Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #243336 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 344 pages

Synopsis
Explores how civilizations and cultures made war on the battlefields of the Near East and Europe in the period between the fall of Rome and the introduction of reliable gunpowder weapons during the Thirty Years' War. The author surveys the tactical relationships between the four weapon systems-heavy and light infantry and heavy and light cavalry.

From the Publisher
Book Description
Warfare in the Medieval World explores how civilizations and cultures made war on the battlefields of the Near East and Europe in the period between the fall of Rome and the introduction of reliable gunpowder weapons during the Thirty Years War. Through an exploration of thirty-three selected battles, military historian Brian Todd Carey surveys the changing tactical relationships between the four weapon systems-heavy and light infantry and heavy and light cavalry - focusing on the evolution of shock and missile combat. This is the second part of an ambitious two-volume study of the subject. The first volume, Warfare in the Ancient World, examined the evolution of warfare from the Bronze Age to the highly organized armies of the Greeks and the Romans.

Customer Reviews

A fine follow-up to Volume 1
I have been eagerly anticipating the publication of Brian Todd Carey's WARFARE IN THE MEDIEVAL WORLD and was fortunate to pick up an advanced copy in the UK. This work is a continuation of his excellent WARFARE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, picking up where his first volume left off. MEDIEVAL WORLD begins with an exploration of Byzantine warfare, then moves on to discuss the rise of heavy cavalry in western Europe during the early and high medieval periods. He then moves on to discuss the crusades in Spain and the Holy Land, as well as the Mongol penetrations in eastern Europe and in the Near East. His book winds down with a discussion of the return of light infantry to European warfare, as well as the rise of heavy infantry like the Swiss. The book ends with a fine chapter discussing the ipact of classical authors on early modern war. Like his volume 1, this work is profusely illustrated with tactical maps and regional maps and brings the combat of the era to life. I highly recommend both of these books for any military historians library.

A Masterful Second Volume!!
I just completed Professor Carey's follow up to his Warfare in the Ancient World. Entitled Warfare in the Medieval World, this second volume continues with a discussion of the tactical relationships between infantry and cavalry on the battlefields of Europe and the Near East. This work begins where his volume one ended, with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of Byzantium. Here, the author tackles the evolution of Byzantine warfare, then moves on to discuss the rise and dominance of heavy cavalry in western European warfare during the early and high medieval period. The crusades are highlighted, both in the Holy Land and in Spain, while the development of logistics and horsebreeding are also touched upon. Of particular interest was the chapters on Mongol warfare and this steppe people's interaction on Christian Europe and the Islamic Near East. Volume two finishes with coverage of the return of heavy and light cavalry to the battlefields of Europe and the development of firearms and their application to warfare.
I own many of the works cited in this book, and I enjoyed the way Carey synthesizes these works in an enjoyable narrative. When combined with the scores of maps (both tactical and regional), Warfare in the Medieval World is a keeper and a fine addition to any military historian or gamer's library.

A Concise and Erudite Introduction to Medieval Warfare
There is a great deal of information on medieval warfare packed into 230 pages of narrative. This volumes covers over a thousand years of tactics, strategy, and logistics stretching from Byzantium in the East to the British Isles. Carey is strongest when discussing the evolution of tactics, using the schematic first used in Archer Jones' WARFARE IN THE WESTERN WORLD that describes the strengths and weaknesses of heavy and light infantry and heavy and light cavalry in battle. The author's approach is mostly chronological, beginning where his first volume, WARFARE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD leaves off at 500 AD. An amazing array of military systems are analyzed, including Byzantine, Germanic (Ostrogothic, Visigothic, Frankish), Muslim, Viking, Magyar, German, Mongol, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Seljuk Turkish, Swiss and Swedish. The signature battles of the age, those read about in any Western Civilization class, are also examined in great detail using multi-phase tactical maps. The book also includes numerous regional maps, a detailed glossary of military terms and a plate section. The narrative is direct, erudite, and sprinkled with primary source gems. The book ends with a thoughtful discussion on the transformation of warfare brought on by gunpowder (Spanish tercio and return to linear formations with Maurice of Nassau) and how these trends shaped combat in the Early Modern Period. This is an excellent introduction to the doctrine of decisive warfare in the medieval world.