Description
Norman describes how the function of the military changed from the beginnings of feudalism with the early Lombards and Franks, moving to the Vikings and Saxons, getting down to such details as how chain mail was actually made and used. He describes the rise of chivalry and the process of becoming a knight, the growth of the military orders and their influence in the Crusades, the campaigns of the Crusades and their dependence on technologies of arms and armor, and the ships that brought them to those campaigns. This is a reprint of the 1971 edition published by Arthur Barker Limited. Distributed by Casemate. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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The author outlines the development of the undisciplined barbarian war bands of the Dark Ages into the feudal armies of the early Middle Ages. It deals with the arms and equipments of the soldier, not only from surviving specimens but also from descriptions in contemporary medieval documents. Vesey Norman covers the slow development of tactics and the transition of the warrior from a personal follower of a war leader to the knight who served his feudal overlord as a heavily armoured cavalryman in return for land.He details the attitude of the Church to warfare, the rise of chivalry and the development of the knights of the military orders, the Templars, the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights. He answers such questions as what classes of men made up the army, who commanded them, and how they were equipped, paid and organized. Since armies frequently has to be transported by water, a brief description of contemporary ships in included.
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