Medieval Warfare

Abstract

This introductory text complements (and offers competition to) the excellent Medieval Warfare: A History, edited by Maurice Keen (1999). Unlike its predecessor, Nicholson's book employs the full scholarly apparatus: her wide-ranging and detailed footnote references make her book particularly useful for students; the author's extensive reading is clear and impressive. Six succinct and highly informative chapters cover theory, practice, personnel, equipment, buildings and, notably, naval warfare (a subject which is finally receiving the attention it warrants). Nicholson readily concedes that in a relatively short book such as this, it is inevitable that some areas do not receive enough coverage: her perceptive comments on the ‘Military Revolution’ left this reader eager for a fuller analysis. Conversely, there is perhaps too much on theory in general and on Vegetius's De re militari in particular (ch. 1). As Nicholson writes towards the end of the book, ‘examination of actual medieval battles suggests that Vegetius’s battle plans generally remained theoretical models rather than being used in practice (p. 138). In her account of the battle of Carcano in 1160 (based closely on John France's analysis), Nicholson notes how Frederick Barbarossa ignored Vegetius's theoretical guidelines. Historians afford Vegetius much attention primarily because he produced a rare and, to some extent, influential book on how to wage war; yet it is unlikely that the book's practical common sense would contain revolutionary ideas alien to experienced medieval commanders in the field. Overall, however, the book is well balanced. Within its imposed confines it is very pleasing to see due attention given to sometimes overlooked matters such as non-combatants (focusing predominantly on women) and, as already observed, the maritime sphere. Despite its relative brevity, the volume conveys a convincing sense of comprehension, while adeptly avoiding cluttering the text with dense facts and figures. Nicholson selects her illustrative examples with care, allowing them to breathe without the constriction of lengthy lists; this allows some of the real drama of medieval warfare to come through, so encouraging undergraduates to read further. Students will also be grateful for Nicholson's lucid and straightforward style. This reviewer was not relishing over twenty pages of technical details on weaponry and equipment, but came away enlightened and without the onset of any technophobic twinges: those bored by bores can still enjoy the paragraphs on gunpowder artillery. In her chapter on the practice of land warfare, Nicholson again employs shrewd judgment in her choice of examples, this time for case-studies of three battles. Eschewing the obvious choices (for example, Hastings or Agincourt), she instead plumps for the relatively lesser known examples of Poitiers (732), Neuss (1475) and, as already mentioned, Carcano (1160), As the chronological range of these battles indicates, Nicholson's Middle Ages encompasses its broadest scope: from 300 to 1500. This is a particular strength of the book: not only does it afford the opportunity to include many revealing, colourful and oft-overlooked examples from the early medieval period (such as Clovis splitting the head of a soldier on, tellingly, a military parade ground); importantly, it also serves to show just how little warfare changed over the whole medieval period, thereby questioning further the increasingly challenged concept of a military revolution in the late medieval period. Nicholson is firmly in the evolutionary camp: ‘Arguably, the development of cannon was the first major step forward in warfare in Catholic Europe since the old Roman Empire’ (p. 90). (Note the qualifying ‘arguably ’). This excellent introductory text deserves to run into many future editions. These may wish to reconsider some relatively minor points of issue. Nicholson subscribes to the almost-universally held view that if a fortress were taken by storm, ‘all inside it could expect no mercy’ (p. 130); the biblical justification cited for this extreme action is Deuteronomy, but this actually specifies the slaughter only of adult males. Also, it was not just the wealthy who were ransomed, but all and sundry, as Roger of Wendover makes clear (even corpses were ransomed, usually for half the going rate of living hostages). A rare dating typo crops up for Edward II's downfall (1227, p. 3). Most importantly of all, to facilitate even greater use of such a valuable book, sub-headings should be used throughout: each of the lengthy chapters comprises a long, unbroken text which hinders ready access to relevant material. Nicholson has produced a masterful synthesis which offers a perfect summation of revisionist and post-revisionist scholarship on warfare in the middle ages. As such, it is an indispensable textbook and a notable achievement.