Yearly Archives: 2014

Warfare in Flanders, according to Galbert of Bruges’ The Murder of Charles the Good

by DRM_peter Posted on February 23, 2014

Galbert of Bruges was a cleric who worked principally in the fiscal administration of the castellany of Bruges. He was thus a marginal member of the count’s curia, at least when the count was in Bruges, and it is reasonable … Continue reading →

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Warfare and Firearms in Fifteenth Century Morocco, 1400-1492

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 23, 2014

Warfare and Firearms in Fifteenth Century Morocco, 1400-1492 Weston F. Cook Jr. War and Society: v.11 (1993) Warfare in history is back in vogue again with special interest in the period 1350-1750. Much of this renewal arises from debate over … Continue reading →

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Antiochus Strategos’ Account of the Sack of Jerusalem in AD 614

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 21, 2014

Antiochus Strategos’ Account of the Sack of Jerusalem in AD 614 English Historical Review: v.25 (1910) Abstract In the ninth volume of his Texts and Studies and Armenogruzinian Philology (Tekstwe i Razweskaniyah po Armyano-Gruzinskoe Philologi) Professor N. Marr, of the … Continue reading →

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La musique militaire dans le fonstionnement des armees: l’example francais (v.1300-v.1550)

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 17, 2014

La musique militaire dans le fonstionnement des armees: l’example francais (v.1300-v.1550) Philippe Contamine From Crecy to Mohacs: Warfare in the Late Middle Ages (1997) Abstract Mon propos s’adresse à <<tous ceux qui prennent plaisir a lire et escorter les faits … Continue reading →

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In Little Need of Divine Intervention: Takesaki Suenaga’s Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan

by DRM_peter Posted on February 16, 2014

In Little Need of Divine Intervention: Takesaki Suenaga’s Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan Translated by Thomas D. Conlan This volume, published the East Asian Program at Cornell University, presents a fundamental revision of the thirteenth-century Mongol invasions of … Continue reading →

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Black Camels and Blazing Bolts: The Bolt-Projecting Trebuchet in the Mamluk Army

by DRM_peter Posted on February 16, 2014

Black Camels and Blazing Bolts: The Bolt-Projecting Trebuchet in the Mamluk Army By Paul E. Chevedden Mamluk Studies Review, Vol. 8:1 (2004) The Mamluks pioneered the use of gunpowder ordnance, but their principal piece of heavy artillery was “the crushing, … Continue reading →

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Machiavelli’s Art of War: A Reconsideration

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 16, 2014

Machiavelli’s Art of War: A Reconsideration Marcia L. Colish Renaissance Quarterly: v.51 (1998) Among  Niccolo Machiavelli’s works, the Art of War (published 1521) has received comparatively little scholarly attention. Students of Renaissance literature, finding its theme otiose, content themselves with … Continue reading →

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The Romagna campaign of 1494: a significant military encounter

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 16, 2014

The Romagna campaign of 1494: a significant military encounter Cecil H. Clough The French Descent into Renaissance Italy 1494-95: Antecedents and Effects (1995) In Baldassare Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier (the second draft transcribed 1520-21, as in the final version), it … Continue reading →

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Military Intelligence in Arabo-Byzantine Naval Warfare

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 16, 2014

Military Intelligence in Arabo-Byzantine Naval Warfare Vassilios, Christides To empolemo Byzantino – Byzantium at War:(Athens: Institute for Byzantine Studies, 1997) Abstract During the long Arab-Byzantine struggle for supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea from the Seventh to the fourteenth century an … Continue reading →

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The Trebuchet

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 11, 2014

The Trebuchet Paul E. Chevedden, Les Eigenbrod, Vernard Foley and Werner Soedel Scientific American (July 1995) Abstract Centuries before the development of e›ective cannons, huge artillery pieces were demolishing castle walls with projectiles the weight of an upright piano. The … Continue reading →

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Warrior Neighbours: Alfonso el Sabio and Crusader Valencia: an Archival Case Study in His International Relations

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 9, 2014

Warrior Neighbours: Alfonso el Sabio and Crusader Valencia: an Archival Case Study in His International Relations Viator: Medieval and Renaissance Studies v.21 (1990) Abstract The thirteenth century was a turning point in the physical evolution of western European countries. As … Continue reading →

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Italy and the companies of adventure in the fourteenth century

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on February 9, 2014

Italy and the companies of adventure in the fourteenth century William Caferro The Historian: Vol.58 (1996) Abstract A multitude of villains of various nations associated in arms by the greed to appropriate the fruits of labor of innocent and unarmed … Continue reading →

