Overview

Robert Guiscard, William the Conqueror, Roger I of Sicily and Bohemond Prince of Antioch are just four of the exceptional Norman commanders who not only led their armies to victory in battle but also, through military force, created their own kingdoms in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Their single-minded and aggressive leadership, and the organisation, discipline and fighting qualities of their armies, marked them out from their Viking forebears and from many of the armed forces that stood against them. Their brilliant careers, and those of Robert Curthose, William Rufus, Richard I of Capua and Henry I of England, are the subject of Paul Hill's latest study of medieval warfare. In a narrative packed with detail and insight, and with a wide-ranging understanding of the fighting methods and military ethos of the period, he traces the course of their conquests, focusing on them as individual commanders and on their achievements on the battlefield. The military context of their campaigns, and the conditions of warfare in France and England, in southern Italy and Sicily, and in the Near East, are vividly described, as are their decisive operations and sieges – among them Hastings, Brémule, Tinchebrai, Civitate, Misilmeri, Dyrrhachium and the Siege of Antioch. There is no doubt that the Normans' success in war depended upon the leadership qualities and military capabilities of the commanders as well as the special strengths of the armies they led. Paul Hill's accessible and authoritative account offers a fascinating portrait of these masters of warfare. SELLING POINTS: . Incisive portraits of the great commanders of Norman warfare . Covers the Norman conquests in France, England, Italy, the Near East . Analysis of Norman militarism, arms and tactics . Focuses on key campaigns, battles and sieges 60 colour and black-and-white illustrations

Full Product Details

9781783462285

Table of Contents

Reviews

This color illustrated history is accessible to general readers, students, and researchers. The first part of the book gives background on the rise of the Normans. The next section gives details on eight Norman commanders, from 1085 through 1111: Robert Guiscard, William the Conqueror, Richard I, Roger I, William II Rufus, Robert II Curthose, Henry I, and Bohemond, Prince of Antioch. Each of these chapters begins with a timeline, then describes the commander's character and career. Part 3 describes battles and campaigns, and Part 4 gives details on the Norman warfare, such as recruitment, horses, logistics and supply, training, leadership, strategy, and battlefield tactics. The book contains a wealth of color and b&w photos of locations, along with b&w historical illustrations and contemporary maps. --ProtoView

Author Information

Paul Hill, formerly curator of Kingston Upon Thames Museum in Surrey, is well known as a lecturer, author and expert on Anglo-Saxon and Norman history and military archaeology, and he has written several books on these subjects, among them The Age of Athelstan: Britain's Forgotten History, The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great and The Anglo-Saxons at War 800-1066.

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