The Stamford Bridge Battlefield Walk takes place on the 26th September at 10:30am, a day after the battle would have taken place in 1066, and starts at Shallows Car Park, Stamford Bridge.
The last rex crucesignatus, Edward I and the Mongol alliance
September 12, 2015 By
This study explores the crusading efforts of Edward I, King of England (1272– 1307), in the last decades of the thirteenth century.
‘Spurred on by the Fear of Death’: Refugees and Displaced Populations during the Mongol Invasion of Hungar
September 6, 2015 By
Sensitized by the grim headlines which daily announce the appalling plight of twentieth-century refugees in eastern Europe, I was motivated to investigate the behavior and conditions of medieval refugees fleeing the Mongols.
Finding the Battle of Bannockburn
September 2, 2015 By
Between 2011 and 2014, a new search for the site of the Battle of Bannockburn took place, spurred on by the 700th anniversary of the battle and the National Trust for Scotland’s new state-of-the-art Bannockburn Battlefield Centre.
Free online course on the Battle of Agincourt begins in October
August 30, 2015 By
One of the leading experts on the famous Battle of Agincourt will be part of a free online course that begins on October 19th.
The Justinianic Reconquest of Italy: Imperial Campaigns and Local Responses
August 27, 2015 By
This article examines a particular aspect of Justinian’s campaigns against the Ostrogoths in Italy, one that is often overlooked, yet one that is essential to the understanding of these wars
Fourteenth-Century Weaponry, Armour and Warfare in Chaucer and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
August 8, 2015 By
This essay attempts to re-appraise selected passages of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from a wider military historical and archaeological perspective.
Fear – Elements of Slavic ‘Psychological Warfare’ in the context of selected Late Roman Sources
August 5, 2015 By
The study covered 6th century historical sources depicting the fighting methods of the Slavs. A more in-depth analysis focused on the issue of fear in relation to group conformism, described in detail in Strategikon
‘Naked and Unarmoured’: A Reassessment of the Role of the Galwegians at the Battle of the Standard
July 24, 2015 By
Accounts of the Battle of the Standard, fought in 1138 between the army of David I, King of Scots and the northern English forces rallied by Thurstan, Archbishop of York, have unvaryingly placed the blame for the Scottish defeat on David’s Galwegian warriors who, against armoured English ranks, fled in confusion.
Landscape and Warfare in Anglo-Saxon England and the Viking Campaign of 1006
July 23, 2015 By
The last twenty-five years have seen huge advances made in the way that battlefields can be recorded and understood through archaeological techniques, but these methods have only recently been accepted as a useful complement to traditional military history.
With a Bended Bow: An Interview with Erik Roth
July 22, 2015 By
Erik Roth presents a comprehensive examination of the archer and his weapon in a time when archery was both economically and militarily vital to the security of England, based on the study of mediaeval writings and period artefacts.
‘Virile Strength In A Feminine Breast’: Women, Hostageship, Captivity, And Society In The Anglo-French World, C. 1000- C.1300
July 15, 2015 By
My interest in the relationship between hostage- and captive-taking practices and gender originally arose out of the idea for a much grander project about women and warfare.
Embracing Death, Celebrating Life: Reflections on the Concept of Martyrdom in the Order of the Knights Templar
July 15, 2015 By
Although research on the concept of martyrdom during the era of the Crusades has gained considerable prominence, it has rarely been applied to the Knights Templar. This is surprising, as the Templars were the first military order and paved the way for a new monastic development; they were devoted to warfare only; and they, together with the other military orders, but unlike most Crusaders, established a permanent presence in the hostile environment of the Holy Land, consequently facing the threat of death both regularly and frequently.
A Comparative Analysis of the Concepts of Holy War and the Idealized Topos of Holy Warrior In Medieval Anatolian And European Sources
July 13, 2015 By
This thesis focuses on the relations between the idea of holy war and the portrayals of holy warriors in medieval narratives composed by those in the service of power-holders.
Which Ancient Warrior Are You?
July 8, 2015 By
Are you a Knight, a Ninja, perhaps even a Samurai? Take this quiz and find out!
Is it Better to Die in Battle or to Flee? A Medieval View
July 5, 2015 By
How far should a warrior in battle? It has been a question that every soldier has probably thought about, and many have had to face. Even in the Middle Ages this was a question that was debated.
Routier Perrinet Gressart: Joan of Arc’s Penultimate Enemy
July 3, 2015 By
Even my English medievalist colleagues, however reluctantly, must admit that Joan of Arc played a significant role in the Hundred Years War.
Who actually died at the Battle of Crecy?
June 24, 2015 By
This battle, fought on August 26, 1346, was one of the most important victories for England during the Hundred Years War. New research about the battle has revealed how much confusion existed about who actually died during the battle.
Medieval Warfare and the Value of a Human Life
June 20, 2015 By
It has always seemed to me illogical and inhumane that the people of our world have frequently decided matters of relatively little importance by sending a large number of their young males out to be killed.
King Stephen’s Siege Tactics
June 20, 2015 By
I will describe Stephen’s siege tactics in three general areas: (1) indirect assault, (2) direct assault, and (3) non-weapon engineering.
From Alfred to Harold II: The Military Failure of the Late Anglo-Saxon State
June 15, 2015 By
Most historians now acknowledge that Hastings was indeed a close-run affair, won more by luck and perhaps generalship than because of fundamental structural or tactical differences in the forces or disparities in their military technologies.
Owain’s Revolt? Glyn Dŵr’s role in the outbreak of the rebellion
June 6, 2015 By
This article asserts that Owain Glyn Dŵr was neither the instigator nor, initially, the sole leader of the revolt for which he has become well known. It also challenges the idea that there was just one rebellion and casts doubt on the notion that he proclaimed himself Prince of Wales on 16 September 1400.
The Medieval Tournament: Swords and Swordfish
June 4, 2015 By
Tournaments were a uniquely medieval phenomenon that were part-military training, part-sport, and of a character all their own. Full of colour, pageantry, and action, the tournament was a marked part of medieval society for centuries.
Conflicting Perspectives: Chivalry in Twelfth-Century Historiography
June 2, 2015 By
Historians have found the task of defining medieval chivalry to be an elusive task.
Why did Attila leave Italy?
May 27, 2015 By
Reporting on the paper ‘Attila’s Appetite: The Logistics of Attila the Hun’s Invasion of Italy in 452′, by Jason Linn, given at the International Congress on Medieval Studies
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