Almost continual warfare raged in Europe during the period 1300-1500. These wars were the furnaces in which many of the modern European nations were forged. Parallel with this emergence of the nations came the development of national armies to protect the newly-won borders and independence, yet throughout this period the old feudal method of raising an army persisted. This fascinating study by Terence Wise explores the organisation, weapons and equipment of the armies who fought across medieval Europe, from the Hundred Years War to the fight against the Moors in Spain and the French invasion of Italy.

`Careful, original and wide-ranging study of many different aspects of late medieval military history.' HISTORY The Hundred Years War embraced warfare in all aspects, from the grand set pieces of Crecy and Agincourt to the pillaged lands of the dispossessed population. What makes this book different from previous studies emphasising the great battles is its use of less familiar evidence, such as administrative records and landscape archaeology, to gain a truer picture of the realities of medieval warfare. From a general review of battle tactics, the book turns to examine (at points enlisting computer analysis) a number of issues: the composition of the English army, the management of affairs in Aquitaine, the response in England at large to the war and the consequent propaganda and hardship, and the impact of warfare on local communities. Close study of surviving artefacts - weapons, fortifications - also allows realistic assessments of military and naval experiences. Contributors: ANDREW AYTON, MATTHEW BENNETT, ANNE CURRY, IAN FRIEL, ROBERT HARDY, MICHAEL HUGHES, MICHAEL JONES, BRIAN KEMP, JOHN KENYON, MARK ORMROD, ROBERT SMITH, MALCOLM VALE.

Great Britain's story is punctuated by the glorious battles at Bannockburn, Crecy and Agincourt, and Shakespearean heroes like Edward III, Henry V, and Hotspur. History remembers this as an age of chivalry interwoven with mythic feats of bravery. Yet this is a period of war when three nations struggled against each other over 200 years bringing England to the brink of Civil War. Many historians have tackled the questions of why the wars between England, Scotland and France between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries occurred; few have had the expertise to explain how England came to dominate medieval warfare. Peter Reid, formerly the Major General of logistics for the British Army, uses his experience to recast how the small English forces were able to face down their enemies on so many fronts. Within the 116 years of conflict only a handful of battles were actually fought; instead the British army conducted a policy of raiding and sieges. Additionally, when two armies met, the famous English archers created havoc on the field, and battles were won or lost by hand to hand fighting. Medieval Warfare is revelatory about the role of war in creating Great Britain.

A history of the war experience of 13th and 14th century England. With anecdotes and illustrations, it explores how English medieval armies fought, how men were recruited, how the troops were fed, supplied and deployed, the development of weapons, and the structure of military command.