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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 909
EAN num: 9780851153575
ISBN number: 0851153577
Label: Boydell Press
Manufacturer: Boydell Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: August 06, 1992
Publishing house: Boydell Press
Sale Popularity Level: 1488349
Studio: Boydell Press
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Product Description:
In medieval warfare, the siege predominated: for every battle, there were hundreds of sieges. Yet the rich and vivid history of siege warfare has been consistently neglected. Jim Bradbury's panoramic survey takes the history of siege warfare in Europe from the late Roman Empire to the 16th century, and includes sieges in Byzantium, Eastern Europe and the areas affected by the Crusades. Within this broad sweep of time and place, he finds, not that enormous changes occurred, but that the rules and methods of siege warfare remained remarkably constant. Included are detailed studies of some of the major sieges including Constantinople and Chateau-Gaillard. Throughout, Bradbury supports his narrative with chronicles and letters. First-hand accounts of danger, famine and endurance bring the acute reality of siege warfare clearly before the reader.
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Rated by buyers 
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This is a comprehensive social and military history of siege warfare and its development and affects throughout Medieval times. It deals in detail with the various 'ages' of Siege warfare and eleoquently demonstrates that sieges and counter sieges were the predominant form of warfare which shaped the social, military and political landscape in Europe and the Middle East for almost a millenia in the period from 450 CE to 1565 CE. The pages are crammed with historical detail and the work finishes with two fascinating chapters on the Weapons of Siege Warfare and the Conventions and Laws of Siege Warfare. A real must for those interested in the serious study of military and social history in Medieval times when sieges affected almost all aspects of daily life for those from peasants and soldiers to princes and popes.
Rated by buyers 
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This could have been a first-rate book. The author has researched a wide variety of sources, collecting many examples of events that took place during sieges. These stories, ranging from amusing to horrifying, are told in a very readable way. Unfortunately, the book is weak on systematic analysis. Not until page 241 does the author begin describing siege weapons and techniques in a comparative way. Many of the illustrations from the medieval period are small and not well-reproduced, making it difficult for the reader to see details. There are not enough plans of castles and fortresses to illustrate the author's points. The book also follows the unfortunate modern trend of using inadequate maps composed of lines and dots, with no indication of terrain features. Michael Michaud, an American living in Vienna, Austria
Rated by buyers -
The battles of the Middle Ages are well known, but the
medieval siege has long been a neglected subject. Bradbury's
central theme is that sieges, and not battles, were decisive in medieval warfare. Looking at siege warfare
from the early Middle Ages to the beginnings of the
Renaissance, he shows that siege warfare was lengthy, brutal
and unchivalrous, with conventions and a morality all of its
own. His subject is breathtaking; the beautiful stone
castles of Europe were built for war, and he shows them
facing siege engines, assault towers, starvation and disease.
Above all, this book is accessible; far from being the
specialist book that its title suggests, it is an excellent
introduction to medieval military history, looked at from
a new and intriguing perspective. If this book has a fault,
it is that it fails to relate the medieval siege to other
aspects of warfare, especially logistics. Nevertheless, for
its great scope in time and geography, and its detailed
description of the practices and weapons of siege warfare,
this book is a valuable contribution to medieval military
history.
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