Medieval warfare

by Hannsjoachim Wolfgang Koch

nice book

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Military History, Military Fiction, War, Reference

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Hanns Joachim Wolfgang Koch is a historian. He was a news editor for Radio Free Europe from 1952 until 1956 News editor at Radio Free Europe. 1961-1965. He earned his doctorate at Keele University in 1965. Since 1970 he has taught at the University of York.

Reviews

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Warfare was the very centre of medieval society.’

I confess: I picked this book up for the pictures. I am far more familiar with those aspects of medieval warfare that relate to chivalry and heraldry than I am with those that relate to the specific weapons used. From ballistic siege weapons to cannons and artillery: all are covered here. With more than 350 illustrations and drawings, this book provides details of the armour, equipment and uniforms of archers, infantrymen, and cavalrymen (and their horses). It also includes 15 maps of medieval Europe and significant battles within it.

In addition to the illustrations, the topics covered include feudalism, siege techniques, the Crusades, the transformation of warfare, cities in warfare and castle building techniques. Of particular interest to me at present were the sections on the Hussites, the Condottieri and mercenary corps, and Renaissance trends. The chapter on peasants at war was especially interesting, as was a chapter on the Teutonic Order.

In summary, if you want an overview of the way, why, and how of warfare from the fall of the Roman Empire through to the end of the Protestant Reformation (the Thirty Years War), this book is a wonderful reference. For those of us seeking a general understanding of weapons and some context of various warfare related developments as part of a broader historical context, this book covers most (if not all) points.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by this books' size and the number of illustrations: the text is quite analytical and dry. I found this book to be an adequate summary of medieval warfare, though there were some interesting choices made by the author. Koch greatly enlarges the range of time covered by the term medieval. He chooses to begin with the collapse of the Roman Empire, and then spends a significant portion at the end on warfare during the Renaissance era, even including coverage of the Thirty Years War.

I felt that this book focused more on central Europe (i.e. the Holy Roman Empire and Germanic states), perhaps owing to the author's nationality. I definitely learned a lot from this choice, and particularly enjoyed the section on the Hussite Wars, but I felt there was much too little on the Hundred Years War, considering its significance and enduring nature.

Overall, this was an okay book. I'm sure there are better books out there on warfare in the Middle Ages, but this one was good enough.

[Paul A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent overview that covers some topics that don't usually get very much attention, specifically calling out the transition between medieval and early modern warfare. The text is written in a very dry manner, as some other reviewers have already notes, and there are some pretty outdated details that, given the time of publication, are understandable. The illustrations are well chosen and make this a very interesting book to flip through.

[Brannigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very dry book that had very basic information.

[Michael Eklund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather basic but some nice era pictures (some very big).

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book more useful in illustrations than discussion. Still, it has some good illustrations.