Medieval Warfare

"By Fire and Sword:  Bellum Hostile and 'Civilians' in the Hundred Years War,” in Civilians in the Path of War, ed. Mark Grimsley and Clifford J. Rogers (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002): 33-78.  Examines the nature of and reasons for the use of violence against civilians during the Hundred Years War.

With the release of ‘Outlaw King’, the upcoming film ‘Robert the Bruce’ and the long shadow cast by ‘Braveheart’, the wars for Scottish independence of the fourteenth century are being re-fought in modern popular culture, just as they were later in the middle ages, according to Iain MacInnes.

Studie byla publikována roku 2011 v knize ,,Slánské rozhovory 2010 : Česká husitská reformace historie, osobnosti, teologie, umění" / The study was published in 2011 in books ,,Slánské rozhovory 2010: The Czech Hussite Reformation of History, Personalities, Theology, Art."

The development of the bow has held a central position in the evolution of military technology. It is, by far, the most frequently represented weapon in the archaeological record and (unlike other weapons) it tends to occur in datable contexts on excavated sites. This situation is largely accidental because being easy to manufacture and cheap made them easily replaceable if broken or lost. The fortunate result is that a more comprehensive and reliable archaeological study is possible for the bow and arrow than for any other medieval military findings. The general intention of this paper is to develop a basic typology for the study of medieval arrowheads in 14th-15th centuries Moldavia. The classification is obtained with the help of statistical analysis through the comparison of quantitative and functional characteristics.

Keywords: medieval weapons, bow, arrowhead, typology, Moldavia.

The present paper will investigate pardon letters or “lettres de rémission” granted to soldiers by the Valois dukes of Burgundy from 1386 to 1482. During this period, the chancery records contain 885 remission letters by which the prince granted his pardon to individuals who committed a crime and petitioned for mercy. This large amount of documents includes more than 15 percent of pardons granted to petitioners who served or had served the dukes in their armies. In the narrative parts of their letters, these soldiers insisted on their military pasts as a good reason to be pardoned. The purpose of this paper is to study the contents of these military pardons to underline how they contributed to shape a collective military identity in the Burgundian State. Following the works of Christopher Allmand, according to whom fifteenth-century leaders undertook to transform their soldiers into professional State agents, I will argue that military pardons were used by the dukes of Burgundy as a tool of social disciplining. Because they granted a large amount of pardons to their soldiers who affirmed their military identity in their petitions, the dukes promoted the military service as a motive to be forgiven. And because they only forgave simple homicides and refused to pardon typical war crimes such as pillage, rape, or even desertion, they indicated which kind of behaviour was worthy for the good Burgundian soldier, and which one was not.

Wstęp Mirosław J. Leszka, Kirił Marinow................................................... 1

I
Konstantynopolitańskie porty IV–XII w. [Constantinopolitan harbours in the 4th–12th centuries] Mirosław J. Leszka......... 5

II
Wszystkie okręty cesarza. Rozważania nad stanem rzymskiej marynarki wojennej za panowania cesarza Maurycjusza (582–602) [All ships of the emperor: Roman Navy during the reign of emperor Maurice (582–602)] Łukasz Różycki........................................................................................... 17

III
Konstantynopolitańska eskadra cesarska w dobie panowania Komnenów (1081–1185) [Constantinopolitan squadron in the era of imperial reign of Comnenian dynasty (1081–1185)]
Marcin Böhm....................................................................................... 47

IV
Wygnani biskupi Konstantynopola w późnej starożytności i ich kontakty ze stolicą nad Bosforem [The Exiled Bishops of Constantinople from the Fourth to the Late Sixth Century] Rafał Kosiński................63

V
Chazarowie w Konstantynopolu (VII–XI w.) [The Khazars in Constantinople] Jarosław Dudek …........ 79

VI
Miejsce portu w fabule dwunastowiecznego romansu bizantyńskiego [The port in the plot of the twelfth-century Byzantine romance] Anna Kotłowska . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

VII
Winieta Konstantynopola na mapie z Ebstorf [Vignette of Constantinople on the Ebstorf Map] Piotr Kochanek……………………. . . 113

