – Plebian Arms

The Tower of London and the garderobae armorum

The Tower of London and the garderobae armorum Randall Storey Royal Armouries Yearbook: 3 (1998) The history of such a treasured monument as the Tower of London is a famed account full of epic events and infamous deeds. Its place … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Tower of London and the garderobae armorum

Ships and Fleets in Anglo-French warfare, 1337-1360

Ships and Fleets in Anglo-French warfare, 1337-1360 Timothy J. Runyan American Neptune: v.46 (1986) The most consuming military and naval conflict of later medieval Europe was the Hundred Years’ War. Beginning in 1337 and continuing until 1453 this struggle involved … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Ships and Fleets in Anglo-French warfare, 1337-1360

Caste, Skill, and Training: The Evolution of Cohesion in European Armies from the Middle Ages to the Sixteenth Century

Caste, Skill, and Training: The Evolution of Cohesion in European Armies from the Middle Ages to the Sixteenth Century Dennis E. Showalter The Journal of Military History: vol. 57 (1993) Abstract The Middle Ages were characterized by growing institutional sophistication, … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Caste, Skill, and Training: The Evolution of Cohesion in European Armies from the Middle Ages to the Sixteenth Century

The Military Revolutions of the Hundred Years’ War

The Military Revolutions of the Hundred Years’ War Clifford J. Rogers The Journal of Military History: v.57 (1993) The Military Revolution The concept of the “military revolution” first entered the historical literature with Michael Roberts’s famous inaugural lecture, “The Military … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Military Revolutions of the Hundred Years’ War

The recruitment of armies in the early middle ages: what can we know?

The recruitment of armies in the early middle ages: what can we know? Timothy Reuter Military Aspects of Scandinavian Society in a European Perspective, AD 1-1300 (Copenhagen, 1997) Abstract The study of medieval warfare has probably both benefitted and suffered from … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The recruitment of armies in the early middle ages: what can we know?

Avant Nicopolis: la campagne de 1395 pour le contrôle du Bas-Danube

Avant Nicopolis: la campagne de 1395 pour le contrôle du Bas-Danube Dan  Ioan  Mureşan  (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris) L’armée croisée affluait au début de l’été 1396 vers Nicopolis sur deux directions[1]. Le corps principal, ayant le … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Avant Nicopolis: la campagne de 1395 pour le contrôle du Bas-Danube

English Refugees in the Byzantine Armed Forces: The Varangian Guard and Anglo-Saxon Ethnic Consciousness

English Refugees in the Byzantine Armed Forces: The Varangian Guard and Anglo-Saxon Ethnic Consciousness Nicholas C.J. Pappas (Sam Houston State University, 2004) One of the most interesting episodes in Byzantine military history and in medieval English history is the Anglo-Saxon … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on English Refugees in the Byzantine Armed Forces: The Varangian Guard and Anglo-Saxon Ethnic Consciousness

A Military History of Belarusian Lands Up to the End of Twelfth Century A.D.

A Military History of Belarusian Lands Up to the End of Twelfth Century A.D. Jahor Novikaǔ Jahor Novikaǔ A Military History of Belarusian Lands Up to the End of 12th Century A.D. Vol. 1. (Minsk, Belarus: Łohvinaǔ, 2007). (Новікаў Я.У. … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Military History of Belarusian Lands Up to the End of Twelfth Century A.D.

‘Treachery in the Remotest Territories of Scotland’: Northern Resistance to the Canmore Dynasty, 1130-1230

‘Treachery in the Remotest Territories of Scotland’: Northern Resistance to the Canmore Dynasty, 1130-1230 R. Andrew McDonald (University College of Cape Breton) Canadian Journal of History: vol. 33 (August 1999), pp. 161-192 The Annals of Ulster, a rich source of … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Treachery in the Remotest Territories of Scotland’: Northern Resistance to the Canmore Dynasty, 1130-1230

Discretion and deceit: a re-examination of a military stratagem in Egils saga

Discretion and deceit: a re-examination of a military stratagem in Egils saga By Ian McDougall The Middle Ages in the Northwest: papers presented at an international conference sponsored by the Centres of Medieval Studies at the Universities of Liverpool and … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , | Comments Off on Discretion and deceit: a re-examination of a military stratagem in Egils saga

Recent Excavations at Norwich Castle

Recent Excavations at Norwich Castle Elizabeth Shepherd Popescu Military Studies in Medieval Europe – Papers of the ‘Medieval Europe Brugge 1997’ Conference – volume 11 Introduction Norwich, the largest city in medieval England, dominated East Anglia from the eleventh century … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Recent Excavations at Norwich Castle