Nicopolis 1396: The Last Crusade (Praeger Illustrated Military History) [Hardcover]

David Nicolle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275988422 | ISBN-13: 978-0275988425 | Publication Date: September 2005

The background to the Nicopolis Crusade can be found in the rapid spread of Ottoman Turkish conquests, particularly in the southern Balkans, during the second half of the 14th century. More specifically, it was the Ottoman threat to Hungary following the failure of a Hungarian uprising against Ottoman domination in Bulgaria that provoked action from its politically fragmented territories and the worried powers beyond. By this time, the once mighty Byzantine Empire had been reduced to little more than the city of Constantinople itself. In 1391 the Sultan Bayazid I 'The Lightning' besieged the city. Pope Boniface IX preached a crusade and a French-led army of 10,000 marched east. At Nicopolis on the Danube they met the Ottoman army in battle. Ignoring the advice of their Hungarian and Transylvanian allies the Crusaders charged the Turks and were in turn smashed by the Ottoman heavy cavalry. The last Crusade ended on the banks of the Danube as the Crusaders desperately sought to escape from the pursuing Turks. David Nicolle discusses this climax to the last great French-led crusade. Researched entirely from primary sources, much of the material in the book has never been published before.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

David Nicolle was born in 1944, the son of the illustrator Pat Nicolle. He worked in the BBC Arabic service for a number of years, before gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He later taught world and Islamic art and architectural history at Yarmuk University, Jordan. He has written many books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. David lives and works in Leicestershire, UK. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275988422
• ISBN-13: 978-0275988425
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,151,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > History > Europe > Bulgaria

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arrogance at work !, November 18, 2000

By 

blauer Hulk - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nicopolis 1396: The Last Crusade (Campaign) (Paperback)

But not in this work. The title of this review is a quotation of the French Admiral de Vienne who uttered it at the sight of the over hastily advancing French and Burgundian knights."When truth and reason cannot be heard,than must arrogance rule".Thus giving a perfect one-sentence description of the battle. What are the good points in this book: -The description of the crusading spirit of the nobel-classes in France and Burgundy. -Showing the arrogance of the French knighthood when it comes to the use of lower-class or mercenary infantry which they won`t have on their nobel crusade(resulting in a total lack of siege capacity and equipment). -Showing the lack of willingness by these knights to consider tactics and terrain as notable factors for the outcome of the battle at least when these would restrict their quest for glory and showing of personal bravery.(Thus they discarded the advise of their mostly Hungarian (there are practicaly no Austrians in this story) and Wallachian allies to wait with their attack until their army contingents had time to group. -The book has a good breakdown of Ottoman army organisation which has astonishingly many parallels to the European fashion. -Shows well the similarities and differences in habit when it comes to bravery of the (infantry) fighting man and cultural ethic. -Many typical Nicolle photographs of the landscape and pieces of armor.(Must have photographed every picture ,statuette and effigy containing a piece of armor from Skandinavia to the Sahara). -Dry, scholary and unbiased style of writing, the author really cares about his intellectural integrity (God behold him so). -It is really interesting to see the Christian Serbs crushing the last attempt of the Christian army to turn the battle.(And this 7 years after the battle of the "Amselfeld"). All in all an interesting book on an interesting battle with good pictures and maps.

P.S.:Now I wait for Mohacs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "If God dropped the sky on our heads, we would maintain it with the tops of our lances!", January 20, 2012

By 

Vincenzo L. Falcone - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nicopolis 1396: The Last Crusade (Campaign) (Paperback)

"If the God dropped the sky on our heads, we would maintain it with the tops of our lances!" declaration of the French knights at the crusade's military council.

I will not go into great detail as to the accepted excellence of Dr. David Nicolle's work, or that of the near god-like credibility of David G. Chandler, THE leading authority on Medieval Warfare in our lifetime. That has been covered by far more intelligent people than myself, and in truth, what are we reviewing; the authors or their material? What I will discuss is the book itself.

Osprey Military Books has been putting out an amazing, reliable, and entertaining line of material for more years than I can remember. The books are well-researched and written, with wonderful coloured templates, original etchings, and pictures of relics and historical sites and places of import.

NICOPOLIS 1396 is one of the CAMPAIGN Series in the Osprey collection, and it is in a word - Amazing! There are 96 pages covering everything from: The Origins of the Campaign, The Opposing Commanders & their forces, their battle plans, and then coverage of the Campaign itself. It goes on to discuss the Aftermath and Reckoning of the battle, as well as what the battlefield looks like today. It provides information for 'Further Reading', and for the die-hards out there, it also furnishes how to Play Nicopolis as a War-Game.

The text is well written and easy and enjoyable to follow. The book is ripe with illustrations, both ancient and contemporary, as well as maps, a three dimensional diagram of the battlefield, and illustrations all throughout.

This book is perfect for both the experienced and well-versed, and the interested first timer approaching the subject. NICOPOLIS 1396: THE LAST CRUSADE is just one more superior piece of military literature that Osprey can claim as their own - and should - with pride.

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent succinct survey of the battle, December 31, 2010

By 

Yoda (Hadera, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nicopolis 1396: The Last Crusade (Campaign) (Paperback)

The first place any review of this short book would need to start out at is the author himself, David Nicolle. Dr. Nicolle is one of the world's leading scholars of medieval warfare, both Western and Islamic. He has published dozens of books on the subject. He is an impeccable authority on the topic and this book shows it.
The book follows the typical Osprey format for the "campaign" series, starting off with a brief introduction to the two sides in every respect (i.e., leaders, armies, tactics, strengths and weaknesses, experience levels, etc.). The book then goes on to elaborate on the geopolitical situation of each side, basically that the Christians were very much mistrustful and resentful of each other and not very united in terms of command structure while the Ottoman state was very hierarchical and unified. This was a major factor contributing to the Ottoman victory.

Nicolle then follows the routes of the two armies before they even met, the battle itself and the immediate consequences. He elaborates, quite well, on the poor tactics used by the crusading armies relative to the tactical flexibility of the Ottoman forces, another major contributing factor to the Christian defeat. He also elaborates on the arrogance of the French forces, along with their lack of experience against Islamic military tactics, both in absolute terms and relative to their Wallachian allies who were much more suited to battle the Ottomans because of their greater tactical flexibility and considerable experience fighting the Ottomans in the past. It was this French arrogance in ignoring the advice of their Wallachian allies that also contributed, in a major fashion, to the Christian defeat. Nicolle not only covers these major themes well but also covers a number of minor events quite well. For example, he provides numerous competing views as to what happened to many of the Christians captured during the battle.

Nicolle concludes the book with the immediate consequences of the battle, basically that the Christian alliance was shattered, the Christian states bordering the Ottoman state were seriously weakened and the Ottoman state consolidated its hold in the Balkans. All this eventually enabled the Ottomans to launch a long term successful war of conquest of the Balkans.

For the book's short length, 96 pages about half of which are illustration, the book does an excellent job at providing a succinct history of the battle for those with only an hour or two to spend on the subject.