The author outlines the development of the undisciplined barbarian war bands of the Dark Ages into the feudal armies of the early Middle Ages. It deals with the arms and equipments of the soldier, not only from surviving specimens but also from descriptions in contemporary medieval documents. Vesey Norman covers the slow development of tactics and the transition of the warrior from a personal follower of a war leader to the knight who served his feudal overlord as a heavily armoured cavalryman in return for land. He details the attitude of the Church to warfare, the rise of chivalry and the development of the knights of the military orders, the Templars, the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights. He answers such questions as what classes of men made up the army, who commanded them, and how they were equipped, paid and organized. Since armies frequently has to be transported by water, a brief description of contemporary ships in included.
- ISBN10 1566193818
- ISBN13 9781566193818
- Publish Date 28 April 1994 (first published 25 November 1971)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 9 November 1995
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Barnes & Noble Inc
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 288
- Language English