VIII
Hodegon – z rozważań nad pierwotną lokalizacją konstantynopolitańskiego sanktuarium [The Hodegon. Considerations on the location of the Hodegetria sanctuary in Constantinople]
Piotr Łukasz Grotowski . ……………………………. . . . . 137

IX
Pogańskie prywatne uroczystości kommemoratywne w okresie wczesnobizantyńskim [Pagan Private Commemorative Rites in the Early Byzantine Period] Ireneusz Milewski . . . .  . ……………... . . . . . . . . . 215

Aneks [Annex]
Itinerarium Stefana z Nowogrodu z opisem konstantynopolitańskiego portu Kontoskalion (1348/1349). Przekład i opracowanie [The Itinerary of Stephen of Novgorod: Containing a Description of Kontoskalion Harbour in Constantinople (1348/1349).] Zofia Brzozowska .. . . . . . 227

Summary. . . . . . . ………………………………………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Wykaz skrótów [List of Abbreviations]. …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Bibliografia [Bibliography]……… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Źródła [Sources]. . … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Opracowania [Secondary Literature]..  . ……. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Indeks osobowy [Index]. ……………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Indeks nazw geograficznych i etnicznych [Index of geographical and ethnical names]. . …. . . . . . . . . 328

Indeks nazw konstantynopolitańskich [Index of Constantinopolitan names]….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Медієвісти, що живуть і працюють в Україні рідко радують працями, котрі не ганьба було б показати на Заході. «Очерки начальной руси» Олексія Толочка, котрі вийшли друком минулого року у видавництві «Лаурус» акурат належать до нечисленних винятків із сумного правила 1. Робота – методологічно актуальна, свіжа викладом та іронічна стилем – написана як концептуальна спроба уявити історію Русі без «Повісті минулих літ». Автор відстоює свої бачення Начальної Русі аж до правління князя Володимира не як державного утворення, але як військово-торгівельної компанії, котру утворювали вихідці із Скандинавії, що промишляли насамперед работоргівлею.

THE WEAPONRY OF GUILDS IN HERMANNSTADT IN THE 15–16TH CENTURY

By the time of the late middle ages Hermannstadt (Nagyszeben/Cibium/Sibiu) had significant economycal power, in which the local crafts played an important part. In this era the flourishing town faced the threat of raids from the expanding Ottoman Empire. Walls were built and towers were erected: these objects housed the arms, armour and munition necessary for the the defense. Every guild had it’s own tower, where stored their weapons. Several inventories remained from the years of 1478, 1492/93, 1508, 1560, 1567, 1575 and from the second part of the 16th century (without exact date). These lists – espe¬cially the quantities – of weapons and munition can be considered as objective sources, because the defenders had to rely on tthem and to know the accurate number their arms in case of a raid. From these documents the spread of firearms can be thraced from the late middle ages. The town ensured that the guild members can use their weapons properly: in several entries from the account books the magistracy payed for the miliatry trainings (shooting events). There is an example from the 15th century where they use bows for this purpose (bogenschutzen), but later firearms become common. In the inventory of the coach-maker guild in 1508 a target shooting gun (czyl puchsen) can be found. From 1507 and 1509 a target shooting guild (czehis sagittariis cum pixidibus) appears.

Jordi Bolòs, "Tallar i cremar. Aspectes de la vida quotidiana en temps de guerra, al Pallars, a la fi del segle XV", Enfrontaments civils: postguerres i reconstruccions. Segon Congrés Recerques, Recerques - Universitat de Lleida - Pagès editors, Lleida, 2002, vol. I, p. 14-21.

This is a popular history article for Medieval Warfare Magazine's special issue about the World of Rodrigo Díaz "El Cid" de Bivar. It details the lead-up to and results of the annexation/conquest of the city of Toledo in 1085 by the Leonese Empire.

This paper discusses the depiction of ambushes in chronicles of the High Middle Ages. Identifying ambushes in this period is particularly difficult, as the Latin term 'insidia' could also be used more generically to refer to stratagems, snares and cunning ploys. This paper combines evidence from contemporary chronicles, Patristic and medieval theological writing and Anglo-Norman epic verse to examine the variety of situations in which ambushes were used by medieval combatants and the different lessons that historians drew from tales of warriors ambushed (or ambushing) unawares.

