Four Men and One Woman – Five Mighty Leaders Whose Wars United Medieval England
In the late ninth century, England was not a united country. Viking raiders from Denmark controlled the north and east. Norwegian and Irish raids left…
Mary Edwards Walker: The Only Woman Ever To Be Awarded The Medal Of Honor
Mary Edwards Walker lived a life full of excitement and courage, forging paths during a time when feminism was largely unheard of, and the country…
Nine Factors That Caused The First Crusade To Happen
On the surface, the First Crusade looks like something with a simple cause – the hatred of one religious group for another. In reality, the…
How the Royal Navy kept order, Through Caning, Flogging, and Hanging
By the end of the 18th century, the wooden walls of England, as her Navy was so often called, was comprised of one of the…
The Longbow: Its Rise and Dominance – It Totally Changed Medieval Warfare
The growing effectiveness of metal armor created a challenge for medieval soldiers. While the elite of knights and men-at-arms were now well protected, the majority…
Seven Types of Medieval Armor – From Quilted Cloth to Full Steel Plate
More than any other artifact of war, armor dominates visual images of medieval Europe. From the chainmail carefully stitched onto each warrior in the Bayeux…
Napoleon Bonaparte Managed His Vast Armies With Communication, Delegation, And An Emphasis On Honor
The wars fought by Napoleon Bonaparte were like nothing that had ever come before. His armies were vast in scale and constant in their activity,…
Siege of Vienna: Led by a Mercenary, This Desperate Army Turned the Tide on the Ottoman Empire
For four hundred years, the Crusades had seen European powers take war deep into lands far from home, under the banner of Christianity. The clash…
When A Terrible Medieval War Was Fought Because Of A Bucket Full of Treasure
In 1325, two armies clashed near what is today the Italian town of Castello di Serravalle in the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was a huge…
How Artillery Evolved During The Brutal And Merciless 100 Years War
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453) saw the first appearances of gunpowder artillery in English and French warfare. These fearsome weapons, which had been largely unused…
Powerful Orders Of Medieval Knights And What Made Each One Distinct
Combining knightly warfare and a monastic lifestyle, the knightly crusading orders were one of the strongest institutions of medieval Europe. Through them, men sought a…
How the Other Side Ate: Meals of Royal Naval Officers During The Napoleonic Wars
Officers of the Royal Navy at the turn of the 19th century were expected to live charmed and genteel lives. This was reflected in almost…