Customer Reviews

Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire (The Middle Ages Series)

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i highly recommend this book for anyone interested in early Carolingian era. It's a favorite period of mine and this book expanded my knowledge. It includes enough history to help the reader place the information about strategy in it's proper context, the only flaw was the one minimal map that added nothing to aide the reader in locating where the information took place. i am fortunate to have good maps in many books and I'd suggest a serious reader have some handy. Other then that from lay reader to serious student of the era should be pleased with the book

Following his earlier work on the Merovingian military, Bernard S. Bachrach explores warfare during the early Carolingian period. Bahrach demonstrates how truly advanced the Carolingian military was, able to combine numerical superiority with technology and sound strategic planning. This work traces the eariliest Carolingians to roughy the ascension of Charlemagne, who appears but is not the focus of this work nor are his sons or grandsons. All aspects of Early Carolingian Warfare are covered here, from raising and training armies to tactics, strategy, and siege warfare. Included also is an appendix which discusses naval warfare. Bachrach utilizes many latin terms in this work which may be off putting to the casual reader as they are rarely translated. Overall this is an outstanding in depth work, although it is slanted away from the causal reader. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED