Besieged 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo

by Davis, Paul K.

• ISBN13: 9780195219302
• ISBN10: 0195219309
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

From ancient times to the present, great sieges have had an enormous impact on the shaping of world history. Now, in this spectacular, fully-illustrated volume, one hundred of the world's most monumental and mind-boggling sieges are laid out in detail. Besieged covers the most important sieges from around the world throughout history--from Joshua's assault on Jericho in the fifteenth century B.C. to the Russian attack on the Chechen capital of Grozny at the end of the twentieth. Each entry provides the name and date of the siege, its exact location in terms of today's world, the number of forces engaged, when known, the names of the commanders on each side, and the overall importance of the siege in its historical context. Thoroughly examining the actions of both the attackers and the defenders, the book explores the motivations of both, and strategically surveys the technical and tactical innovations and conditions both inside besieged positions and in the besiegers' ranks. The entries detail the historical setting, the particular circumstances of the event itself, and the long-term results of the siege. These riveting accounts are enhanced by illustrations, over seventy maps, and references for further reading. A glossary and a comprehensive index complete the book. Global in scope, and with stirring accounts of familiar sieges as well as many lesser known conflicts, Besieged is essential reading for military buffs and everyone interested in how the modern world came to be. Includes the sieges of: * Jericho (1405 B.C.) * Troy (1250 B.C.) * Acre (1189--1191) * Constantinople (1453) * Tenochtitlan (1521 * La Rochelle (1627--1628) * Leningrad (1941--1944) * Malta (1940--1942) * Dien Bien Phu (1954) * Khe Sanh (1968) * Beirut (1982) * Sarajevo (1991--1995)

Author Biography

Paul K. Davis teaches history at Texas Military Institute. He is the author of 100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Jericho (1405 BC)	1	(2)
Troy (1250 BC)	3	(3)
Plataea (429--427 BC)	6	(3)
Syracuse (415--413 BC)	9	(5)
Veii (404--396 BC)	14	(3)
Tyre (332 BC)	17	(3)
Syracuse (213--212 BC)	20	(4)
Carthage (149--146 BC)	24	(5)
Numantia (134--133 BC)	29	(2)
Alesia (52 BC)	31	(4)
Jerusalem (70)	35	(4)
Masada (73--74)	39	(3)
Aquileia (452)	42	(2)
Rome (537--38)	44	(3)
Constantinople (717--18)	47	(3)
Pavia (773--74)	50	(3)
Paris (885--86)	53	(2)
Jerusalem (1099)	55	(4)
Acre (1189--91)	59	(3)
Montsegur (1243--44)	62	(4)
Baghdad (1258)	66	(2)
Hsiang-yang (1268--73)	68	(3)
Calais (1346--47)	71	(3)
Nicopolis (1396)	74	(2)
Orleans (1428--29)	76	(4)
Constantinople (1453)	80	(5)
Granada (1491)	85	(3)
Tenochtitlan (1521)	88	(6)
Rhodes (1522)	94	(3)
Pavia (1524--25)	97	(4)
Vienna (1529)	101	(4)
Boulogne (1544)	105	(2)
Malta (1565)	107	(4)
Chitor Garh (1567--68)	111	(2)
Famagusta (1571)	113	(3)
Antwerp (1584--85)	116	(5)
Kinsale (1601--02)	121	(4)
Osaka (1614--15)	125	(4)
La Rochelle (1627--28)	129	(3)
Magdeburg (1631)	132	(5)
Maastricht (1673)	137	(2)
Vienna (1683)	139	(3)
Londonderry (1689)	142	(4)
St. Augustine (1702)	146	(3)
Turin (1706)	149	(2)
Lille (1708)	151	(3)
Louisbourg (1745)	154	(3)
Arcot (1751)	157	(3)
Fort Niagara (1759)	160	(3)
Quebec (1759)	163	(4)
Havana (1762)	167	(4)
Boston (1775--76)	171	(4)
Quebec (1775--76)	175	(4)
Fort Stanwix (1777)	179	(4)
Gibraltar (1779--83)	183	(4)
Pensacola (1781)	187	(4)
Yorktown (1781)	191	(4)
Toulon (1793)	195	(4)
Genoa (1800)	199	(2)
Badajoz (1812)	201	(4)
Cuautla (1812)	205	(3)
Cartagena (1815)	208	(4)
Athens (Acropolis) (1826--27)	212	(3)
The Alamo (1836)	215	(5)
Rome (1849)	220	(2)
Sevastopol (1854--55)	222	(5)
Delhi (1857)	227	(4)
Gaeta (1860--61)	231	(3)
Puebla (1863)	234	(3)
Vicksburg (1863)	237	(4)
Petersburg (1864--65)	241	(4)
Fort Fisher (1864--65)	245	(4)
Humaita (1867--68)	249	(3)
Paris (1870--71)	252	(4)
Plevna (1877)	256	(4)
Khartoum (1884--85)	260	(3)
Chitral (1895)	263	(4)
Manila (1898)	267	(4)
Mafeking (1899--1900)	271	(5)
Peking (1900)	276	(4)
Port Arthur (1904--05)	280	(4)
Liege (1914)	284	(4)
Kut-al-Amara (1915--16)	288	(3)
Madrid (1936--39)	291	(6)
Bilbao (1937)	297	(4)
Malta (1940--42)	301	(5)
Tobruk (1941)	306	(5)
Leningrad (1941--44)	311	(5)
Sevastopol (1941--42)	316	(2)
Singapore (1942)	318	(5)
Stalingrad (1942--43)	323	(4)
Monte Cassino (1944)	327	(6)
Imphal (1944)	333	(4)
Dien Bien Phu (1953--54)	337	(5)
Quemoy (Kinmen) (1958--59)	342	(3)
Khe Sanh (1968)	345	(4)
Beirut (1982)	349	(3)
Basra (1982--87)	352	(5)
Sarajevo (1991--95)	357	(3)
Grozny (1994--95)	360	(5)
Glossary	365	(4)
Index	369