Noble Ideals and Bloody Realities

Noble Ideals and Bloody Realities

Author: Niall Christie

Publisher: History of Warfare

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13:

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This collection of articles offers new insights into warfare and its impact on medieval society, analyzing social and economic issues, military strategy, technology, medical developments, ideology and rhetoric, and addressing warfare in Europe, the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world.


Noble Ideals and Bloody Realities

Noble Ideals and Bloody Realities

Author: Niall Christie

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2006-04-01

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9047409124

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This collection of articles offers new insights into warfare and its impact on medieval society, analyzing social and economic issues, military strategy, technology, medical developments, ideology and rhetoric, and addressing warfare in Europe, the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world.


Crusader Criminals

Crusader Criminals

Author: Steve Tibble

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2024-07-09

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 0300276079

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A vivid new history of the criminal underworld in the medieval Holy Land The religious wars of the crusades are renowned for their military engagements. But the period was witness to brutality beyond the battlefield. More so than any other medieval war zone, the Holy Land was rife with unprecedented levels of criminality and violence. In the first history of its kind, Steve Tibble explores the criminal underbelly of the crusades. From gangsters and bandits to muggers and pirates, Tibble presents extraordinary evidence of an illicit underworld. He shows how the real problem in the region stemmed not from religion but from young men. Dislocated, disinhibited, and present in disturbingly large numbers, they were the propellant that stoked two centuries of unceasing warfare and shocking levels of criminality. Crusader Criminals charts the downward spiral of desensitisation that grew out of the horrors of incessant warfare--and in doing so uncovers some of the most surprising stories of the time.


Popular Muslim Reactions to the Franks in the Levant, 1097–1291

Popular Muslim Reactions to the Franks in the Levant, 1097–1291

Author: Alex Mallett

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-03-23

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 1317077989

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The issue of Muslim reactions to the Franks has been an important part of studies of both the Crusades and Islamic History, but rarely the main focus. This book examines the reactions of the Muslims of the Levant to the arrival and presence of the Franks in the crusading period, 1097-1291, focussing on those outside the politico-military and religious elites. It provides a thematic overview of the various ways in which these 'non-elites' of Muslim society, both inside and outside of the Latin states, reacted to the Franks, arguing that it was they, as much as the more famous Muslim rulers, who were initiators of resistance to the Franks. This study challenges existing views of the Muslim reaction to the crusaders as rather slow and demonstrates that jihad against the Franks started as soon as they arrived. It further demonstrates the difference between the concepts of jihad and of Counter-Crusade, and highlights two distinct phases in the jihad against the Franks: the 'unofficial jihad' - that which occurred before uniting of religious and political classes - and the 'official jihad' - which happened after and due to this unification, and which has formed the basis of modern discussions. Finally, the study also argues that the Muslim non-elites who encountered the Franks did not always resist them, but at various times either helped or were unresisting to them, thus focussing attention away from conflict and onto cooperation. In considering Muslim reactions to the Franks in the context of wider discourses, this study also highlights aspects of the nature of Islamic society in Egypt and Syria in the medieval period, particularly the non-elite section of society, which is often ignored. The main conclusions also shed light on discourses of collaboration and resistance which are currently focussed almost exclusively on the modern period or the medieval west.


The Crusades and the Near East

The Crusades and the Near East

Author: Conor Kostick

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-10-18

Total Pages: 633

ISBN-13: 1136902473

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The crusades are often seen as epitomising a period when hostility between Christian West and the Muslim Near East reached an all time high. As this edited volume reveals, however, the era was one which saw both conflict and cohabitation. Tackling such questions as whether medicinal and architectural innovations came to Europe as a direct result of the Crusades, and why and how peace treaties and intermarriages were formed between the different cultures, this distinguished group of contributors reveal how the Holy Wars led on the one hand to a reinforcement of the beliefs and identities of each side, but on the other to a growing level of cultural exchange and interaction. This volume breaks new ground in not only exploring the conflict between the Christian and the Muslim worlds, but also the impact of this conflict on the cultural evolution of European and Near Eastern thought and practices. Utilising the latest scholarship and original studies of the sources, this survey sheds new light on the cultural realities of East-West relations and marks a new departure for studies of the crusades. Contributors include John France, Yehoshua Frenkel, Chris Wright, Natasha Hodgson, A.V. Murray, Sini Kangas, Léan Ní Chléirigh, Susan Edgington, Jürgen Krüger, Yvonne Friedman and Bernard Hamilton.