The aim of this study is to do a  first approximation on the organisation and structure of the military defence during the Catalan Civil war (1462-1472) of the town of Igualada. This military and political conict faced the King John II of Aragon and the Institutions of the Principality of Catalonia. From the very beginning, cities and towns were involved in the general conflict. In this sense, these settlements started up the defence of their towns. Our sources show us a well organised and structured system of defence, probably common among cities and towns of the Principality.

Co-authored with Anne Curry, Peter Hoskins and Thom Richardson

The Battle of Agincourt on October, 25, 1415, remains one of the most glorious victories in British history, with a legacy that endures today. A pivotal moment in the Hundred Years War between France and England, it reinvigoratead the English campaign in France and bolstered the English crown's hereditary claims to French land. Published to mark the 600th anniversary of this famous victory, The Agincourt Companion tells a wider story about warfare in the middle ages. Delving into the development and advances in weaponry, armour and tactics during this period and the impact this had on the battlefield, this is a richly detailed look at the world of medieval warfare.

Estudio comparativo histórico-militar entre dos concepciones aparentemente lejanas, pero en el fondo coincidentes, de la caballería a ambos lados del mundo. Para ello, acotaremos el espacio temporal en el feudalismo: la Plena y Tardía Edad Media europea (siglos XI-XV), y la Era Feudal japonesa (Períodos Kamakura, Muromachi y Azuchi-Momoyama, siglos XII-XVI) atendiendo a los rasgos más característicos de la caballería en ambas culturas, así como a sus similitudes y diferencias. Y no sólo en el plano estrictamente militar, sino también en el socio-cultural, con especial atención a los valores caballerescos y al estatus aristocrático asociados al auge de los caballeros y los samuráis.

The Viking Age in popular culture is often set in a dark and lawless era, a
Hollywood conception of Ultima Thule, in which individual warriors fought
for personal glory. But the archaeological evidence suggests a much different
reality; the tale told by the inanimate objects uncovered from archaeological
sites is one of a highly organized society in which justice
and equality mattered. This view is also supported by the written sources.
Most scholars concede that society in Roman Iron Age to Viking Age
Scandinavia was well organized, and that a process of state building was
under way. Less focus, however, has been put on warfare and military
tactics during this period. What was warfare really like in Norway and
Scandinavia in the years before, and during, the Viking Age? In this paper,
an attempt will be made to analyze the extent to which early Scandinavian
society was organized for warfare, and possible external influences on
Scandinavian tactics in the Roman Iron Age and up to the Viking Age/
early medieval period will be explored.

The idea of the Knights Templar looked good on paper. Have knights from across Europe join a monastic order that would defend the Holy Land from non-Christians. They would be devout warriors fighting on behalf of God, an example for all of Christendom. What could go wrong?

Los yacimientos olvidados: registro y musealización de campos de batalla is a project that aims to encompass all aspects of battlefield archaeology, in order to be a reference work in this study area. Therefore, a detailed historiographical study about this branch of archaeology has been made, from early origins until the present day, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of battlefield archaeology. Two methodologies, archaeological and museographical, are proposed for the treatment of this particular type of archaeological site. In order to prove the viability of both methodologies, a theoretical application has been carried out in two research examples from different periods, demonstrating both the project’s methodological validity and reinforcing our theories.

Two registers were made regarding battlefields ¬- one historical and another archaeological. The purpose of this was to catalogue all possible existing sites in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula from Roman times through to the Spanish Civil War, which will hopefully serve as a point of reference for future researchers. Through this book, people will be able to understand the great potential of Spanish battlefields and their heritage. Furthermore, Spain could be regarded as a very important country regarding battlefield archaeology.

A short term paper for an art history course at the University of New Hampshire, fall 2015. This paper briefly examines the armors in Paolo Uccello's "Battle of San Romano" paintings and argues that the painter did not have a working familiarity with armor and that his depictions are less accurate than has often been argued.

