Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550

by Harari, Yuval Noah

• ISBN13: 9781843832928
• ISBN10: 1843832925
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-04-19
• Publisher: Boydell Pr

Summary

Alongside the familiar pitched battles, regular sieges, and large-scale manoeuvres, medieval and early modern wars also involved assassination, abduction, treason and sabotage. These undercover operations were aimed chiefly against key individuals, mostly royalty or the leaders of the opposing army, and against key fortified places, including bridges, mills and dams. However, because of their clandestine nature, these deeds of 'derring-do' have not been studied in any detail, a major gap which this book fills. It surveys a wide variety of special operations, from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. It then analyzes in greater depth six select and exciting operations: the betrayal of Antioch in 1098; the attempt to rescue King Baldwin II from the dungeon of Khartpert in 1123; the assassination of Conrad of Montferrat in 1192; the attempt to storm Calais in 1350; the 'dirty war' waged by the rulers of France and Burgundy in the 1460s and 1470s; and the demolition of the flour mill of Auriol in 1536. Dr YUVAL NOAH HARARI teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Author Biography

Yuval Noah Harari lectures in the department of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Special operations, strategy, and politics in the age of chivalry - an analytical overview	p. 1
The gateway to the Middle East : Antioch, 1098	p. 53
Saving King Baldwin : Khartpert, 1123	p. 74
The assassination of King Conrad : Tyre, 1192	p. 91
For a sack-full of gold Ecus : Calais, 1350	p. 109
Princes in the cross-hairs : the rise and fall of Valois Burgundy, 1407-83	p. 125
The mill of Auriol : Auriol, 1536	p. 163
Conclusions	p. 184
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