Dr David Nicolle

Babur, the founder of the Mughul dynasty, was of Turco-Mongol origin. He was descended from Timur-i-Lenk [Tamerlane] on his father's side and Genghiz Khan on his mother's. His first raid into India in 1516 was followed by several others, and by the time of his death in 1530, Babur's troops had reached Bengal on the far side of the sub-continent....

Rome's Enemies (5) by Dr David Nicolle delves into the challenges faced by the Roman Empire along its desert frontier. In this region, the Empire often encountered few dangers as relations were typically grounded in mutual interest in trade across the frontier. However, when Rome clashed with the desert peoples, particularly those from Syria and Arabia, the Arabs, Berbers, and...

Few centuries in world history have had such a profound and long-lasting impact as the first hundred years of Islamic history. In this book, David Nicolle examines the extensive Islamic conquests between AD 632 and 750. These years saw the religion and culture of Islam erupt from the Arabian Peninsula and spread across an area far larger than that of...

Born amid immense suffering and bloodshed, the Kingdom of Jerusalem remained a battlefield for almost 200 years. The Crusades gave rise to the Military Orders of the Templars and Hospitallers, and served as a backdrop to the careers of some of history's most famous leaders, including Richard 'The Lionheart' and Saladin. At times, the savagery of the Crusaders left their...

The Bulgars were a Turkic people who established a state north of the Black Sea. In the late 500s and early 600s AD, their state fragmented under pressure from the Khazars. One group moved south into what became Bulgaria, but the rest moved north during the 7th and 8th centuries to the basin of the Volga river. There they remained...

A detailed account of the epic four-month siege of the city of Constantinople, last vestige of the once mighty Roman and Byzantine Empires. Mehmet 'The Conqueror' led an army of 80,000 men with a massive siege train against the city. Defending were a mere 10,000 men under the Emperor Constantine XI. The Turkish artillery battered the ancient city walls mercilessly,...

A close look at the early life, military experiences and key battlefield exploits of Al-Malik al-Nasir Yusuf Ibn Najm al-Din Ayyub Ibn Shahdi Abu'l-Muzaffar Salah al-Din, broadly regarded as the greatest hero of the Crusades, even in Europe. Most chroniclers present him as a man of outstanding virtue, courage and political skill. More recently, however, efforts have been made to...

In 1373, John of Gaunt set off from Calais on a great raid to strike at the heart of France. Driven by the high ideals of chivalry, the raiders left with epic pageantry. However, the reality soon overwhelmed the raiders. Beset on all sides by French ambushes and plagued by disease and starvation, the raiders battled their way through Champagne,...

In Europe, the Mamluks of Egypt are remembered as the so-called 'Slave Kings' who drove out the Crusaders from the Holy Land; but they were far more than that. Though its frontiers barely changed, the Mamluk Sultanate remained a 'great power' for two and a half centuries. Its armies were the culmination of a military tradition stretching back to the...