Anglo-Norman Warfare: Studies in Late Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman Military Organization and Warfare [Hardcover]

Matthew J. Strickland (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0851153275 | ISBN-13: 978-0851153278 | Publication Date: November 1992

The influence of war on late Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman society was dominant and all-pervasive. This volume brings together for the first time many of the most fundamental articles hitherto published on warfare in England and Normandy in the 11th and 12th centuries, combining the work of some of the foremost scholars in the field. Redressing the tendency to study military institutions and obligations in isolation from the practice of war, equal emphasis is here given both to organization and the composition of forces, and to strategy, tactics and conduct in war. The aim is to provide not only an in-depth analysis of the nature of war itself, but also firmly to place the study of warfare in a broader social, political and cultural context. The themes dealt with largely span the period of the Conquest, offering an assessment of the extent to which the Norman invasion marked radical change or a degree of continuity in the composition of armies and in methods of fighting. This collection, with an introduction and select bibliography, should be useful not simply to students of medieval warfare, but to those studying Anglo-Norman society and its ruling warrior aristocracy whose raison d'etre was war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This extremely useful volume...collects papers which deal with two main areas of military history: first, organisation and the nature of forces; second, the conduct of war. The work has a notable coherence... themes emerge very clearly from the volume, and also from an editor's introduction so lucid as to be an incitement to plagiarism by students. Extensive and helpful bibliography...the paperback issue is especially welcome. --History --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851153275
• ISBN-13: 978-0851153278
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,284,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection of excellent articles, March 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Anglo-Norman Warfare: Studies in Late Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman Military Organization and Warfare (Paperback)

This collection contains some superb articles on Anglo-Norman warfare, including three of John Gillingham's masterpieces. It does require a little background to appreciate these articles, which were really written for professional historians rather than general readers, but not too much. If you've read Verbruggen and Smail, this is a good next place to go (especially if read in combination with some contemporary chronicles). ---Prof. Clifford J. Rogers

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The military background behind the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest, September 26, 2010

By 

Ulfilas (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anglo-Norman Warfare: Studies in Late Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman Military Organization and Warfare (Paperback)

I read this book (a collection of articles by a number of authors) in order to arrive at a better understanding of the Norman military within the context of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest. This book covers these topics and much more. Not only are the capabilities of the Norman military thoroughly explored, but those of the Anglo-Saxon military as well. Topics in this book include the Anglo-Norse Housecarls such as those under Harold Godwinson's command, as well as William the Conqueror's generalship and the Battle of Hastings itself. One is left with the feeling that it was the superior Norman military and the unmatched generalship of William the conqueror that led to the success of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest.