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Books - Middle Ages
The Medieval Soldier, Vesey Norman. A solid but now somewhat dated look at the fighting men of Medieval Europe, from the early Lombards and Franks to the Crusaders. Well researched at the time, and written by a respected expert on medieval arms and armour, this is now best seen as a starting point for further reading, especially in the sections on chivalry, a subject on which views have changed significantly over the last forty years [read full review]
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A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages:.378-1278 , Sir Charles Oman, a great two volume history of war covering over a millenium. While his conclusions may have been challenged, the level of detail in these two volumes is invaluable.
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A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages: 1278-1485 , the second volume of Sir Charles Oman's great work on medieval warfare.
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English Longbowman 1330-1515 , Clive Bartlett
A very detailed book covering a long period of history. Contains information on all aspects of the bowman including weapons, training , equipment and pay. Good colour plates fill the centre pages and good black and white photographs and illustrations are contained throughout the book.
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| Bradbury, Jim, The Medieval Siege , Boydell Press, 2002, 378 pages. A much needed survey of the most important form of warfare in the middle ages, a period that saw far more sieges than battles. |
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The Shepherd Lord, George Peter Algar. A novelization of the true story of Henry, 10th Lord Clifford, who was spirited away after his father's death at the Battle of Towton, and raised in hiding by his former wet-nurse and her shepherd husband. The basic outline of the story is well documented, but the twenty year gap between Henry's disappearance and his return after Bosworth is a mystery, and this is when Algar sets most of his entertaining story. [read full review] |
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Bosworth 1485 , (campaign series) Christopher Gravett.
Detailed colourful and well illustrated this book includes a very good section on wargaming the battle covering everything from figure scale to number of players and commanders. the book also covers the run up to the battle well and has many maps.
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 Saladin, David Nicolle. The book is a fascinating, balanced read portraying Saladin as a complex political and military leader of the Muslim world, who faced as many Muslim as Christian enemies. It is well written and as usual with Osprey well illustrated with maps, colour plates and black and white as well as colour photographs. The book examines his early life, his military and political campaigns and briefly his well known battles; it also looks at what motivated him as a leader. [read full review] |
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Saladin - Hero of Islam, Geoffrey Hindley. An invaluable, evenly-paced, full length biography of Saladin that spends as much time looking at his activities within the Islamic world as at his better known campaigns against the Crusader Kingdoms and the conquest of Jerusalem. A valuable look at the life of a leader who was respected on both sides of the religious divide in the Holy Land [read full review]
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 The Crusades: Crescent & The Cross (DVD). A 3-DVD boxed set that looks at the first three Crusades. Dramatic reconstructions supported by a good mix of experts means that the programmes give a well balanced account of the crusades, from the successful first crusade to the clash between Saladin and Richard the Lion Heart. [read full review]
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Nicolle, David, The First Crusade 1096-1099: Conquest of the Holy Land , Osprey Campaign Series, vol 132. The Osprey volume for the first crusade. Nicolle had a great depth of knowledge of middle-eastern history, which is reflected in this book.
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 The Real Falstaff: Sir John Fastolf and the Hundred Years War, Stephen Cooper. Both a biography and a history of the times of Sir John Fastolf, a senior English commander in the later part of the Hundred Years War, and a major landowner in England and France. Made possible by Fastolf's extensive archives and by the Paston letters, this book gives us a fascinating glimpse into Fastolf and his times, from the high-point of Lancastrian France to the loss of everything but Calais. [read full review]
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Henry V, Marcus Cowper. A military biography of Henry V, looking at his main campaigns and battles, his opponents, his reputation at the time and since and the primary sources for the events of his reign. Packs a lot of information into its 64 pages, and with the normal high quality selection of pictures and maps. [read full review]
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Agincourt 1415 , (campaign series) Matthew Bennett.
A good introduction to the battle with several colour plates and some speculative orders of battle. The book contains some example shield designs from both sides which are sadly only in black and white and would have been much better in colour. A detailed section on wargamming the battle is at the end of the book with a novel idea on how to wargame the campaign.
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Crecy 1346 : Triumph of the Longbow, Dr David Nicolle, a recent and very good book on the battle
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The Battle of Hastings , Stephen Morillo, Boydell, 1996. A very valuable work, containing both translations of a selection of the most important contemporary sources and a selection of articles covering the main areas of controversy. A good way to get an understanding of the main debates about the battle.
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Cross and Crescent in the Balkans - the Ottoman Conquest of Southeastern Europe, David Nicolle. Partly chronological and partly thematic, this book looks at the Ottoman conquest and retention of the Balkans, overcoming the remnants of Byzantium, a number of powerful Balkan states, before recovering from the devastation caused by Tamerlane. Looks at Ottoman culture, architecture, urban and rural life as well as the military campaigns that established an empire that lasted into the Twentieth Century. [read full review] 
War for the Throne: The battle of Shrewsbury 1403, John Barratt. A military history of the turbulent early years of the reign of Henry IV, including his seizure of the throne, early conflicts with Scotland, the Glyn Dwr revolt in Wales and the rebellions by Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, and his son Hotspur, with a special focus on the battle of Shrewsbury [read full review]
Galloglass 1250-1600: Gaelic Mercenary Warrior, Fergus Cannan. An account of the life, equipment and battlefield experience of these mercenaries of Scottish descent who fought in Ireland between the mid 13th and early 17th centuries, taking part in battles between Irish lords and fighting both for and against the English. [read full review]
Edward IV and the War of the Roses, David Santiuste. A look at the military career of Edward IV, the often overlooked winner of the main part of the War of the Roses, and a king who ruled peacefully for nearly twelve years before dying a natural death. [read full review]
Victory at Poitiers: The Black Prince and the Medieval Art of War, Christian Teutsch. A look at the military career of the Black Prince, focusing on the lessons he could have learnt from his early experiences, especially at Crecy, and how he may have used them to win his great victory at Poitiers. [read full review]
