En 1905, el emperador bizantino Alejo pidió ayuda a los estados cristianos de Europa occidental en su lucha contra los turcos, que barrían el Imperio tras la contundente derrota de los bizantinos en Mankikert (1071). A continuacion se organizo la Primera Cruzada, protagonizada por varios ejercitos de peregrinos armados que marcharon a traves de toda Europa hacia Tierra Santa. Estos ejercitos se encontraron con un mundo islamico dividido y fragmentado, y, mediante una serie de batallas aparentemente milagrosas, llegaron a tomar la sagrada ciudad de Jerusalen. Sin embargo, el exito de la Primera Cruzada no volveria a repetirse: provoco dos siglos de amargas guerras, cuyas repercusiones aun podemos sentir hoy.
The army of Charlemagne and his successors enabled the western Franks to recreate what contemporaries regarded as a 'reborn' western Roman empire. Frankish society was well prepared for war, with outstanding communications drawing together the disparate regions of a large empire. The role of mounted troops, the essential striking force of the Frankish army, is explored here. Alongside it was the impact that new technology, such as stirrups, had on warfare in this period. Illuminating a much-neglected area of history, this book shows how the role of cavalry grew in prestige, as the Carolingian armoured horseman gave way to the knight of the early 10th century.
Con unos textos atractivos, mapas, fotgrafías e ilustraciones, esta coleccion descubre la profunidad de algunos de los espisodios mas transcendentes de la humanidad. Con estos libros adentrarán los antigos politícos y culturas de Grecia, de Roma o de las civilizaciones precolombianas y descubrirán con un riguroso tratamiento histórico el origen y significado de las religiones, del Islam o de los lugares biblicos.
When Edward the Black Prince marched out of Gascony in August 1356, his plan was to carry out a large-scale destructive raid into the territory of the French King, John II. On 18 September, however, he was cornered south of Poitiers by a larger French army, and was left with little option but to fight. The ensuing battle proved an unmitigated disaster for the French. Their army was butchered and the King himself captured. In this volume, Dr David Nicolle details a campaign that enhanced the reputation of the Black Prince and led King John to catastrophe.
The Crusaders that landed in the Middle East in the late 11th century brought with them their own traditions of military architecture, but it was not long before their defensive construction began to reflect a broad array of local influences. Most early Crusader structures were relatively small, and tended to increase the existing natural and defensive features of a site. The basic forms comprised freestanding towers, castra, and hilltop and spur-castles, but urban centres, religious sites and rural dwellings were also fortified. From the 1160s, bigger, stronger and more expensive castles began to appear, in response to developments in Islamic siege weaponry. This title examines the early fortifications erected by the Crusaders in modern-day Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and south-eastern Turkey.
When it came to non-gunpowder machine development, the medieval period was one of the most inventive in military history. During this era, the pre-existing military-technological traditions from the ancient worlds were brought together. Three civilisations were primarily responsible for this evolution: the Late-Roman or Byzantine Empire, the Islamic World, and latterly the Mongol 'World Empire'. This book examines the resulting stone-throwing machines from torsion 'energy storage' systems, to manpowered and counterbalance sling devices, rockets and others.
Unlike their sometime rivals the Templars, the Order of St John of the Hospital of Jerusalem (or the Hospitallers as they are better known) was not created as a result of the First Crusade in 1099: rather, it was probably established by a group of Italian merchants from Amalfi in the mid-11th century. However, as a consequence of the crusading movement, the Hospitallers became recognised experts in the military capabilities of opposing Islamic armies. This book, the first of two to examine the lifestyle, experiences and military role of the Hospitaller knight, covers the period from the foundation of the order to the invasion of Rhodes in 1306.
Having campaigned on land during their early existence, the Hospitallers fought mainly at sea from the turn of the 14th century. The emphasis was now on small-scale operations, rather than the crusading invasion that had so often come to grief. Having conquered Rhodes, the Order fortified it and transferred there in 1309. A period of on-off warfare with the Mamluks became full-blown conflict with the Ottomans, who captured Rhodes in 1522, forcing the Hospitallers to transfer to Malta. This book, the second of two, takes a close look at the men who lived and died for the Hospitaller cause in this key period, and the political and economic role that the Order played within the Christian empire.
