Border Fury

by John Sadler

Border Fury provides a fascinating account of the period of Anglo-Scottish Border conflict from the Edwardian invasions of 1296 until the Union of the Crowns under James VI of Scotland, James I of England in 1603.

It looks at developments in the art of war during the period, the key transition from medieval to renaissance warfare, the development of tactics, arms, armour and military logistics during the period. All the key personalities involved are profiled and the typology of each battle site is examined in detail with the author providing several new interpretations that differ radically from those that have previously been understood.

Genres: History, British Literature, Scotland, Nonfiction, European History

650 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Born in 1953, John Sadler has law degrees from Northumbria University and the University of Westminster. A part-time lecturer in military history at Sunderland University Centre for Lifelong Learning, he is currently studying toward a PhD in history and is soon to begin an Imperial War Museum Fellowship in Holocaust Studies. He is the author of over 20 books, including Scottish Battles, published by Birlinn in April 2010. He is married with two children and lives in Newcastle.

Reviews

[Christopher]

I have read many a book on Anglo-Scottish conflict but none that puts so much of it in one place and does it so well. It covers the Wars of Independence up through the end of the Reivers with the unification of the crowns and thankfully, unlike many large scale narrative histories, always makes sure to give you an update on the changes in technology and tactics whenever it becomes relevant.

[Kirstie]

While well written, Sadler focused more on the military history and the minutia of battles than I was expecting. I was hoping for more details on the social history of the periods in question, but that isn't Sadler's interest (and that's fair).

[Frann Leach]

Going quite slowly, because my eyesight is quite poor a lot of the time, but what I've read so far seems comprehensive. I feel it could have done with a few maps, though.