Medieval Warfare Illustrated Atlas
Why were Welsh longbowmen and Italian mercenaries more effective in battle than French armoured knights? How able were the crusaders? What is the difference between chain mail and scale mail? Medieval Warfare Illustrated Atlas describes combat in what has been characterised as the ‘age of chivalry’. The book explores the tactics and strategy required to win battles with the technology available and points out how the development of such weapons technology changed the face of the battlefield. Divided into five sections, the text begins with the foot soldier and the mounted soldier, the equipment they wore and used, and how they fought together as a unit. The third section discusses how these units were used together on the battlefield, and the importance of a general correctly disposing his troops before the battle began. The fourth section looks at siege warfare, while the final chapter covers naval warfare, from the ships to the weapons the soldiers carried to the major encounters of the period. Using specially commissioned artworks to illustrate the battles, equipment and tactics of the era, Medieval Warfare Illustrated Atlas shows in detail the methods by which armies gained and lost ascendancy on the battlefield. This is an essential companion for any reader interested in medieval warfare.
Matthew Bennett is a former Senior Lecturer at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and a fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of Agincourt 1415, Campaigns of the Norman Conquest and The Medieval World at War. He lives in the UK.