Deception in Medieval Warfare - (Warfare in History) by James Titterton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

First full-length study of the use and perception of deceit in medieval warfare.

Deception and trickery are a universal feature of warfare, from the Trojan horse to the inflatable tanks of the Second World War. The wars of the Central Middle Ages (c. 1000-1320) were no exception. This book looks at the various tricks reported in medieval chronicles, from the Normans feigning flight at the battle of Hastings (1066) to draw the English off Senlac Hill, to the Turks who infiltrated the Frankish camp at the Field of Blood (1119) disguised as bird sellers, to the Scottish camp followers descending on the field of Bannockburn (1314) waving laundry as banners to mimic a division of soldiers. This study also considers what contemporary society thought about deception on the battlefield: was it a legitimate way to fight? Was cunning considered an admirable quality in a warrior? Were the culturally and religious "other" thought to be more deceitful in war than Western Europeans?

Through a detailed analysis of vocabulary and narrative devices, this book reveals a society with a profound moral ambivalence towards military deception, in which authors were able to celebrate a warrior's cunning while simultaneously condemning their enemies for similar acts of deceit. It also includes an appendix cataloguing over four hundred incidents of military deception as recorded in contemporary chronicle narratives.

Review Quotes

Titterton demonstrates superb scholarly knowledge across the central Middle Ages. Deception in Medieval Warfare opens the aperture on medieval strategy beyond the preconceived expectation of legions of uneducated peasants massacring each other, to a more personal, dynamic, and interesting realm of where cunning, strategy, and trickery could be appreciated-as long as it was employed by the side of the chronicler.-- "H-NET REVIEWS, H-WAR"

Titterton's immaculate research indicates what can be achieved by utilising databases correctly. A great example of high-quality research and an indication to where the academic world should aspire to be, this book should be available at every university library and will also be a very good addition to the library of many enthusiasts of the topic and the period.-- "DE RE MILITARI"

[A] fascinating book [...]--BATTLEFIELDS TRUST MAGAZINE

This is a fascinating examination of what was clearly a key part of medieval warfare, giving us a good idea of how deception was seen at the time, how common it was, and how varied the types of deception used were.--HISTORY OF WAR.ORG