MEDIEVAL WARFARE, A Brief History of : The Rise and Fall of English Supremacy at arms, 1314-1485

Review: War is hell!. It is hell now in the cesspools of Iraq and Afghanistan; it was also hellish in the high middle ages of the 14th-15 centuries. Author Peter Reid is a major general (retired) in the British Army who is also a commentator on military affairs for the BBC. In over 600 closely printed pages he presents a panoramic view of the sanguinary conflicts of this bloody period which ran from 1314 to 1485 The most interesting part of the book was the introductory chapters wherin the author surveys how soldiers of the era dressed for battle, were provisioned, fought and were paid. There were no real standing armies in this time of nascent nationalistic aspirations. Battle was fought hand to hand and you looked your enemy in the eye before you tried to kill him. Recovery from wounds was rare; cruelty was prevalent. The history begins with the battle of Crecy in 1314. This important battle was won by the outnumbered English troops fighting in France under the great warrior/monarch Edward III. The English longbow proved decisive as literally hundreds of thousands of arrows would be launched against the enemy. The French knights and their crossbowmen were soundly defeated. The English would also do well using the longbow under the inspired leadership of King Henry V in the famed battle of Agincourt in 1415. Reid recounts the key battles, plots and strategy used by England and France during the long 100 years war which lasted from 1337 to 1453. The English were finally defeated losing their French territories in Aquitaine, Normandy but holding on to Calais. Outstanding warriors of the war were Joan of Arc and Edward the Black Prince of England. Almost 2/3 of the book deals with this crucial European war. The English grew weary of the endless war as dynastic struggles and domestic affairs became more important. The war ended with France triumphant. The French had ended their civil wars, developed defensive weapons and improved armor to withstand the assault of arrows. Reid also discusses the War of the Roses fought between the Houses of York and Lancaster (first called the War of the Roses by Sir Walter Scott in the nineteenth century). The wars ended with the victory of Edward IV and the York faction. Edward IV was also successful in defeating the Duke of Buckingham who sought to usurp his throne. He became King of England in 1483. The book ends with a discussion of Richard III’s murder of the princes in the Tower of London and his defeat at the hands of Henry Tudor. Richard was killed at Bosworth Field in 1485. Henry Tudor was crowned as Henry VII begining the Tudor dynasty which lasted until the death of Elizebeth I in 1603. Reid has done his military homework in a well researched book. He has included short biographies of the key players and provided a glossary of military terms in use during the medieval era. His style is dry and the reader can doze off among recountings of all the carnage. The book will appeal to military history buffs. Reid provides maps to help explain the action.