An atlas of maps to accompany primary source readings in Ancient and Medieval Warfare, including the siege of Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, the battle of Cynoscephalae, the Granicus, the Jugurthan War, Caesar's Gallic and Civil Wars, Fantosme, and Muntaner.

Talk given in Spanish at Complutense University, History department, Madrid for "De fuste e de Fierro". Armamento medieval en la Peninsula Iberica. IV International Seminar. 9-10th March, 2020 (for English translation see Archery CV  https://www.academia.edu/42644287  ) . The talk deals with use of the bow in Al-Andalus as a favored military weapon since its beginning in 711 to its demise in 1492 and by contrast its apparent absence in the northern states that confront it. Discussed are the two types of bows mentioned in an Arabic chronical reference and delves on the possible historical origin of what the sources call the 'Arab bow'. It touches also on the apparent ‘sacralization’ of the bow in the general Islamic context. Its appearance in the few pictorial references in Al-Andalus and discussed are the two very different types that appear in them. Also discussed is their relative effectiveness, construction, and the materials used and their specific differences. All this in contrast to the apparent lack of the use of the bow as a military weapon in the Christian states that were slowly formed at the north of the Iberian Peninsula. This could in part be due, it is argued, to a profound atavistic ideological rejection of the said weapon as being that of ‘the other’. The very negative ideological view of the bow is reflected and materialized in the art of the Christian north as can clearly be see in the Romanesque art of the Iberia Peninsula.

Cette communication propose de revenir sur le terme « viking » en analysant la notion de piraterie dans les sources norroises. Si les historiens sont familiers des témoignages des victimes de ces pirates du Nord, les sources norroises demeurent encore trop méconnues hors de Scandinavie. Les sagas, chroniques rédigées essentiellement au XIIIe siècle, sont des récits provenant des descendants de ces fameux Vikings et jouissant depuis ces vingt dernières années d’un regain d’intérêt de la part des historiens. 
Le mouvement de piraterie des Vikings, daté approximativement du VIIIe au XIe siècle, marqua profondément le Moyen Âge. De la route de l’ouest (vestrvegr) à la route de l’est (austrvegr), l’œkoumène des Vikings s’étendait de Terre-Neuve à Constantinople et de l’Islande au Maghreb. Ces pirates furent à l’origine de changements dans l’ensemble du monde médiéval : création d’États et de dynasties, consolidation du pouvoir, transfert des richesses, imposition de tributs aux peuples vaincus, explorations, mercenariat, etc. 
Devant la foule de problèmes soulevés par l’étude des Vikings, nous proposons ici de revenir à la notion de piraterie au sein des sources norroises. Nous tenterons tout d’abord de revenir sur la sémantique du mot víkingr et du champ lexical qui lui est associé. Puis à travers divers témoignages issus des sources norroises, nous essayerons de définir les enjeux et modalités de la piraterie vue par les Scandinaves.

Mots-clés : Vikings, piraterie, sagas, histoire maritime.

From September 2008 to January 2010, a series of archaeological activities were carried out as a result of the specific modification of the Arrigorriaga urban planning bylaws in the Bentako-Erreka area. These activities included the intense prospecting of the areas to be affected by future building work, the carrying out of prospecting with soil pits and an excavation in Aguirre Tower. As a result, the remains of the Kantarape and Angoti mills were documented, along with the channel that linked them. An interesting stratigraphic sequence was discovered in Aguirre Tower, ranging from the moment of its construction to the moment at which it was abandoned.

In about 1580 an anonymous author wrote ‘An Apologie of the Cittie of London’, which a few years later John Stow incorporated as an appendix to his Survey of London. Among other things the author of the ‘Apologie’ praised Londoners for their military prowess: ‘It were too much to recite particularly the Martial services that this city hath done from time to time … only for a taste as it were, I will note these few following’. He then listed seven instances, from the time when ‘A huge armie of the Danes (whereof king Sweyne was the leader,) besieged king Etheldred in London…’ to the attack by ‘Thomas Neuell, commonly called the bastard of Fauconbridge’, who ‘was repulsed by the Citizens, and chased as farre as Stratford…’. This paper will similarly give a ‘taste’ of the role of Londoners in their kings’ wars and in the defence of their city during the Middle Ages.