David Nicolle

European Medieval Tactics (2) (eBook, PDF)

New Infantry, New Weapons 1260-1500
Illustrator: Hook, Adam

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

With the development in the 13th century of co-operative tactics using crossbowmen and heavy spearmen, circumstance began to arise in which the charge by Muslim horse-archers, and then by European armoured knights, could be defied. Infantry were far cheaper and easier to train than knights, and potentially there were far more of them. Tactics emerged by which more numerous and more varied infantry played an increasing part in battles. This book traces these and other examples of this 'jerky' and uneven process through its regional differences, which were invariably entwined with parallel cavalry developments - the balanced army of 'mixed arms' was always the key to success. By the time serious hand-held firearms appeared on battlefields in large numbers in about 1500, the face of medieval warfare had been transformed.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 64
• Erscheinungstermin: 20. August 2012
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781849087407
• Artikelnr.: 38359475

Autorenporträt

David Nicolle is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Medieval Studies, Nottingham University. He is the author of numerous books on aspects of medieval military history, including many for Osprey.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction /Background - the experience gained from defeats at the hands
of the 13th-century Mongol invasions, and of Muslim armies in the Middle
East /Development of infantry weapons and tactics as result of meeting
these basically light cavalry enemies. (e.g. Tagliacozzo, 1268; Falkirk,
1298; Courtrai, 1302) /The decline of lance and the rise of close-quarter
cavalry weapons - confusion of tactics (e.g. Najera, 1367; Aljubarotte,
1385; Castagnaro, 1387) /Crossbow and longbow - reasons for divergence
between mainland European and English armies - how each type worked
alongside cavalry and dismounted men-at-arms (e.g. Crecy, 1346; Agincourt,
1415) /'Blip' in rise of infantry dominance as heavier cavalry armour
becomes arrow-proof (e.g. San Romano, 1432) /Decline of archery in favour
of combined-arms infantry armies - bows subsidiary to massed pikes and
halberds (e.g. Grandson, 1476) /Increasing importance of field artillery
(e.g. Castillon, 1453) and hand-held firearms (e.g. Cerignola, 1503) /Plate
commentary /Bibliography /Index