Anglo-Norman Warfare - by Matthew Strickland (Paperback)

About the Book

Articles fundamental to the study of warfare in England and Normandy in the 11th and 12th centuries collected here in one volume.

Book Synopsis

The influence of war on late Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman society was dominant and all-pervasive. Here in this book, gathered together for the first time, are fundamental articles on warfare in England and Normandy in the 11th and 12th centuries, combining the work of some of the foremost scholars in the field. Redressing the tendency to study military institutions and obligations in isolation from the practice of war, equal emphasis is given both to organisation and composition of forces, and to strategy, tactics and conduct of war. The result is not only an in-depth analysis of the nature of war itself, but a study of warfare in a broader social, political and cultural context. The Themes dealt with largely span the period of the Conquest, offering an assessment of the extent to which the Norman invasion marked radical change or a degree of continuity in the composition of armies and in methods of fighting. This important collection, with an introduction and select bibliography, will be is essential not simply for the student of medieval warfare, but for all studying Anglo-Norman society and its ruling warrior aristocracy whose 'raison d'être' was war. Contributors: NICHOLAS HOOPER, MARJORIE CHIBNALL, J.C. HOLT, J.O. PRESTWICH, R. ALLEN BROWN, JOHN GILLINGHAM, JIM BRADBURY, MATTHEW STRICKLAND, MATTHEW BENNETT.

Review Quotes

This extremely useful volume...collects papers which deal with two main areas of military history: first, organisation and the nature of forces; second, the conduct of war. The work has a notable coherence... themes emerge very clearly from the volume, and also from an editor's introduction so lucid as to be an incitement to plagiarism by students. Extensive and helpful bibliography...the paperback issue is especially welcome.--JOHN HUDSON "HISTORY"