The Scottish and Welsh Wars 1250-1400: With visitor information (Trade Editions) [Paperback]

Christopher Rothero (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2000 | Series: Trade Editions

On October 10, 1066 came the last successful invasion of England, when William the Conqueror and his troops faced the Anglo-Saxon army of Harold Godwinson. Within 6 hours Harold was slain and his country lost. However, it was to be fully 2 centuries before Anglo-Norman kings would penetrate that wild interiors of Wales and Scotland, and still more centuries were to pass before Scotland, Wales, and England were united beneath one crown.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Bringing History to Life collection is made up of Osprey's all-time favourite titles, re-released with striking new covers - selected titles also include visitor information sections.

Product Details

• Paperback: 52 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841761664
• ISBN-13: 978-1841761664
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,984,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Scottish and Welsh Wars, January 20, 2008

By 

K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Scottish and Welsh Wars 1250-1400: With visitor information (Trade Editions) (Paperback)

'The Scottish and Welsh Wars 1250-1400' is an examination of the weapons, tactics, and history of the armies of England, Scotland, and Wales during the High Middle Ages. Basically speaking, the book covers the Scottish campaigns of Edwards I and II from the death of King Alexander III of Scotland to the victory of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn, and the Welsh Wars from the ascension of Edward I in 1272 to the disappearance of Owain Glyndwr in 1412.

The book is both written and illustrated by Christopher Rothero, who is an expert on the medieval warfare of Western Europe. Among his previous titles are 'The Venetian Empire 1200-1670', 'The Armies of Agincourt', and 'The Armies of Crecy and Poitiers'.

The book is opened the book with a summary of the early Welsh wars up to the tragic death of Llewellyn ap Gruffyd, king of Gwynedd. It was this conflict that first saw the introduction of Welsh mercenaries and their famous shortbows into the English army. Nextly, the First Scottish War of Independence is studied, in which the famous William de Wallace raised the banner of revolt in the name of the desposed puppet-king John Balliol, and allegedly also to avenge his murdered wife/mistress. The tactics used at Stirling Bridge and Falkirk are examined, along with the strengths and weaknesses of Wallace's Army (notably his lack of skilled archers and his equal lacking in knowledge of their proper battlefield usage). After the brutal execution of Wallace, the ascension of the Bruce as Robert I of Scotland, and the subsequent famous victory at Bannockburn (1314) are examined. Rothero closes the historical summary of his book with an outline of the post-Bannockburn Scottish campaigns, and the revolt of the Welsh Lord 'Owen Griffith of Glendower', who was known to his own people as Owain Gruffyd of Glyndwr. Owain's revolt was the last major attempt by the Welsh to overthrow their English overlords with military force.

The other sections of the book deal with the tactics and weapons of all three armies, though naturally they are dealt with briefly. The principle of knights beating archers, archers beating spearmen, and spearmen beating knights, well illustrated in the Scottish Wars, is discussed in the tactics section. These sections are followed by the plate commentary and index.

The color plates are not extremely detailed, but they suit their purpose well enough to smash any notions that the Scots of this era wore kilts. As with Rothero's other books, he seems to focus too much attention of the appearances of the kings, lords, and knights, and not enough on the common fighting men. Only two common Scottish warriors, an archer and a spearman are illustrated. Rothero's recreation of a 13th Century Welsh chieftain seems a little too 'barbaric'.

Overall this book is a good source on England's Wars against the last Celtic peoples of Britain in the late Middle Ages, a series of wars that saw the fall of the Welsh princedoms and the beginning of a several-century era of freedom for Scotland. As with all Osprey titles this one would be good for the history teacher, wargamer, or anyone interested in the real wars and warriors that inspired Braveheart.