Customer Reviews

The Age of Charlemagne (Trade Editions)

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_The Age of Charlemagne_ offers an excellent concise overview of the political and military history of the Carolingian Empire. David Nicolle, perhaps Osprey's top author on medieval subjects, gives the usual Osprey coverage of the military development and organization of the era, in this case the gradual introduction of stirrups to western Europe and the rise of early fighting cavalry. However, perhaps due to the paucity of historical material on these topics, Nicolle also includes a brief but thorough history of the Empire itself. The factors cited for its fall in the early 900s CE include encroachment by Saracens and Magyars, raids by Vikings, and the inability of the offense-designed Carolingian military system to adapt to a defensive role. _The Age of Charlemagne_ details the military history of this early medieval period and provides a valuable overview of the political history as well.

Another wonderful men-at-arms book produced by the union of David Nicolle's detailed examination of politics, military organization, and armament and Angus McBride's flawless and exciting artwork. This book not only discusses the adventures of the Carolingian Empire in the 9th and 10th Centuries, but also looks at its Avar, Slavic, Germanic, Italian, and Muslim foes.