Medieval Military Technology, Second Edition
© 2012
First published in 1992, Medieval Military Technology has become the definitive book in its field, garnering much praise and a large readership. This thorough update of a classic book, regarded as both an excellent overview and an important piece of scholarship, includes fully revised content, new sections on the use of horses, handguns, incendiary weapons, and siege engines, and eighteen new illustrations.
The four key organizing sections of the book still remain: arms and armor, artillery, fortifications, and warships. Throughout, the authors connect these technologies to broader themes and developments in medieval society as well as to current scholarly and curatorial controversies.
Product Details
- World Rights
- Page Count: 384 pages
- Dimensions: 6.0in x 1.0in x 9.0in
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Reviews
Far more than just a second edition of DeVries's 1992 classic, this represents a complete rewrite, with significant new scholarship on almost every page. It is hard to imagine a more comprehensive, wide-ranging, and intelligent treatment of the topics covered. The updated notes and bibliography alone are worth the price of admission. Scholars, aficionados, and libraries alike will have to use DeVries and Smith or be considered hopelessly out of date.
Bert S. Hall, University of Toronto
Added to DeVries's compendious knowledge of medieval warfare is Smith's deep understanding of the arms and armor of the period, including how they were made and used. The result is that rare thing: a book that can be trusted in what it says about both military history and the hardware used in fighting.
Guy Wilson, Past Master of the Armouries, Royal Armouries
The first edition was pioneering and this edition is eagerly awaited by those who study military history as well as those who work on the history of medieval technology. Especially important is the integration of recent work on gunpowder weapons and siege technologies.
Bernard S. Bachrach, University of Minnesota
This is a full and authoritative treatment of the subject which illuminates our understanding of the medieval world and its warfare with remarkable clarity.
John France, Swansea University
Many sections have been substantially rewritten to reflect recent scholarship, and the book as a whole is much improved by a more precise table of contents, many new illustrations, and revised introductions and conclusion.
Fiona Harris-Stoertz, Trent University
Without any doubt this is the most comprehensive and best single volume on the subject...a book one should always have at hand.
Robert C. Woosnam-Savage, Curator of European Edged Weapons, Royal Armouries -
Author Information
Kelly DeVries is a professor in the Department of History at Loyola University, Maryland and an honorary historical consultant at the Royal Armouries, UK.
Robert Douglas Smith is an independent museum consultant who spent 15 years as Head of Conservation with the Royal Armouries. His published works include Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy 1363–1477 (2005, with K. DeVries), Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of Their Impact (2007, with K. DeVries), and Rewriting the History of Gunpowder (2010). -
Table of contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I: Arms and Armor
Chapter 1: Arms
The Spear/Lance
The Axe
The Sword
The Dagger
The Staff-Weapon
The Mace
The War Hammer
The Sling
The Bow
The Crossbow
Chapter 2: Armor
Early Medieval Armor
Armor in the Bayeux Tapestry
Twelfth-Century Armor
Shields, Helmets, and Heraldry in the Thirteenth Century
Fourteenth-Century Body Armor
Cloth-Covered Armor from the Battlefield of Visby
Later Fourteenth-Century Armor Developments
Plate Armor
Late Medieval Infantry Armor
Late Medieval Helmets
Late Medieval Shields and Barding
Chapter 3: The Stirrup, Mounted Shock Combat, Chivalry, and Feudalism
White's Thesis
Criticism of White's Thesis
Part II: Artillery
Chapter 4: Non-Gunpowder Artillery
Torsion Catapults
Traction Trebuchets
Counterweight Trebuchets
Greek Fire
Chapter 5: Gunpowder Artillery
Early History of European Gunpower Weapons
Siege, Battlefield, and Naval Applications
Types and Manufacturing of Gunpowder, Gunpowder Weapons, and Projectiles
Societal Impacts and Administrative Changes
Chapter 6: Siege Machines
Ladders
Siege Towers
Battering Rams and Mining Devices
Part III: Fortifications
Chapter 7: Early Medieval Fortifications
Late Roman and Barbarian
Carolingian
The Viking Invasions and Reactions
Chapter 8: The Motte-and-Bailey Castle
The Influence of William the Conqueror
Construction Techniques
Chapter 9: Stone Castles
The Origin of Stone Castles
Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Stone Castles
Crusader Castles
The Golden Age of Castle Construction
Edward I's Castles in Wales
Chapter 10: Urban Fortifications and Fortified Residences
Fortified Residences
Town Walls
The Influence of Gunpowder Weapons
Part IV: Warships
Chapter 11: Early Medieval Warships
Late Roman and Early Medieval Ships
Viking Ships
William the Conqueror’s Fleet
Chapter 12: High and Late Medieval Warships
Crusader Ships
Thirteenth-Century Ships
Technological Innovations
Later Medieval Ships
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
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