Warfare Under the Anglo-Norman Kings 1066-1135 - by Stephen R Morillo (Paperback)

About the Book

An interwoven study in many ways refreshing and original... A good book, the first major product of one of the more vital debates in recent early medieval scholarship. HISTORY A major re-statement of the nature of Anglo-Norman warfare, with special emphasis on the role of the familia regis, the King's military household.

Book Synopsis

An interwoven study in many ways refreshing and original... A good book, the first major product of one of the more vital debates in recent early medieval scholarship. HISTORY A major re-statement of the nature of Anglo-Norman warfare, with special emphasis on the role of the familia regis, the King's military household.

This study of the battles waged between 1066 and 1135 by the Anglo-Norman kings of England - William the Conqueror, William Rufus and Henry I -is a major restatement of the nature of medieval warfare in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Bringing together the two major trends in recent medieval military history, the study of military organisations and the study of campaigns, Stephen Morillo illuminates the interrelationship of military organisation and social and political structures and brings many new perceptions to bear, such as the central role of the familia regis, the King's military household. The roles of armies and castles and the normal activities of warfare are examined to show why sieges were far more common than pitched battles. Siege and battle tactics are analysed in the context of social and political influences, administrative structures and campaign patterns, and a connection is proposed in most pre-modern warfare between government strength and infantry quality.
Dr STEPHEN MORILLOteaches at Wabash College, Indiana. He has published numerous articles on Anglo-Norman warfare.

Review Quotes

Fill[s] a gap in scholarship by offering a coherent and readable study of Anglo-Norman warfare... something of a milestone in the academic study of medieval warfare in providing a comprehensive account of the whole violent business. He does not study castles, weaponry, tactics or strategy in isolation, but offers an interwoven study which is in many ways refreshing and original... A good book, which will be of great use not just to academics but also to undergraduates, who will find it full of sense and insight. The book is the first major product of one of the more vital debates in recent early medieval scholarship. HISTORY With its coverage of ravaging, logistics and money, [this book] will convey to the reader a genuine understanding of the nature of medieval warfare. HISTORY TODAY Take[s] the study of medieval English warfare considerably forward.-- "ARCHIVES"