Customer Reviews

French Medieval Armies 1000-1300 (Men-at-Arms)

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This is another typical product of David Nicolle and Angus McBride-and therefore should excellently serve as an introduction for an amateur historian, or a source for a wargamer or military uniformist.

An experienced Osprey reader should already know who both Nicolle and McBride are, as well as the typical men-at-arms format, but for those that do not I will explain. David Nicolle is an expert in medieval Islamic warfare, but is also well-studied in warfare in contemporary Europe. He has written dozens of titles for Osprey on such diverse topics as the Italian Army in World War I, and the tribal enemies of the Roman Empire in the ancient Middle East. The (as of earlier this year) late Angus McBride was one of Osprey's best illustrators, again using his talent on many diverse topics in all eras of military history.

This title is the standard men-at-arms book. It starts with an introduction to the politics and military affairs of early medieval France, and then examines the origins, training, gear, and various ranks and roles of the French soldiery of the era. Next a special section is devoted to the military culture of southern France. The last major section of the book is an examination of French battle tactics. It is followed by a rather skimpy biography, and the plate commentary.

The plates are typically eight in number. They gloriously depict French warriors, ranging from kings and knights to peasants and mercenaries, in combat or at ease, and give them realistic poses and expressions. As always, the details on the armor and weaponry are intense. The last plate is particularly neat, showing the knightly dubbing ceremony as it would have appeared in the 1320's. Another plate of note is plate 'G', depicting a French knight struggling past Flemish caltrops as the enemy prepare to defend themselves.

In short, this book is one of the best-done of the medieval men-at-arms titles, and would be a valuable source to anyone interested in this time and place in history.