Men-at-Arms 396: Medieval Scandinavian Armies (1) 1100-1300 (Paperback)

by David Lindholm (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator) "THE MILITARY HISTORY of medieval Scandinavia can be divided into several parts..." (more)
Key Phrases: Viking Age, Western Europe, Middle Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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Product Description
While Scandinavia's 'Viking Age' is one of the most studied aspects of early medieval history, much less has been published about the centuries that followed. Yet the armies of Sweden, Norway and Denmark offer fascinating differences from the rest of medieval Western Europe, both in their organisation and their war gear - due partly to their remoteness, climate and terrain, but partly to their long freedom from the feudal system of other kingdoms. This book explains the special nature of Scandinavian armies, shaped by the relative weakness of kings and aristocrats, and the contrasts between the separate nations of the North.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (August 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841765058
• ISBN-13: 978-1841765051
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #441,230 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Post-Viking Warriors, April 6, 2007

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

A fine book about a subject that has not received enough attention. Both text and plates deal with Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish armies, as well as those of the Kingdom of the Isles, the Saami, and the Norse settlers in Greenland and Iceland. A wonderful book with Angus McBride's usual excellence.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A book of limited value, September 1, 2004

By	Endre Fodstad "EF" (Norway) - See all my reviews

As the nordic (since Finland and Iceland are included in the book, the title is misleading) medieval military scene after the viking age is a subject on which few authors have cared to comment, one could have hoped for a more thought-through book from Nicolle and Lindholm. Sadly, this is not the case.

Factual errors abound and the authors happily ignores a great deal of both written and pictorial evidence to support their theories, particulary about the backwardness of Sweden and Norway in military terms. As the "guide to further reading" is populated almost solely by outdated literature, one suspects little effort has been made to provide an up-to-date picture.

One of the authors also manages to bring out an old hobby horse-theme; the interesting idea that Viking age one-edged swords were inspired by eastern fashion is presented - despite the fact that one-edged swords have been around in the north since the early iron ages. While many medieval developments may have arisen from eastern contacts, this idea seems like mere speculation. This is merely one of several glaring errors in this below-standards book.

One can also wonder why the book has the timespan 1100 to 1300 attached to it. By ending the book around 1300 the author cuts an artificial barrier into a period of great activity in scandinavia, both political and military - the period of the mid-nordic realm of the swedish duke Erik, in which the three scandinavian kingdoms clash both on the battlefield, dynastically and politically.

On the illustrations, McBride shows himself as a capable but rather creative illustrator - the strange stockiness of his figures, plus the abundance of fur coats with the fur turned out, make them seem a bit more like movie barbarians than medieval northerners. The clothing on civilians, and quite a few of the warriors, in all plates of the book seem to be inspired more by the popular image of viking age clothing than the plethora of scandinavian evidence available - the altar frontal collections of the Historical Museum in Bergen alone could have provided him with much inspiration. Unfortunately, McBride chose to resort to imagination instead.

One can only hope that other english-speaking scholars try to do a more thorough job when, or rather if, a similar and hopefully more valuable volume on the military aspect of medieval nordic culture appears.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The soldiers in the plates bieng stocky is correct, November 25, 2007

By	Rudenko - See all my reviews

The facial features I don't know, but of course the soldiers are stocky these people lived a very active life. When you have a soldier or warrior life and you have to carry all that armor on your own two legs and have wild a sword with a shield or an axe or a poleaxe... for an entire battle and marche on foot and fight again through an entire campaign, trust me i work out I Know a lot about this, trust me you become very tought and physicaly developed, you become vey stocky. These people did not sit around watching TV. They had to fight in a way that required a lot of physical strength and when they were not fighting they were working building fortifications or practicing thier fighting skills. that is why i love angus mcbride's work because he does not draw skinny out of shape soldiers that would not be able to lift a pike!