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Book review: Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages

© Alistair Boddy-Evans

It is a standard practice for history to be revisited and revised, and over the last couple of decades much pioneering work has been done analysing a wealth of data from historical records of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries -- estimates have been made on the amounts of supplies require by marching armies, on the costs of maintaining armies and so forth. Michael Prestwich, already well known for his works on The Three Edwards and the more detailed work on Edward I, has taken the great mass of published material and historical reappraisal and condensed it into a set of highly descriptive and informative chapters. This is the book that military historians particularly interested in the middle ages, have needed as a primary reference for the last decade.

Prestwich is a self professed civilian who claims no military background. This is not a disadvantage, for the viewpoint of a civilian is both refreshing and challenging. It also makes the book accessible to other non-military readers who have an interest in the subject. It is not assumed that you will have a feel for, or experience of, martial conflict. In addition, there are over one hundred illustration, quite a few in colour -- those from medieval texts are beautifully reproduced and all the pictures significantly enhance the text.

The book starts with a basic introduction into the Nature of Medieval Warfare and is followed by chapters on the Military Elite, Military Obligation, and Rewards. This is one of the major topics of the book -- the source, recruitment and reasons for fighting of the typical English man-at-arms.

Dispelling the myth of chivalrous knights on horseback being the be-all-and-end-all of medieval combat, there follow chapters on Infantry and Mercenaries. That the mounted knight was not as all-important in battle as is usually portrayed, and that infantry (and mounted infantry - especially archers arriving on mounts to fight on foot) were commonly the deciding factor in war is an important point for wargamers who strive for historical accuracy.

Chapters on Command, Strategy and Intelligence, Chivalry, and the Logistics of War bring the main thrust of the book to a close. Prestwich argues that "medieval commanders were capable of much more sophisticated strategies" than is usually taken for granted. He highlights the importance of military intelligence and the role of scouts and spies in obtaining forward information. The difficulties in bringing two armies together on the battlefield, where the movement rates of troops and supplies were highly significant. The importance of morale, the reasons for burning crops and destroying villages not only as part of foraging but also as a deliberate ploy to force negotiation. These four chapters make fascinating reading, and suggest campaign scenarios or skirmish opportunities for future games.

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