History of Warfare: The Renaissance at War [Hardcover]

Thomas Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2001 | Series: History Of Warfare

With the dawning of the Renaissance came not only enlightenment in painting and sculpture but also technological and social advances that changed forever the art of warfare. First, firearms replaced bows as the weapons of choice on Western battlefields; then the new skills of literacy, numeracy, and book knowledge became essential to lead men into war. Suddenly, the old order, and the old commanders, were out, and new-style armies were taking the world by storm. Rich with anecdotal detail, a compelling and comprehensive narrative by an expert military historian transports you to the midst of the action as it examines the strategies, campaigns, prominent figures, and key conflicts of the age. From artillery and fortifications to military leadership, from cavalry tactics to the new infantry, from the Crusades to the guerrilla wars in late 16th-century France, penetrating cultural, tactical, and technical analyses plus numerous illustrations, maps, and charts paint a full portrait of war during the Renaissance.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Connecticut

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; 1St Edition edition (June 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304352705
• ISBN-13: 978-0304352708
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.6 x 3.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,155,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the series, June 6, 2001

By 

S. Edwards "akiba9" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History of Warfare: The Renaissance at War (Hardcover)

this book is part of the Cassell History of Warfare series that is currently being published and is, in my opinion, one of the best books in this collection (along with Hanson's Wars of the Ancient Greeks and Goldworthy's Roman Warfare). The first half of the book covers the developments on siegecraft, artillery, infantry tactics, and strategy of European armies in the 16th century; the second half covers the history of wars between the Ottoman empire and Europe and between Europeans themselves during the same period. The writing is succinct and informative. The illustrations are well chosen - both relevant and pleasing to the eye. Charts and maps are plentiful. You will enjoy this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Detailed and Well Crafted Book, January 4, 2002

By 

L. Sabin (Hudson Valley NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History of Warfare: The Renaissance at War (Hardcover)

Thomas Arnold is a great writer, and having John Keegan as the editor of could only have helped the text. It is very easy to read and still extremely interesting, covering first the technical evolution of warfare from the 15th to the 17th centuries and then covering the major conflicts of the era.

Added to the strong writing and editing are many computer generated maps of individual battles and some great illustrations, many taken from period tapestries and paintings.

This book is probably the most clear, well-written book available on the subject, while still encompassing many lesser known facets of the Renaissance and even injecting some humor in a couple of passages.

Don't judge it by its textbook appearance and odd dimensions...it is anything but textbook-like and will undoubtedly lead you to buy more of the books in the series.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Surprise- fascinating book with excellent graphics, June 18, 2002

By 

D. Keating (Bristow, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History of Warfare: The Renaissance at War (Hardcover)

First off, I knew nothing about war during the European Renaissance before reading this book, so I went in with pretty low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised- this book is fascinating. Thomas Arnold writes in a very clear style, that is easy to follow. His research is detailed, but he does not bog the reader down with too many minute details.

Also, this book is full of excellent graphics. It has many period prints, maps, tapestry images, and some well done battlefield graphics. I thought this illustrations really helped emphasize many of the author's key points.

This is the first book in the series that I have read, so now I have rather high expectations for the other volumes I purchased with this one. I highly recommend this book to any military history student, or anyone interested in learning more about how warfare changed in Europe during the Renaissance.