Warfare in Medieval Manuscripts

The ways of war in the Middle Ages never cease to fascinate. There is a glamour associated with knights in shining armour, colourful tournaments, and heroic deeds that appeals to the modern imagination.

Because medieval warfare had its colourful side, it is easy to overlook the fact that war was a very serious business in an age when brute force was the recognised way of settling a quarrel, and conflict formed a normal way of life at every level of society.

Warfare in Medieval Manuscripts illustrates the art of war with dozens of medieval images from books and manuscripts and reveals a wealth of social and military background on heraldry, armour, knights and chivalry, castles, sieges, and the arrival of gunpowder.

This new edition is completely revised with a selection of new illustrations from the British Library's medieval manuscripts.