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Osprey Men at Arms #436
The Scandinavian Baltic Crusades 1100 – 1500
Wielding their swords in the name of their faith, the crusaders originally set out to reclaim Jerusalem and its surrounding territory in the Middle East. Increasingly, however, Eastern Europe and the last remaining bastions of pagan Europe became the targets of their religious zeal.
The era officially began in 1147, when the Saxons, Danes, and Poles, responding to Pope Eugene III's call, initiated a crusade against the Wends of the Southern Baltic. This was followed by crusades against the Livonians, Estonians, Finns, Prussians, and Lithuanians. By the 13th century much of the responsibility for sustaining these crusades fell to the Teutonic Knights, a military order formed in the Holy Land in 1190. They were aided by the constant support of the Roman pontiff and by a steady flow of mercenaries from throughout Christendom.
The subsequent Scandinavian campaigns laid the foundations of modern Baltic society by destroying pagan rural farming settlements, and establishing fortified Christian towns and major castles. As with the majority of crusades, the prospective acquisition of land and power was the one of the key driving forces behind these bloody military expeditions.
This book reveals the colorful history of these Crusades when the soldiers of the Pope fought their way across Eastern Europe and inexorably changed the future of the continent.
The era officially began in 1147, when the Saxons, Danes, and Poles, responding to Pope Eugene III's call, initiated a crusade against the Wends of the Southern Baltic. This was followed by crusades against the Livonians, Estonians, Finns, Prussians, and Lithuanians. By the 13th century much of the responsibility for sustaining these crusades fell to the Teutonic Knights, a military order formed in the Holy Land in 1190. They were aided by the constant support of the Roman pontiff and by a steady flow of mercenaries from throughout Christendom.
The subsequent Scandinavian campaigns laid the foundations of modern Baltic society by destroying pagan rural farming settlements, and establishing fortified Christian towns and major castles. As with the majority of crusades, the prospective acquisition of land and power was the one of the key driving forces behind these bloody military expeditions.
This book reveals the colorful history of these Crusades when the soldiers of the Pope fought their way across Eastern Europe and inexorably changed the future of the continent.
48 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2007
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 16, 2023
The devil is in the details.
Danish & Norvegian armour drew on German influences, while Sweden/Finland borrowed "eastern" Russian influences, but quite what or how pervasive these were is up for debate.
On both sides around 11-1200, there are definitely items such as a kite-shaped shield for horsemen, that scream Normandy as much as "Germany"
Mostly, the crossbow was less popular East, while all Scandinavian crusaders had to expand the role of the cavalry to operate on frozen rivers, lest their castles be overwhelmed or starved by native hordes whose kit resembled a Viking ancestor.
You need some knowledge of events and fortifications, because it's a very focused book that does little to link the man-at-arms to his battlefield.
Danish & Norvegian armour drew on German influences, while Sweden/Finland borrowed "eastern" Russian influences, but quite what or how pervasive these were is up for debate.
On both sides around 11-1200, there are definitely items such as a kite-shaped shield for horsemen, that scream Normandy as much as "Germany"
Mostly, the crossbow was less popular East, while all Scandinavian crusaders had to expand the role of the cavalry to operate on frozen rivers, lest their castles be overwhelmed or starved by native hordes whose kit resembled a Viking ancestor.
You need some knowledge of events and fortifications, because it's a very focused book that does little to link the man-at-arms to his battlefield.
January 22, 2021
Really interesting time and place you don't hear a whole lot about. Would've been nice to read more about the sleighs and who the pagans were (leftover vikings?), but like most Osprey books it's a great intro and jumping-off point.
December 14, 2020
Even among those who know the crusades, the Baltic crusades are not particularly well-known except for those who are historians or students of history who are particularly interested in the history of Eastern Europe. This is a book that will at least provide a presumably young reader with an introductory history of some of these interesting historical matters, namely the way that German and Scandinavian armies found a great deal of success in pushing the borders of Christendom east and eventually converting and conquering the area between Germany, Poland, and Russia. As might be expected from someone familiar with this series, a lot of attention is focused on equipment and a lot of attention is focused on pictures, so that the reader of this book will have at least some idea of the material poverty of the Swedes compared to the Germans, the way that Scandinavians tried to mimic the wealthier and better equipped German knights and how it was that the Eastern European pagan nations were generally far worse equipped than the Christian nations, and even how it was that Sweden used its empire to gain troops from Finns, for example, which adds to the level of interest that exists in this book.
his book is a short one at less than 50 pages. It begins with an introduction that seeks to define a crusade as well as the participants of the Baltic crusades and the Baltic at the time of the crusades. This is followed by a chronology of the Baltic Crusades as well as the armies that fought in the region. After that considerable attention is paid to the equipment of the Scandinavian crusaders, including complaints about the difficulties of sources as well as the equipment in three different periods, from 1100-1300, 1300-1400, and 1400-1500. This is followed by a discussion of the military equipment of the native Baltic Europeans and the people of Novgorod from 1100-1300 and then from 1300-1500. This is followed by a discussion of tactics and strategy, including the use of strongpoints and the frequency of raiding, the importance of winter warfare given the geography of the region, the use of boats and ships to deal with the shallow Baltic, which was an important supply and communications line between the area and the home regions of the crusaders, as well as the use of fortifications and the importance of siege warfare as a result. The book closes with a discussion of the aftermath of the Crusades as well as suggestions for further reading, commentaries on the various plates that appear in the book, and an index.
