Medieval Military

La enorme cantidad de combatientes que periódicamente zarpaban hacia el Cercano Oriente para luchar contra los musulmanes son una prueba de la popularidad generalizada del aventurerismo en el extranjero en ese momento. La idea de una cruzada, en la que grandes ejércitos procedentes de varias regiones de Europa se reunían con el fin de luchar contra los musulmanes turcos y árabes, quedó tan arraigada que se amplió para incluir a las cruzadas contra las sectas cristianas europeas heréticas.

In 1119, the people of the Near East came together in an epic clash of horses, swords, sand, and blood that would decide the fate of the city of the Aleppo - and the eastern Crusader states. Fought between tribal Turkish warriors on steppe ponies, Arab foot soldiers, Armenian bowmen, and European knights, the battlefield was the amphitheater into which the people of the Near East poured their full gladiatorial might. Carrying a piece of the true cross before them, the Frankish army advanced, anticipating a victory that would secure their dominance over the entire region.

“The vultures will eat your corpses...” 1087 AD. After their victory in Thrace, the emperor Alexios and his trusted warlord, Thorkell Skaldsson, have returned to Constantinople. Their respite is only brief. Soon word reaches them of Chaka Bey, the feared Dragon Pirate, ravaging the coasts of Anatolia. At the same time the Turks are gathering in force to destroy the imperial garrisons in the east, weakened by decades of civil war. While Thorkell leads the Roman armies into Anatolia, Alexios sends fleet after fleet against Chaka Bey. Yet they are all destroyed. Then Chaka Bey forms an ...

"The Northmen had very great honour who went into service there..." 1076 AD. After the slaughter of his comrades in Iberia, Thorkell leads the few survivors to Constantinople, the Great City, capital of the Roman Empire. He finds the empire in a state of bloody confusion. The emperor is under siege, attacked by a mighty rebel host, while his realm is torn apart by civil war. To gain the emperor's favour, Thorkell leads his English warriors in a desperate attempt to break the siege of Constantinople. At the same time a young and ambitious Roman general, Alexios, raises a new army in the east...

The story of the wars and conquests initiated by the first Crusade and its successors is itself so compelling that most accounts move quickly from describing the Pope's calls to arms to the battlefield. In this highly original and enjoyable new book, Christopher Tyerman focuses on something obvious but overlooked: the massive, all-encompassing, and hugely costly business of actually preparing a crusade.

A short story. A prequel to the Knights of Acre series. In the scorching summer of 1191, as the Third Crusade rages on, Sir Alaric of Normandy finds himself at the heart of a treacherous plot that threatens to unravel everything he holds dear. On the eve of a crucial battle against Saladin's forces near the strategic city of Arsuf, Alaric uncovers a shocking conspiracy led by the ambitious Lord de Marcy and his own mentor, Sir Geoffrey. Torn between loyalty and duty, Alaric must navigate a dangerous web of deceit as he races against time to expose the betrayal and save the Crusader army ...

The Knights Hospitaller formed in the 12th century and continue to exist in contemporary times, albeit in a considerably different form. Over the last millennium, the organization has fulfilled different roles, served varying masters, and continued to uphold the tenets of crusading even when there was no Crusade to fight. All the while, as it went through centuries of murkiness, including the development of a notorious reputation, the Knights Hospitaller continued to adapt.

August 22, 1485, Bosworth, Leicestershire. By noon the King of England, Richard III, will be dead and his naked body will be on route to Leicester. This is the story of Richard's final 24 hours, told in a compelling minute-by-minute countdown, which ends with this final heroic battle charge and his death on the field at Bosworth.

“They called their new land England...” 1076 AD. William the Conqueror reigns supreme in England. After many years of bitter warfare, all his enemies are dead or defeated. The Norman king has imposed an iron grip on the land. His dreaded castles, filled with brutal foreign soldiers, cover the kingdom from sea to sea. Yet some of the English refuse to accept defeat. A band of nobles decide to leave England forever and go into exile. These men collect a fleet of three hundred ships and take an army of picked men, to find a new homeland where they can live in freedom. An epic voyage lies ...

Si hubo un comienzo en la brecha entre Oriente y Occidente, fue este. En este audio libro, Juan Ignacio Cuesta nos propone una completísima guía para entender el fenómeno de las Cruzadas. La novedad de la obra es que introduce la visión de los musulmanes, invadidos y tratados con crueldad por los cruzados que, amparados en la defensa de la fe, escondían velados intereses económicos.

Here Geoffrey Hindley serves us the history of military sieges from every angle, tracing the development of fortifications and equipment (offensive and defensive), penning vivid portraits of the weapons involved, exploring the psychology of laying siege, and even describing the role played by women and camp followers in battle. He shows siege tactics in action through real-life case studies of famous sieges that changed the course of history in medieval Europe and the Holy Land.

Thomas of Hookton is a seasoned veteran of King Edward's army and a natural leader in what will be remembered as the Hundred Years' War. Accompanied by a small but able band of soldiers, Thomas is sent to Gascony to capture the castle of Astarac. But he has ulterior motives for accepting the charge: Gascony is the home of the black knight, Guy de Vexille, who brutally slaughtered his father. It is also reputed to be the place where the Grail was last seen.

GOLD MEDAL WINNER 2107 ILLUMINATION AWARDS “… an enthralling story.” – RT Book Reviews Scotland 1072. The Norman Conqueror robbed Steinar of Talisand of his noble father and his lands, forcing him to seek refuge in Scotland while still recovering from a devastating wound. At the royal court, Steinar becomes scribe to the unlettered King of Scots while secretly regaining his skill with a sword. The first time Steinar glimpses the flame-haired maiden, Catrìona of the Vale of Leven, he is drawn to her spirited beauty. She does not fit among the ladies who have come to serve the devout...

There can be no doubt that military conflict between France and England dominated European history in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Hundred Years War is of considerable interest both because of its duration and the number of theatres in which it was fought. Drawing on the latest research for this new edition, Hundred Years War expert Professor Anne Curry examines how the war can reveal much about the changing nature of warfare: the rise of infantry and the demise of the knight; the impact of increased use of gunpowder and the effect of the war on generations of people.

The Bayeux Tapestry is the world's most famous textile: an exquisite 230-foot-long embroidered panorama depicting the events surrounding the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is also one of history's most mysterious and compelling works of art. This haunting stitched account of the battle that redrew the map of medieval Europe has inspired dreams of theft, waves of nationalism, visions of limitless power, and esthetic rapture.

Many years have passed since the fall of Uther Pendragon. His son Arthur, now a young man, begins his quest for the throne as he seeks vengeance against his father's killer and looks to restore the Pendragon Dynasty. Under the tutelage of Merlin, young wizards Morgan and Margawse emerge together from exile with their cousin Arthur to reclaim his father's empire. A NEW AGE OF WIZARDS is the second installment in the KINGS OF CAMELOT series.

“Why are you mixing the cup of death?” 1096 AD. Despite his many victories, the Emperor Alexios is unable to stem the relentless advance of the Turks. Anatolia, the imperial heartlands in the East, are almost completely overrun. Alexios is forced to seek help from the West, and the armies of the First Crusade. Led by the most famous Christian warriors of the age, the crusaders storm into Anatolia and the Holy Land, throwing back the Turks and conquering city after city. They are shadowed by Alexios and the armies of Rome, hoping to use the crusade to reconquer imperial lands. The ...

Why did the medieval Church bless William of Normandy's invasion of Christian England in 1066 and authorise cultural genocide in Provence? How could a Christian army sack Christian Constantinople in 1204? Why did thousands of ordinary men and women, led by knights and ladies, kings and queens, embark on campaigns of fanatical conquest in the world of Islam? The word 'Crusade' came later, but the concept of a 'war for the faith' is an ancient one.

The Duchy of Winterhaven lies at the edge of human civilization. There, Great Lords scheme to expand their borders and take control of the dukedom. Meanwhile the young knight Dhrugal of Edgefield investigates a most unusual murder, little suspecting how this gruesome crime links to a much greater threat. A decade of relative peace is about to collapse, and only Dhrugal and his brothers and sister stand between Winterhaven and dark-spun chaos.

By the author of Legionnaire, the epic new military fantasy continues: Sane men spend the winter season bundled up in their homes near the fire praying for spring to come, so insanity must be on the rise in Winterhaven. With the tenuous unity of the Great Lords fractured by the failures of the Duke’s army in the west and the accusations of heresy against his son, new armies are secretly mobilizing even in this bitterest of seasons. Yet, can even knights as great as William Lord Tavistock and Sir Conn of Edgefield lead armies to victory after the first snows have fallen?