A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages: Volume One: 378-1278 AD (Greenhill Military Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Charles Oman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1998 | Series: Greenhill Military Paperbacks

8 maps & 19 diagrams & 6 x 9 & The first of this two-volume set charts the transition of warfare from the fall of the Roman Empire to the battle of Marchfeld in 1278, which decided the fate of Austria and marked the ascendancy of the armored knight. Detailed descriptions of particular battles--including Adrianople, Louvain, Hastings, and Lewes--are combined with a thorough analysis of tactics, strategy, and the nature and character of European armies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853673315
• ISBN-13: 978-1853673313
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magisterial history, as it isn't done any more., July 5, 1999

By 

A. B. Whiting (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages: Volume One: 378-1278 AD (Greenhill Military Paperbacks) (Paperback)

These two volumes present an enormous amount of information and analysis, well-organized and well-written. Working directly from primary sources, Sir Charles Oman has reconstructed innumerable details and outlines of this extremely poorly-documented period. It is not a novel, to be read once, but a reference, to be gone back to again and again. (In fact, it's mildly irritating that Oman refers throughout the first volume to a battle descibed only on the last pages.) The author appears to be on a first-name basis with all the chroniclers with whom he has to deal, a depth of knowledge which is necessary to decide which of several contradictory accounts to accept. It's like a series of long discussions with a master scholar, over port in his rooms in College. He does prefer you to be something of a scholar yourself: footnotes in Latin, Greek, French, and whatnot are not translated (annoying, but not a major problem). The subject has moved on greatly since the time these were published, and some of Oman's conclusions and ideas are now known to be wrong, but these works still define the Medieval art of war.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the person who wants to know about war in the middle age, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages: Volume One: 378-1278 AD (Greenhill Military Paperbacks) (Paperback)

but not much else. It is a great work to tell about organization, armor, and weapons. It is surprisingly easy reading for the time period and considering the genius of the man who wrote. If you want to know about the political intrigues, you must go elsewhere though.

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for those interested in fall of Rome/Byzantine, January 30, 2004

By 

Brian Boyd (Anchorage, AK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages: Volume One: 378-1278 AD (Greenhill Military Paperbacks) (Paperback)

Oman actually starts out before 378 giving comment to the Roman military sysem. I lost track of a lot of the details but really enjoyed the book. With his detail of the battles he paints a good picture. He also gives some connecting information as to why the battles were taking place. The politics, powers and so on that were taking place. This book gave me a new appreciation for the Byzantines. Any one interested in the crusades would also do well to understand how the Byzantines fought and how the middle east looked when the crusaders showed up. Since everyone talks about crusades and the holy-land now days it is good to understand just what those words mean. This book offers more than great battles that should be put to the screen.