Germanic Warrior AD 236-568 [Paperback]

Simon MacDowall (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Warrior | Publication Date: September 15, 1996

The 3rd to the 6th centuries saw the collapse of the classical Mediterranean civilization and the emergence of new states in western Europe based on the Germanic warrior society. This book focuses particularly on the men who made up the retinues of the Germanic warlords who carved kingdoms out of the carcass of the West Roman Empire. Although sources are scarce, Simon MacDowall constructs a convincing picture, using evidence from Roman historians, German archaeology and Anglo-Saxon poetry. The warriors' society, hierarchy, training, equipment, appearance, tactics and style of fighting are all examined, building a comprehensive portrait of the Germanic warrior in this period.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

About the Author

Simon MacDowall is a professional army officer with a life long passion for history. His hobbies include painting military figurines and wargaming. He has lived in England, Canada, Germany and Belgium as well as seeing service in Central America and the former Yugoslavia. He enjoys good food and drink, travel, wilderness camping and writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855325861
• ISBN-13: 978-1855325869
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Useful Overview, June 18, 2003

By 

Tim O'Neill "Bibliophilius" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Germanic Warrior AD 236-568 (Paperback)

It's always difficult to cover a large subject in the brief but effective Osprey format, but MacDowell has made a useful addition to his volumes on the Late Roman cavalry and infantry to give an overview of the later Germanic warriors. The author is faced by twin difficulties: (i) the evidence is often sparse and fragmentary and (ii) the Germanic tribes differed markedly from each other in many ways and changed and adapted over the centuries. Generalisations are thus difficult, and what may be true in relation to a noble Ostrogothic cavalryman are unlikely to be true for their Frankish infantry contemporaries. Despite this, MacDowell compresses a large amount of information into a useful book.

THe volume covers obvious territory in relation to the early Germanic warrior social structure, which forms a good context for the beginner or general reader. The sections on training and tactics go some way toward modifying the Hollywood image of "screaming savage barbarians", with MacDowell emphasising the influence of centuries of contact with Rome on the organisation of these warbands. Similarly, the convergence between the equipment used by the Germanics and those used by their Roman foes and allies also creates a very different image of these "invaders".

The section on the "experience of battle" gives an immediacy and vitality to what could be a dry catalogue of ancient fragments and archaeological evidence. As ever, Angus McBride's evocative watercolours bring the evidence to life, with several pictures, such as that of the blond Germanic lord in late Roman costume, flanked by his comitatus guards and receiving homage from a new retainer in his (rather run-down) Roman villa telling a story while illustrating some artefacts.

Overall, this isn't a perfect book and the text can be thin in places (since this isn't really MacDowell's area of specialisation), but in terms of context and as a starting point for newcomers to this area, this book is a good contribution.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars highly welcome, June 4, 1999

By 

Peter Gugerell (Wien) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Germanic Warrior AD 236-568 (Paperback)

A valuable addition to the Osprey Elite series. Author Simon MacDowall covers the Germanic Warriors from 236 to 568 AD. The chapters: Chronology -- The warrior society -- Leadership and hierarchy -- Training -- Equipment and appearance -- The warrior on campaign -- The experience of battle. The book is beautifully illustrated by the well-known artist Angus McBride.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So thats what Beowolf looked like!, July 1, 2005

By 

D. D Lawson (Pasadena, Calif. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Germanic Warrior AD 236-568 (Paperback)

Some good text but its the illustrations that led me to buy this book. If you want to get an idea of what the Guys who took over Western Europe looked like then here you go!