Barbarians, Marauders, And Infidels
Barbarians, Marauders, And Infidels

Author: Antonio Santosuosso

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2004-05-26

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 9780813391533

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Barbarians, Marauders, and Infidels examines the motives and terrors of war during the Middle Ages, the rise and fall of ethnic and religious groups, and the actions of good and evil military leaders during this violent and colorful period. In this sweeping chronicle, historical figures and major campaigns such as Charlemagne, the Magyars, and the Crusades are presented not as icons but as a living part of their times, with all their achievements and human failures. Santosuosso asserts that war, for most of the Middle Ages, was carried out for God, personal gain, and honor. Both Christians and Muslims often explained their acts of violence in war as the will of God. Besides the religious motivation, soldiers, if upper class, believed that acts of bravery were a necessary aspect of gaining honor in society. Finally, war constituted a way to make material gains in a period of chronic underemployment and low prosperity. Particular emphasis is given to massive transitions from one period to the next in the medieval era. The author explains how these changes reflected an environment where charismatic leaders, the Church, and the aristocracy played leading roles as "managers" of the art and practice of war and normally as main actors on the battlefield.

Soldiers and Civilization
Soldiers and Civilization

Author: Reed R Bonadonna

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2017-05-15

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 1682470687

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Soldiers and Civilization covers the history of the military profession in the Western World from the ancient Greeks to the present day. Drawing from military history, sociology, and other disciplines, it goes beyond traditional insights to locate the military profession in the context of both literary and cultural history. Reed Bonadonna maintains that soldiers have made an unacknowledged contribution to the theory and practice of civilization, and that they will again be called upon to do so in important ways. The comprehensive nature of the book and the extent to which Bonadonna draws on the disciplines of the humanities to make his points set this volume apart from others on the subject. The military profession, in its broadest consideration, might be viewed as an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities. A soldier is made of the words of history, poetry, and the laws and language of his calling. With each new conflict, the military may be called upon to preserve the values of civilization. To fulfill its future role, the military professionals of today must know, heed, and apply the examples and narratives of the most successful and exemplary military professionals of the past at their best.

Crimes of State Past and Present
Crimes of State Past and Present

Author: David M. Crowe

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-09-13

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1317986814

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War Crimes and acts of genocide are as old as history itself, but particularly during the 20th century. Yet what are war crimes and acts of genocide? And why did it take the world so long to define these crimes and develop legal institutions to bring to justice individuals and nations responsible such crimes? Part of the answer lies in the nature of the major wars fought in the 20th century and in the changing nature of warfare itself. This study looks at war crimes committed during the Second World War in the USSR, Yugoslavia, Germany, and efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice. This led to successful postwar efforts to define and outlaw such crimes and, more recently, the creation of two international courts to bring war criminals to justice. This did not prevent the commitment of war crimes and acts of genocide throughout the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. And while efforts to bring war criminals to justice has been enhanced by the work of these courts, the problems associated with civil wars, command responsibility, and other issues have created new challenges for the international legal community in terms of the successful adjudication of such crimes. This book was based on a special issue of Nationalities Papers.

Legacy: The Apocryphal Correspondence between Seneca and Paul
Legacy: The Apocryphal Correspondence between Seneca and Paul

Author: David Mitchell

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2010-08-03

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1462826458

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In the 4th Century AD, a correspondence between the Apostle Paul and the Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca surfaced and circulated among the scholarly elect of the recently liberated, corporate Catholic Church. Although the letters are spurious in nature, no Church Father trained in deciphering the legitimacy of interpolated and amended writings of first century documents thought it necessary to denounce these letters as such. One even chose to endorse the pagan Seneca as beneficial to the Church on account of these letters. This endorsement actually secured the survival of Seneca´s other works and his impact on history´s notable scholars. Legacy: The Apocryphal Correspondence between Seneca and Paul follows the Correspondence as it toured Europe passing through the hands of the men who profoundly shaped the world we live in today. Would Seneca have had such an influence on Petrarch, John Calvin, or William Shakespeare (to name a few) had not a 4th century renegade crafted these letters?