The Road to Rocroi

The Road to Rocroi

Author: Fernando González de León

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 425

ISBN-13: 9004170820

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Combining approaches and insights from cultural, social and military history this study traces the evolution and decline of the Spanish officer corps and general staff during the Eighty Years War in connection with contemporary trends such as modernization and aristocratization.


May 1940

May 1940

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2010-04-27

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 9004187278

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In May 1940, the Netherlands were overrun by German armed forces. The five-day campaign might seem to be a prime example of Blitzkrieg, which led shortly afterwards to the rapid and unexpected overthrow of France. This book, based on the newest scholarly research, argues that this is too simple a view. Even though the German assault on the Netherlands made use of tanks, aircraft and airborne troops, it was still a classic campaign against a weak opponent in a theater on the margins of Fall Gelb. In many instances, artillery and infantry were the decisive factors and it is debatable whether the bombing of Rotterdam can be seen as a precursor to the aerial terror campaigns against civilian populations that marked the later stages the Second World War. Contributors are H. Amersfoort, H.W. van den Doel, P.H. Kamphuis, P.M.J. de Koster, C.M. Schulten and J.W.M. Schulten.


Before the Military Revolution

Before the Military Revolution

Author: Alexander Querengässer

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2021-09-30

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1789256720

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Before the Military Revolution examines European Warfare in the Late Middle Ages from 1300 to 1490. It is not restricted only to well-covered conflicts, like the Anglo-Scottish Wars or the Hundred Years War, but gives due weight to all regions of Europe, including the Empire, the Baltic, the Balkans and the Mediterranean, and considers developments in naval warfare. The Hussite Wars and the wars of the Teutonic Order and the Hanseatic League are covered, as is the expansion of Moscow, the Ottomans and Venice, and battles like Aussig (1426), Copenhagen (1428), Chojnice (1454) are discussed alongside Bannockburn and Agincourt. This age witnesses fundamental change. The feudal system of the High Middle Ages crumbled everywhere in Europe due to climatic change, economic crisis and population decline. This triggered a fiscalization of the military organization, the establishment of taxes and representation of the estates. This book argues that these changes are the most fundamental ones in the military and political organization in Europe until the rise of the constitutional state around 1800 and so comes closer to the original concept of a Military Revolution. It also takes a critical look at other often discussed developments of this age, like the Infantry and Artillery Revolution or the decline of cavalry. Combining a chronological and regional narrative with deeper analysis of themes like chivalry, strategy, economic warfare or military publications makes this book an indispensable read for everyone interested in late medieval history.


1917: Beyond the Western Front

1917: Beyond the Western Front

Author: Ian Beckett

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2009-01-31

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9047424700

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The growing military, political and socio-economic costs for all belligerents as the Great War entered its fourth year were increasingly evident, liberal democracies and authoritarian states alike having to remobilise public opinion for yet greater sacrifices. While the Western Front was facing these challenges, 1917 was also marked by the collapse of Tsarist Russia and by food riots resuting both from the Entente's blockade of Central Europe and the revival of unrestricted submarine warfare by the Central Powers. Ottoman Turkey was feeling the strain of war as well, as British forces advanced in both Palestine and Mesopotamia. For states as yet uncommitted to war, such as the United States and China, 1917 was a year of decision. This volume amply illustrates the significance of this crucial year in the global conflict. Contributors are Lawrence Sondhaus, Eric Grove, Keith Grieves, Matthew Hughes, Kaushik Roy, Vanda Wilcox, Laura Rowe, and Nick Hewitt.


Knights Templar Encyclopedia

Knights Templar Encyclopedia

Author: Karen Ralls

Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser

Published: 2007-01-01

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1564149269

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Historian Ralls has written an authoritative source book on the fascinating history behind the most famous military religious order of the Crusades--the Knights Templar. This encyclopedia also includes a wealth of information on the key Templar people, places, events, and more.