Medieval Military Technology

by Devries, Kelly; Smith, Robert Douglas

• ISBN13: 9781442604971
• ISBN10: 1442604972
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr Higher education

Summary

First published in 1992, Medieval Military Technologyhas become the definitive book in its field, garnering much praise and a large readership. This thorough update of a classic book, regarded as both an excellent overview and an important piece of scholarship, includes fully revised content, new sections on the use of horses, handguns, incendiary weapons, and siege engines, and eighteen new illustrations. The four key organizing sections of the book still remain: arms and armor, artillery, fortifications, and warships. Throughout, the authors connect these technologies to broader themes and developments in medieval society as well as to current scholarly and curatorial controversies.

Author Biography

Robert Douglas Smith is an independent museum consultant who spent 15 years as Head of Conservation with the Royal Armouries. His published works include Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy 1363-1477 (2005, with K. DeVries), Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of Their Impact (2007, with K. DeVries), and Rewriting the History of Gunpowder (2010).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xv
Arms and Armor	p. 1
Arms	p. 5
The Spear/Lance	p. 8
The Axe	p. 15
The Sword	p. 18
The Dagger	p. 24
The Staff-Weapon	p. 28
The Mace	p. 30
The War Hammer	p. 32
The Sling	p. 33
The Bow	p. 34
The Crossbow	p. 41
Armor	p. 53
Early Medieval Armor	p. 58
Armor in the Bayeux Tapestry	p. 64
Twelfth-Century Armor	p. 66
Shields, Helmets, and Heraldry in the Thirteenth Century	p. 70
Fourteenth-Century Body Armor	p. 74
Cloth-Covered Armor from the Battlefield of Visby	p. 75
Later Fourteenth-Century Armor Developments	p. 76
Plate Armor	p. 78
Late Medieval Infantry Armor	p. 85
Late Medieval Helmets	p. 86
Late Medieval Shields and Barding	p. 89
The Stirrup, Mounted Shock Combat, Chivalry, and Feudalism	p. 99
White's Thesis	p. 103
Criticism of White's Thesis	p. 106
Artillery	p. 115
Non-Gunpowder Artillery	p. 117
Torsion Catapults	p. 117
Traction Trebuchets	p. 122
Counterweight Trebuchets	p. 126
Greek Fire	p. 129
Gunpowder Artillery	p. 137
Early History of European Gunpowder Weapons	p. 138
Siege, Battlefield, and Naval Applications	p. 140
Types and Manufacturing of Gunpowder, Gunpowder Weapons, and Projectiles	p. 147
Societal Impacts and Administrative Changes	p. 156
Siege Machines	p. 165
Ladders	p. 167
Siege Towers	p. 170
Battering Rams and Mining Devices	p. 175
Fortifications	p. 183
Early Medieval Fortifications	p. 187
Late Roman and Barbarian	p. 187
Carolingian	p. 197
The Viking Invasions and Reactions	p. 199
The Motte-And-Bailey Castle	p. 211
The Influence of William the Conqueror	p. 213
Construction Techniques	p. 217
Stone Castles	p. 223
The Origin of Stone Castles	p. 223
Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Stone Castles	p. 227
Crusader Castles	p. 233
The Golden Age of Castle Construction	p. 244
Edward I's Castles in Wales	p. 251
Urban Fortifications and Fortified Residences	p. 261
Fortified Residences	p. 262
Town Walls	p. 268
The Influence of Gunpowder Weapons	p. 272
Warships	p. 283
Early Medieval Warships	p. 289
Late Roman and Early Medieval Ships	p. 289
Vikings Ships	p. 291
William the Conqueror's Fleet	p. 294
High and Late Medieval Warships	p. 299
Crusader Ships	p. 299
Thirteenth-Century Ships	p. 301
Technological Innovations	p. 306
Later Medieval Ships	p. 309
Conclusion	p. 319
Bilbiography	p. 322
Index	p. 347
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.