King Arthur: A Military History [Hardcover]

Michael Holmes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1997

Applying scientific logic to the known facts to restore King Arthur to his true place in English history, this book starts with what is known of his life, and progresses through logic, commonsense and scientific probability. It provides analysis of his battle campaigns, and his role as author of "The King's English". It is claimed that the English language as spoken today is due mainly to the effectiveness of King Arthur's military tenacity. The author attempts to establish a place in history for Arthur from the known facts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 179 pages
• Publisher: Blandford Pr; First Edition edition (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713726334
• ISBN-13: 978-0713726336
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,109,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Review of King Arthur, A Military History, December 16, 1999

By 

D. Jackson (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: King Arthur: A Military History (Hardcover)

The author does a good job of summarizing the situation in Britain following the withdrawl of the Romans: the threats represented by the Anglo-Saxons, Picts, and Irish are well covered. I found the discussion contrasting the Anglo-Saxon threat to Celtic Britain and the Frankish threat to Celtic Gaul very interesting.

His thesis that Britain and France developed differently largely because of the relative success of the British in delaying the eventual Germanic takeover compared to the rapid collapse of native forces in Gaul seems well-reasoned.

I agree with the other reviewers, however, that the chapters on the books primary subject, Arthur, are close to useless. Far too much is supposedly proved based on too little evidence. Arthur was a war leader in late 5th century Britain, almost everything beyond that is speculation and inference.

Buy this book for a good, concise history of Early Britain, not for King Arthur.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating book, April 1, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: King Arthur: A Military History (Hardcover)

In this fascinating book, author Michael Holmes takes the historical references to fifth and sixth century Britain, and attempts to construct a chronology that fills in the details of this "Dark Age." Combining the information from a number of sources, often interpreted in new ways, he produces a thought-provoking history that helps to explain the different courses taken by Post-Roman Celtic Gaul (later France) and Post-Roman Celtic Britain (later England). Along the way, he finds that the legends passed on by the bards and storytellers ring true: that there was a great military leader named Arthur.

This is a fascinating book that I have already read twice. The author presents his argument in such a gripping manner, that reading it seems to pull the reader right into the story. It must be admitted that a good deal of what is presented in this book is deduction and assumption, but the author makes an excellent case for accepting his interpretation of the available (limited) data. If you are interested in the historic King Arthur, then I highly recommend that you get this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very creative synthesis of all sources, August 17, 2001

By 

Edgar C. Stuntz (Manitowoc, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Arthur: A Military History (Paperback)

It is fascinating to read how Michael Holmes gathered evidence from many sources, minus the legendary stuff, to create a marvelous synthesis of the story of King Arthur and his military exploits. Holmes' study of history, archeology and British geography surely points out a plausible account of how Arthur influenced the future history of Britain in contrast to neighboring Gaul (France). After my reading the separate but conflicting histories, and my recent tour of Britain, I am persuaded by Holmes' account that his is most plausible. Any student of military history would also be intrigued and educated by the strategies utilized by Celts, Romans, and Anglo-Saxons in their military campaigns of the late Roman Empire and Dark Ages.