Books on Medieval Europe

[BlackFireStorm]

I've been reading about Medieval times for a while now and would like to share a couple of the best books I've come across. If you know of others, (or ones to avoid) then stick up a reply. Please note I have not included Sun Tzu, 'Art of War' on purpose as I'm not a 'follower'. Please no discussion on this in this thread - if you want to discuss further, start up a new thread and we can debate it there.

The books:

Medieval Warfare: A History.
Edited by Maurice Keen.
A collection of essays on Medieval warfare from the Vikings forward 700 years. It pretty much perfectly covers the era that MTW and VI are set in and reveals some truths about how battles were fought and the development of siege warfare. Always readable, never stuffy, invaluable in order to get a deeper grasp of the era of MTW.

The Hundred Years War: Trial by Battle
Jonathan Sumption
Vol I of a history of the HYW, and it's a biggie. Delivered in a narrative style, it's fantastically readable (although knowledge of French and Latin would be a bonus sometimes). Sumption manages to portray the times in a clear and evocative way, first setting the scene in France and England before getting deeper into the politics, warfare and chicanery of the war. There is a second volume out (Trial by Fire) but I have as yet not read it. I also understand a third is on the way, if the authoris ever freed from his responsibilities in the Hutton Enquiry in the UK at the moment.

Saladin: The Politics of Holy War
Good view of Medieval times from the Muslim perspective, sometimes a little dry and tough to read, but well worth persevering. Essential research if you want to play a Muslim faction to the max http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Dhepee]

To add a couple of my favorites. I didn't start a new thread because I didn't want to clutter up the hall.

The Art of War in the Middle Ages, by CWC Oman
It is actually a very long essay written by a fellow of Oxford University. It gives highly detailed and well researched descriptions of the tactics and stratgies employed throughout the Middle Ages by breaking it into three sections. The early with a great description of the Byzantine Empires use of cavalry and archers. The middle section describes the ascendency of the Knight on horseback in Western Europe. It ends with the pike and the longbow. His descriptions of all three are amazing and you can see the influence of his work on the game, especially how he delineates the various periods and the power units/regions in each. Don't let its relatively small size fool you though, it is a demanding book, but it is one of the most satisfying.

A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman

One of the defining works of medieval history of the last 50 years, IMO. She traces the history of that apparently trying century by tying the history to the life and exploits of Enguerrand De Coucy, one of the most famous knights of his time. The chapter on the Plague and its effects is one of the high points. Also, her descriptions of warfare and how it changed in that century are very strong. It is most interesting because it comes to its conclusion with the Battle of Nicopolis, a terrible defeat for the French and Christians, and one that they brought on themselves in her opinion. It relies heavily on Froissert's Chronicles, which keeps in tied firmly to the primary source material and she is always careful to back up any speculations, assertions, or opinions with the historical record. Definitely a book worth reading.

[magnatz]

Most of the books on my shelf are in Italian, these are the one in English, or that have a english translation I know of.



MODERN AUTHORS


History of the Crusades
---Steven Runciman
This is a classic, both enthralling and informative. It has a very comprehensive and impartial account of the Crusades, with a lot of interesting side information.
Recommended.


Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
---Edward Gibbon
Huge narrative, from Trajan times to the fall of Constantinoples. The last four volumes cover Medieval period. Historically speaking it is probably dated, but it still makes for great reading, if you can handle the heavy Tacitian style.


History of the Byzantine Empire
---Georgije Ostrogorski
Very terse, it mostly centers on politics and economics.
Mostly a reference book, but interesting anyway.


How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
---Thomas Cahill
The title says it all. Short, extremely interesting, and delightful to read (no military stuff though). Go buy this book.




MEDIEVAL AUTHORS
(these are interesting to read and usually short. It is possible to find the full text online for Marco Polo and Machiavelli, maybe for the other ones too. Look out for variations in the author names, ie Rodolphus-Rudolfus-Rudolph):


The Gothic Wars
--- Procopius
History of the terrible war waged by Byzanthium against the Goths for the possession of Italy. This was the worst war ever to be fought in Italy, and nobody won - at the end the Longobards just walked in the devastated country and took charge. The account of the war was written by Procopius, the personal secretary of byzanthine general Belisarius.
Lot of military info.
(Procopius also wrote about the Vandalic and Persian wars of the same period, and is regarded as the probable author of the anonymous Secret History, a defamating libel against Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora)



History of The Longobards
--Paulus Diaconus
Fun reading material, the Longobards were undisciplined SOBs and apparently spent all their free time in rebellions and adultery. Paulus (a Longobard himself) is a capable and intelligent writer too, which doesn't hurt.



History of the Franks
--Gregory of Tours
Interesting insight on the birth of the HRE, seen by a Middle Age clerk. The stories on bishops competing for miracles and relics are enlightening (this is when the cult of saints took off in the West).



Chronicles of year 1000
--Rodulfus Glaber
Same as above, with emphasis on miracles and divine punishment.



Il Milione
--- Marco Polo



The Prince
--- Niccolò Machiavelli




ANTOLOGIES AND COMPILATIONS


Navigation and Travels
--- Giambattista Ramusio
Written in the 16th century, it is a HUGE compilation of ALL the most important books and reports written by travellers and ambassadors in India, China, Central Asia, Africa, North America ( ), South America, Middle East and Eastern Europe. To give a idea of how much it is big, the full text of Marco Polo's Il Milione is just a chapter in one of two volumes devoted to Asia



Arab Historians of the Crusades
--- Francesco Gabrieli
This short antology collects the history of the Crusades, as reported by contemporanean Arab historians. Very interesting reading (my favorite is Usama bin Munqidh, who had a open mind and a great sense of humor, two qualities that were sadly missing in his western counterparts).