Queer Questions, Clear Answers
Queer Questions, Clear Answers

Author: Thomas S. Serwatka

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2010-05-05

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0313386137

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This provocative book examines the important issues in contemporary debates on sexual orientation—from our various religious beliefs to our stereotypes about homosexuals, from questions about the origin of sexual orientation to the lessons we can learn from history. Queer Questions, Clear Answers: The Contemporary Debates on Sexual Orientation offers an eye-opening conversation about questions, facts—and fears—relative to sexual orientation. The book is framed around a series of nine sets of "queer questions," including, Who is queer and who is not? How do we interpret and use sacred scriptures to control behavior and set public policy? What lessons can we learn from history and psychology? and What is the homosexual agenda? The author, himself a gay man and prominent academic, combines cross-disciplinary research and personal anecdotes in his intriguing search for answers to questions that are central to ongoing cultural and political debates. In discussing each set of questions, he examines perspectives and arguments from across the political spectrum. The clear, articulate, and wholly candid answers he offers will help readers get beyond the headlines—and the sound bites—to better understand many important arguments about homosexuality and human rights.

Armies of the Dark Ages
Armies of the Dark Ages

Author: Ian Heath

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2015-03-23

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1326233327

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Armies of the Dark Ages spans the period from 600 AD to 1066 and describes Byzantine, Sub-Roman, Pictish, Irish, Visigothic, Lombard, Merovingian, Carolingian, Ottonian, Viking, Russian, Slav, Avar, Khazar, Magyar, Bulgar, Pecheneg, Ghuzz, Alan, Armenian, Sassanid, Arab, Andalusian, Near Eastern, Saxon, Norman, Italian and Spanish armies. It examines tactics and strategy, organisation and formations as well as providing a detailed guide to the dress and equipment of the armies of the period. Comprehensive illustrations complement the text and the result is a wealth of information for anyone interested in the warfare of the time. Long out of print, the book has been a source of inspiration to wargamers and academic historians alike. It is reprinted here in its complete 1980 second edition with an updated bibliography.

Research Handbook on Remote Warfare
Research Handbook on Remote Warfare

Author: Jens David Ohlin

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2017-10-27

Total Pages: 525

ISBN-13: 1784716995

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The practice of armed conflict has changed radically in the last decade. With eminent contributors from legal, government and military backgrounds, this Research Handbook addresses the legal implications of remote warfare and its significance for combatants, civilians, policymakers and international lawyers.

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart
The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart

Author: Jesse Bullington

Publisher: Hachette+ORM

Published: 2009-10-27

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 0316071927

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Hegel and Manfried Grossbart may not consider themselves bad men -- but death still stalks them through the dark woods of medieval Europe. The year is 1364, and the brothers Grossbart have embarked on a naïve quest for fortune. Descended from a long line of graverobbers, they are determined to follow their family's footsteps to the fabled crypts of Gyptland. To get there, they will have to brave dangerous and unknown lands and keep company with all manner of desperate travelers-merchants, priests, and scoundrels alike. For theirs is a world both familiar and distant; a world of living saints and livelier demons, of monsters and madmen. The Brothers Grossbart are about to discover that all legends have their truths, and worse fates than death await those who would take the red road of villainy.

Faith and Sword
Faith and Sword

Author: Alan G. Jamieson

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2006-06-26

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9781861892720

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"Faith and Sword explores the long and bloody history of the Muslim-Christian conflict, and examines the causes of present-day tensions between Islamic nations and the secular West. This book examines the Christian-Muslim conflict through all its stages and shows how our current situation has emerged. Ranging from Morocco to Indonesia, and from Russia to Somalia, it sheds light on the complex political and religious dynamics that form the background to one of the most important conflicts of our time."--BOOK JACKET.

Enduring Controversies in Military History [2 volumes]
Enduring Controversies in Military History [2 volumes]

Author: Spencer C. Tucker

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2017-09-21

Total Pages: 994

ISBN-13: 1440841209

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This provocative examination of major controversies in military history enables readers to learn how scholars approach controversial topics and provides a model for students in the study and discussion of other historical events. Why did Alexander the Great's empire fall apart so soon after his death? How did France win the Hundred Years War despite England winning its major battles? Was slavery the primary cause of the American Civil War? Would it have benefited the Allies militarily to have gone to war against Germany in 1938 rather than in 1939? Should women be allowed to serve in combat positions in the U.S. military? All of these questions and many other historical controversies are addressed in this thought-provoking reference book. By exploring every angle of some of the most contentious debates involving military history, this book builds students' critical thinking skills by supplying a complete background of the controversial topic to provide context, and also by providing multiple perspective essays written by top scholars in the field. The perspective essays present arguments for different positions on the controversy. Readers will consider the cases for and against whether Hannibal should have marched on Rome after his momentous victory at Cannae, whether the United States was justified in using the atomic bomb in Japan, whether Adolf Hitler was primarily responsible for the Holocaust, and whether torturing prisoners during the War on Terror is warranted, among many other historical military debates.