Warfare in the Medieval World

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

Book Review: The Crusades, Christianity, and Islam

by Scott Manning May 11, 2013
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Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Crusades, Christianity, and Islam. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. In The Crusades, Christianity, and Islam, Jonathan Riley-Smith has provided a succinct, powerful work that helps us understand the historical memory of the Crusades in both the Western and Islamic worlds. Given the sensitivities over the Crusading era with both Christians and [...]

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Luxembourg’s Bourscheid Castle

by Scott Manning May 6, 2013
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On the way to Bastogne, I passed a sign pointing to a castle. I was feeling adventurous, so I went 10 miles out of my way to visit the Bourscheid Castle. It was well worth the detour. As you approach the castle, there is a superb spot for panoramic shots of the castle and valley. [...]

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In and out of Crecy

by Scott Manning April 20, 2013
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I find the French method of marking town boundaries very amusing.

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An Alternative Design to the National Wallace Monument

by Scott Manning February 10, 2013
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The same year that America broke out into a civil war, the Scots and English began construction on their National Wallace Monument. The massive structure was not complete until 1869 and it stands to this day on the Abbey Craig as an imposing structure over Stirling and the River Forth. Here is the monument in [...]

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Richard III: How we know it is him and how he died

by Scott Manning February 6, 2013
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The recent announcement that we finally found the body of English King Richard III (r. 1483-1485) has brought loads of press coverage to the medieval period and to warfare. Here is quick primer on Richard, how we are certain it was his body, and how he died. Who was Richard III? The best context that Americans [...]

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My Experience at the Medieval Undergrad Conference at Moravian

by Scott Manning December 6, 2012
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This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the Seventh Undergraduate Conference in Medieval & Early Modern Studies at Moravian College. I had no real expectations, but I understood the conference for what it was—a chance for undergrads to cut their teeth. It was that and much more. Here is a [...]

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Naming Artillery from the Medieval World to Gettysburg

by Scott Manning August 13, 2012
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Sitting in front of the headquarters of Daniel Sickles is a 12-pounder Napoleon. While the cannon was not present for the Battle of Gettysburg, it was used in the Civil War.1 The cannon is unique, because it appears a soldier named the cannon “CORA” with paint on the back. While we are almost positive that [...]

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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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