La Caduta di Costantinopoli
--- Agostino Pertusi
This one is in Italian, but I put it in the list anyway, in case someone stumbles on a English translation (I think there is a French one). The first volume is a collection of the first-hand stories written by many persons (soldiers, diplomatics, religious, historians, both Western and Turks) that were in Constantinople when the city fell to the Turks in 1453. The second volume contains letters, reports and documents written in Europe after the news of the Turkish victory propagated, and samples of the many poems and popular songs inspired by the event. The books has also excellent notes on the military aspect of the siege (in addiction to the many first-hand descriptions in the text), city maps, and a day-by-day timeline.
This book is literally fascinating, ie expect to become ossessed with the Siege.



FICTION

The name of the rose
-- Umberto Eco
The one good book by Eco, too bad the movie murdered it. As a story it is worth reading by itself, and the incredible erudition of Eco makes it a must for medieval culture buffs.



BIOGRAPHIES

Frederick II
-- Ernst Kantorowicz
The life and times of Emperor Frederick II. Very readable, with a lot of side informations.

[Pindar]

Here are four good choices:

Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000 - 1300
-John France

Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World 565 - 1204
- John Haldon

Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia 500 B.C. - 1700
- Erik Hildinger

Armies of the Caliphs: Military society in Early Islamic State
-Hugh Kennedy

Crusades through Arab Eyes
- Amin Maalouf

[Russ Mitchell]

WAY too many to list: try this site, where I spend far too much time...

http://www.deremilitari.org

[Aurelian]

I'm going to add a few books to the list that are specifically about the nuts and bolts of medieval warfare.

The Art of Warfare in Western Europe in the Middle Ages: From the eighth century to 1340 - JF Verbruggen

This is a fantastic study of medieval warfare. Originally written in 1954, the newer editions have been revised and updated, but it still holds up as one of the best explorations of medieval tactics and military organization. This was one of the first books to look at medieval warfare as something other then a bunch of loons charging each other. Details numerous individual battles and explains how units operated tactically. Also interesting because the author is Flemish and uses sources and examples that will probably be unfamiliar to most non-Flemish readers.

Sowing the Dragon's Teeth: Byzantine Warfare in the Tenth Century - Eric McGeer

This is a fairly recent work. McGeer translates a couple of 10th century Byzantine military manuals, then provides an incredible commentary that explains in great detail how the Byzantine army of that era fought. If you want to learn how to command a Byzantine army, this is the book that will explain it to you. The Byzantine empire experienced a revival in the 10th century, reformed their armies, and used them to retake territory in the Balkans and in the Middle East. A fascinating book for any wargamer, it provides a unique look at how a medieval army operated on the battlefield. It also contains material on the Byzantium's contemporary enemies.

Maurice's Strategikon - translated by George T. Dennis

The Strategikon is a classic. Another Byzantine military manual, but describing the Byzantine army before the Islamic conquests. Well worth reading, particularly the material describing how imperial forces should deal tactically with each of their probable foes: Franks, Persians, Slavs, and Turks. The Strategikon doesn't contain the modern commentary that Sowing the Dragon's Teeth does, but the source material is essential reading.

Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century - Kelly Devries

Another recent book, Devries takes an in-depth look at the battles of the early fourteenth century. Devries thesis is that this was the period when infantry warfare became dominant again on medieval battlefields. Devries cites the experiences of the British longbow/dismounted men-at-arms system, the Swiss halberdiers, the Flemish pikemen, and the Catalan almughavars. Another book for wargamers with an emphasis on individual battles.

Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe - Bert S. Hall
For anyone interested in late medieval warfare and the transition to the age of gunpowder weapons, this is the book for you. Very detailed analysis of early gunpowder technology. I also enjoyed the discussion of how mounted pistoleers made medieval knights obsolete.

The Military Campaigns of the War of the Roses - Philip A. Haigh
I'm putting this book on the list because I believe it is the only book about the War of the Roses that looks at the conflict from the perspective of its campaigns and battles. Normally, books on this subject are political/historical in nature. By focusing on the military aspects of the struggle, this title makes the conflict much more understandable and readable. It also makes incredible reading because each of the battles of the conflict was very distinct and involved some dramatic turn of fortune.

So, there you go. Get reading. A report is due on my desk next Tuesday.
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Mr Baine]

Hello all.

Does anyone have any recommendations for books concerning the Wars of the Roses? (at the tail end of the medieval period I know, but no harm in asking http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ) I cannot seem to find any sort of useful guide. I am studying the period now for A level, so some reading material would be very useful.

Cheers for the recommendations, vey useful indeed, and thank you for any pointers in advance.

[magnatz]

I have a book on the War Of The Roses somewhere, but it will take me a couple of days to find it (I hate when it happens).
In the mean time here is a list of WOTR books, hope it helps:
http://www.dropbears.com/b/broughsbooks/military/wars_roses.htm

My search for the above book unhearted some interesting stuff which I am adding to my previous post http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[BlackFireStorm]

Mods,

Is there any chance we could either sticky this thread or transform it into a part of the site? as there's loads of good information here and it would be a shame to lose it. My preference would be the latter as there's already plenty of stickies in this forum as it is.

Cheers,

Blackie.

[LestaT]

I found one book in my colleege library long time ago, title 'Vicer of Christ' (if i'm not mistaken). It's 'bout history of the popes. I've been all around the country looking for it and couldn't find one. Is there anybody ever heard of it ? Wanna trade if you have it ?

[Gregoshi]

Not a bad idea BFS.

We can leave this here for a while yet and then add it to the Table of Contents topic. Would that do the trick?

[BlackFireStorm]

Gregoshi,

Anything, as long as the information is preserved. If required, I'll tidy it up a bit and summarise everyone's input. Let me know if you want me to do this.

Cheers,

Blackie.