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This is a slightly unusual edition of Medieval Warfare magazine in that is largely inspired by a love for the chronicle of Galbert of Bruges, which described the chaos caused by the murder of Charles the Good, count of Flanders, in 1127. Galbert was writing at the time, so we get a fascinatingly direct account of events, including details such as how he didn't have anywhere to write properly during the siege, so had to make rough notes on tablets! Galbert is also interesting because his side lost. He was a supporter of Charles the Good, and a reluctant supporter of his successor, William of Clito, but William was killed in battle when on the verge of defeating his main opponent.
Unsurprisingly the assassination wasn't as popular as the assassins had hoped (shades of Caesar here), and was soon followed by a very well documented siege. There are articles on the siege itself, and on the use of deception in medieval sieges, comparing the siege of Bruges to others of the same period. There is also a look at the civil war that followed, an article on a related judicial dual, and a look at the surprisingly common idea of assassination on a church, which seems to have been a popular way to deal with a political opponent. These articles provide an unusually detailed and involving account of a Medieval conflict, giving us the sort of details that are usually missing.
Away from the main theme there is a look at a recent discovered sword, a well illustrated 15th century fight book, the description of real and fantastic beasts in medieval literature, a massive wooden city built for a failed French invasion of England in 1386 and the siege of Silvas, an incident in the Christian reconquest of Spain.
Too many successors - How Flanders descended into civil war
A medieval model for murder - 'Let's kill him in the church'
In Bruges goes medieval - 'Vigils, fights, attacks and other tasks'
Chaos in Flanders - The war according to Herman of Tournai
The Siege of Aalst - The rise and fall of William Clito
My friend Galbert - The chronicler and the historian
Deception in siege warfare - The 'rules of the game'
The sword in the bog - Forged by a god, foretold by a wizard
Filippo Vadi's martial philosophies - A salty brain and climbing stairs
Fantastic beast & how they kill you - 'The earth is a source of wonder'
The portable 'wooden city' of 1386
The Siege of Silves in 1189 - Attacked 'with siege engines and arrows'