War should be recognised as one of the defining features of life in the England of Henry VIII. Henry fought many wars throughout his reign, and this book explores how this came to dominate English culture and shape attitudes to the king and to national history, with people talking and reading about war, and spending money on weaponry and defence.

"Two armies face off across a sodden plateau in northeastern France, each waiting for the other to make the first move. On one side are the English, suffering from dysentery and starvation, their numbers devastated. Arrayed against them is a rested and well-fed French army, a sea of burnished armor and menacing weaponry primed to slaughter the foolish invaders. Nevertheless, the charismatic and brilliant English king, twenty-eight-year-old Henry V, defies conventional military wisdom and leads his "band of brothers" forward. His troops are outnumbered six to one." "What follows is one of the most remarkable battles in history, celebrated for almost six centuries as the classic triumph of the underdog in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Immortalized by Shakespeare and by contemporary historians, the battle of Agincourt has been embellished and edited by the quill of unbridled nationalism. Now, drawing on a wide range of primary sources and original research, medievalist Juliet Barker casts aside the myth and shows us the truth behind Henry's invasion of France and the showdown at Agincourt. She paints a narrative of the entire campaign, from the preparations to the reaping of the spoils. We are there in the English camps as common men struggle to secure buckles and laces with numb fingers; in the French front lines as petulant noblemen squabble over positions in the vanguard; and in the deep mud as heavily armed knights stumble and struggle under a barrage of arrows so thick and fast that it darkens the skies." "Barker also takes us beyond the battlefield to bring into focus the dynamics of medieval life in peace and war. We meet ordinary and extraordinary people such as Margaret Merssh, a female blacksmith who forges arms in the Tower of London; Lord Grey of Codnor, who pawns his own armor to pay his soldiers' wages; and Raoul de Gaucourt, the gallant French knight who surrenders himself into English custody simply because the code of chivalry compels him to do so."--BOOK JACKET. Also includes information on archers, armour, chivalry, coats of arms, gunpowder, heralds, horses, knights, men at arms, prisoners, ships, tournaments, Tower of London, wine, women, etc.

An unforgettable World War I story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his love for an English nurse.

There are no book-length studies in any language on the military career of King Henry II of England (1154-1189). Historians have generally regarded his warfare as cautious and limited, and the king himself, while noted for his considerable political and legal accomplishments, is not considered one of the great commanders of the Middle Ages. This book reexamines the medieval evidence and situates Henry II within the context of practiced warfare of the twelfth century. It sketches a narrative of his military activities from boyhood to death and examines his use of fortifications, manpower, strategy, tactics, and weaponry in the prosecution of war. The result is a revision of the king's military legacy: far from a passive or disinterested general, Henry II sought to vanquish his foes and expand his empire by way of direct military confrontation and was, in reality, a proficient commander of men.

"I always carry over 40,000 gold francs about with me in my belt. They weight about 40 pounds, and I am beginning to get dysentery from the load." A collection of stories and excerpts from longer works.

Wartime rape has been virulent in wars of sovereignty, territory, conquest, religion, ideology and liberation, yet attention to this crime has been sporadic throughout history. Rape remains ‘unspeakable’, particularly within law. Moreover, rape has not featured prominently in post-conflict collective memory. And even when rape is ‘remembered’, it is often the subject of political controversy and heated debate. In this book, Henry asks some critical questions about the relationship between mass rape, politics and law. In what ways does law contribute to the collective memory of wartime rape? How do ‘counter-memories’ of victims compete with the denialism of wartime rape? The text specifically analyses the historical silencing of rape throughout international legal history and the potential of law to restore these silenced histories, it also examines the violence of law and the obstacles to individual and collective redemption. Tracing the prosecution of rape crimes within contemporary courts, Henry seeks to argue that politics underscores the way rape is dealt with by the international community in the aftermath of armed conflict. Providing a comprehensive overview of the politics of wartime rape and the politics of prosecuting such crimes within international humanitarian law, this text will be of great interest to scholars of gender and security, war crimes and law and society.