If one is going to know about the Crusades, the Baltic Crusades are certainly among the more obscure aspects of the Crusades to be familiar with. I can say, though, that I have at least seen some of the sites of the Baltic Crusades personally, because these military efforts helped provide the odd German feeling that one still gets when visiting Estonia and also provided for the development of cities like Talinn and Kurasaare, both of which remain pleasant places to visit which are still shaped by the experience of these crusades, even if the land is under the rule of native Estonians. It would be nice if these books offered deeper insight into the crusades including the course of the various efforts, but the authors are not really interested in narrative history and are far more interested in providing context for pretty pictures of equipment and soldiers in various poses, including dealing with local prisoners and running away from the Russians, whose archers are in full evidence. The author even talks about some of the advantages that local powers had in terms of archery even if the Western Europeans brought superior equipment to bear in most cases.
his book is a short one at less than 50 pages. It begins with an introduction that seeks to define a crusade as well as the participants of the Baltic crusades and the Baltic at the time of the crusades. This is followed by a chronology of the Baltic Crusades as well as the armies that fought in the region. After that considerable attention is paid to the equipment of the Scandinavian crusaders, including complaints about the difficulties of sources as well as the equipment in three different periods, from 1100-1300, 1300-1400, and 1400-1500. This is followed by a discussion of the military equipment of the native Baltic Europeans and the people of Novgorod from 1100-1300 and then from 1300-1500. This is followed by a discussion of tactics and strategy, including the use of strongpoints and the frequency of raiding, the importance of winter warfare given the geography of the region, the use of boats and ships to deal with the shallow Baltic, which was an important supply and communications line between the area and the home regions of the crusaders, as well as the use of fortifications and the importance of siege warfare as a result. The book closes with a discussion of the aftermath of the Crusades as well as suggestions for further reading, commentaries on the various plates that appear in the book, and an index.
If one is going to know about the Crusades, the Baltic Crusades are certainly among the more obscure aspects of the Crusades to be familiar with. I can say, though, that I have at least seen some of the sites of the Baltic Crusades personally, because these military efforts helped provide the odd German feeling that one still gets when visiting Estonia and also provided for the development of cities like Talinn and Kurasaare, both of which remain pleasant places to visit which are still shaped by the experience of these crusades, even if the land is under the rule of native Estonians. It would be nice if these books offered deeper insight into the crusades including the course of the various efforts, but the authors are not really interested in narrative history and are far more interested in providing context for pretty pictures of equipment and soldiers in various poses, including dealing with local prisoners and running away from the Russians, whose archers are in full evidence. The author even talks about some of the advantages that local powers had in terms of archery even if the Western Europeans brought superior equipment to bear in most cases.
August 28, 2019
For me the book was badly organised and confusing. The language is a bit convoluted sometimes, and David Nicolle might have done a better job editing his Swedish (?)co-author.
It already starts with the exposition of the Baltic crusades. This doesn´t go much farther than generalisations about causes and motivations you can find everywhere. Then you get a chronology and a very short introduction about the organisation of the armies, which basically says we don´t know much about it. Strangely, much of this context is stuck on at the end of the book.
Most of the book is about weapons and armour, broken up in four time periods for both the Scandinavians and their Baltic opponents. This leads to fragmentation and repetition, because in every one of these some development in the make of swords must be mentioned, even if it is irrelevant.
The part on strategy and tactics, despite the terrible writing style, offers the best bits of the book. The influence of the terrain and the very small size of the forces involved explain how the campaigns were slow and grinding and stuck to main rivers and siegecraft. And unlike the west, the winter was a season suited to campaigning.
As always, the illustrations by Angus McBride are the real boon. But that won´t save this book. It doesn´t inspire further research, nor does it give you the barest necessities to start a wargame army. It could have done with a couple of examples of important campaigns.
It already starts with the exposition of the Baltic crusades. This doesn´t go much farther than generalisations about causes and motivations you can find everywhere. Then you get a chronology and a very short introduction about the organisation of the armies, which basically says we don´t know much about it. Strangely, much of this context is stuck on at the end of the book.
Most of the book is about weapons and armour, broken up in four time periods for both the Scandinavians and their Baltic opponents. This leads to fragmentation and repetition, because in every one of these some development in the make of swords must be mentioned, even if it is irrelevant.
The part on strategy and tactics, despite the terrible writing style, offers the best bits of the book. The influence of the terrain and the very small size of the forces involved explain how the campaigns were slow and grinding and stuck to main rivers and siegecraft. And unlike the west, the winter was a season suited to campaigning.
As always, the illustrations by Angus McBride are the real boon. But that won´t save this book. It doesn´t inspire further research, nor does it give you the barest necessities to start a wargame army. It could have done with a couple of examples of important campaigns.
November 15, 2018
From a wargamer's perspective, there are no better guides than Osprey for determining the look and strategy of your historical armies. I now feel much more ready to fight the scourge of the Lithuanians in the name of the Lord.
December 28, 2021
Good overview of the weapons tactics involved the Scandinavian powers wars against the pagan tribes that lived further to the east of the Baltic Sea. The events are given a quick description that newcomers to the era would presumably find interesting. Worth buying for the illustrations at the very least.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews