Warfare in the Medieval World

Articles on warfare from the the fall of the Roman Empire to the end of the Hundred Years War.

How was Joan of Arc so Skilled with Cannons?

by Scott Manning December 12, 2011
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One of the most striking aspects of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was that her primary weapon was the cannon. Not only that, but she was very skilled with it. There are several testimonies from those who fought with her about her ability to place and aim cannons, as well as predict the target of enemy [...]

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Joan of Arc Monument at New Orleans

by Scott Manning November 23, 2011
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A year ago, my wife and I traveled to New Orleans and we had the opportunity to see the Joan of Arc monument on Decatur Street. There are some interesting features of the monument including two cannons. France erected the statue in 1972 as a gift to New Orleans, whose namesake, Orléans, was one of [...]

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Adolphus and a 4-pounder in Scotland

by Scott Manning November 21, 2011
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History gets even more interesting when you can make connections in distant lands. Last July, I was taking a course at AMU on military leadership. One of the leaders we studied in the course was Gustavus Adolphus, the king of Sweden (r. 1611-1632). Historians and theorists alike often refer to him as the “father of [...]

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The Strategic Importance of Stirling, Scotland

by Scott Manning November 7, 2011
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As part of tracking the warpath of William Wallace, this article looks at the strategic importance of Stirling. In the conquest and defense of Scotland, there is no location more important than Stirling where Wallace (d. 1305) and Andrew Murray (d. 1297) made their successful stand against the invading English in 1297. Figure 1: A [...]

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16 Years on the Warpath of William Wallace

by Scott Manning August 24, 2011
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When I was 15 yrs old, my parents took me to see Braveheart. It was a violent film, but they seemed to tolerate that sort of thing as long as there was history or an important message involved. This film had both. I was enamored by the kilts, the brutality of the fighting, and the [...]

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Joan of Arc’s Military Successes and Failures

by Scott Manning January 6, 2010
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Joan of Arc was an aggressive military commander who always opted for offense instead of defense. In thirteen known engagements, her troops were victorious nine times. At least thirty different cities, towns, and villages surrendered without a fight when she approached with her army. Personally, she was a skilled horseman and swordsman, but tactically, she [...]

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Book Review: Joan of Arc: A Military Leader

by Scott Manning January 2, 2010

DeVries, Kelly. Joan of Arc: A Military Leader. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2003, 244 pages. Kelly DeVries, author and professor of history at Loyola University in Maryland, has written a strong case that scholars have incorrectly analyzed Joan of Arc through virtually every lens save for a military one. She “was a soldier, plain and [...]

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