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A Plan to regain the Holy Land from the Master of the Hospitallers (c.1305)

by DRM_peter Posted on February 4, 2014

Following the expulsion of the Crusaders from their last outpost of Acre in 1291, several attempts and plans were made to bring back Christian rule to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. In the following memorandum, Fulk of Villaret, master of the Hospitallers, proposes this invasion plan. Continue reading →

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Warfare and Society in the Carolingian Ostmark

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 26, 2014

Warfare and Society in the Carolingian Ostmark Charles R. Bowlus Austrian History Yearbook: v.14 (1978) Abstract 1. Introductory Remarks The relationship between military and social organization has long been a topic of major concern and debate among scholars specializing in … Continue reading →

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The Seventh Crusade (1249), according to Abu al-Faraj Gregory Bar Hebraeus

by DRM_peter Posted on January 20, 2014

Bar Hebraeus (1226-1286) is one the best known Syriac writers of the Middle Ages.  His Chronography contains a history of the world from creation until his own time.  Most of his information relates to events in the Middle East, including … Continue reading →

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Robert of Clari’s account of the Fourth Crusade

by DRM_peter Posted on January 20, 2014

Robert of Clari was a knight from Picardy who took part in the Fourth Crusade, which ended with the capture of Constantinople in 1204.  Robert seems to have returned to France in 1205, since although his work contains references up … Continue reading →

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Analysis of Crowland’s Section on the Usurpation of Richard III

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 12, 2014

Analysis of Crowland’s Section on the Usurpation of Richard III Edgar de Blieck Published Online (2003) Section from Crowland Chronicle (translation by & (C) of Pronay & Cox): Lord Hastings, who seemed to serve these dukes in every way and … Continue reading →

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The Courage of the Normans: A Contemporary Study of Battle Rhetoric

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 12, 2014

The Courage of the Normans: A Contemporary Study of Battle Rhetoric John R. Bliese Nottingham Medieval Studies: v.35 (1991) Abstract The Normans thought of themselves as a distinct ‘race’ or ‘nation’, a separate people different from other peoples. The belief … Continue reading →

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Two accounts of the conquest of Cyprus by Richard the Lionheart (1191)

by DRM_peter Posted on January 11, 2014

The following are two accounts of the invasion of Cyprus by Richard I in 1191.  The Seljuk Turk under Saladin had recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 and Cyprus’ geographical position placed her on the route of the Crusaders from Western Europe … Continue reading →

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A Norman-Italian Adventurer in the East: Richard of Salerno, 1097-1112

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 8, 2014

A Norman-Italian Adventurer in the East: Richard of Salerno, 1097-1112 George T. Beech Anglo-Norman Studies: v.15 (1993) Abstract The adventures, hardships, and disappointments awaiting the Europeans who went on the crusades have long been well known; indeed enough information has … Continue reading →

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A Forgotten Crusade: Alfonso VII of Leon-Castile and the Campaign for Jaen (1148)

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 7, 2014

A Forgotten Crusade: Alfonso VII of Leon-Castile and the Campaign for Jaen (1148) Simon Barton Historical Research: v.73 (2000) Abstract Between 114-7 and 1149 the rulers of the realms of Christian Iberia conducted a series of victorious campaigns against the … Continue reading →

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History of William the Marshal: The taking of Le Mans and the flight of Henry II

by DRM_peter Posted on January 5, 2014

The following section details the French capture of Le Mans in 1189.  War had broken out between Henry II against his son Richard and Philip Augustus, King of France.  Henry had gathered his forces, including William, at Le Mans, while … Continue reading →

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From Tyrants to Soldiers of Christ: the nobility of twelfth-century Leon-Castile and the struggle against Islam

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 1, 2014

From Tyrants to Soldiers of Christ: the nobility of twelfth-century Leon-Castile and the struggle against Islam Simon Barton (University of Exeter) Nottingham Medieval Studies: v.44 (2000) On 2 July 1120, Bishop Diego of León made a generous grant of property, … Continue reading →

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The imperial roots of Merovingian military organization

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 1, 2014

The imperial roots of Merovingian military organization Bernard S. Bachrach Military Aspects of Scandinavian Society in a European Perspective, AD 1-1300 (1997) Since the mid nineteenth century early medieval military history has been reduced to a rather simple formula. Prior … Continue reading →

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Robin Hood and Military Service in the Fourteenth Century

by Sandra Alvarez Posted on January 1, 2014

Robin Hood and Military Service in the Fourteenth Century Andrew Ayton Nottingham Medieval Studies: v.36 (1992) Abstract On 21 November 1338, forty-three archers joined the company of troops entrusted with the security of the Isle of Wight. The garrison pay-roll, … Continue reading →

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