Medieval Warhorse From Byzantium to The [Hardcover]

Ann Hyland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1996

An illustrated study of the role and importance of the warhorse, which examines how specially bred and trained horses emerged from the Roman and Byzantine eras and took their place as an essential element in the military campaigns of medieval Europe.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Grange Books (October 27, 1996)
• ISBN-10: 1856279901
• ISBN-13: 978-1856279901
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,203,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hands-on opinions and excellent research, August 21, 1998

By 

Holly Ingraham "ailurophile" (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Medieval Warhorse: From Byzantium To The Crusades (Medieval Military Library) (Paperback)

As a medievalist since my teens, I had long heard how the medieval charger survived as the Shire or Suffolk draft horse. However, my recent research, starting with just looking at how the Middle Ages represents horses, had convinced me this was not so. Hyland provided superb support to this idea. She analyses the size of horse that can go through known openings, the size of horseshoes from battlefields of the period, and many other pieces of evidence to show that the early medieval Great Horse was about 15.2 hands high -- often considered small by modern competition riders, who like 16-17 hh Thoroughbreds and warmbloods. She actually traces horse descent from the beginning of domestication, though I believe she is too obsessed with Nesaeans while totally ignoring Scythian contributions to horsemanship (like the saddle and stirrup). Other than this, she gives a good if not impressive picture of the ancient horse as well. She covers not only the European warhorse, but its Byzantine and Saracen counterpart and their riders as well. It's good reading, not overly technical for the non-rider but with enough depth for the incurably horsey, too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the medieval warhorse from Byzantium to the crusades, November 28, 1999

By 

K. Charron (Stoughton WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Medieval Warhorse: From Byzantium To The Crusades (Medieval Military Library) (Paperback)

This is an excellent reference for anyone interested in warhorses. Hyland has done extensive work to shed light on a little known area of the middle ages. She does a good job arguing some of the typical stereotypes of the medieval warhorse (size) and backs up her findings in a believable fashion. She does show some definate biases, which are easy to ignore. A good book.