Early Modern | War History

A Great And Formidable General – The Military Campaigns Of Frederick Barbarossa

Andrew Knighton

Frederick Hohenstaufen, also known as Frederick Barbarossa, became Emperor Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire in 1152, succeeding his uncle Conrad III. With a…

Making Magna Carta: King John’s Civil War

Andrew Knighton

The very foundation of the English constitution is based in conflict. Magna Carta, the basis of much English law, was written in a failed attempt…

Circling the 15th Century Wagons: The Hussite Wars

Andrew Knighton

One of the strangest military formations ever seen in Europe, Hussite war wagons struck fear into their opponents during the early 15th century. Fighting under…

The Brutal Reality of Naval Warfare in the Hundred Years War

Andrew Knighton

War at sea in the Middle Ages could be a terrible business. Rather than a firefight between ships, it consisted of fierce boarding actions with…

Mobilising Artillery, Cavalry, And Tens Of Thousands Of Men – The Land Forces of the Hundred Years War

Andrew Knighton

Fought from 1337 to 1453, the Hundred Years War was one of the most significant conflicts of the late Middle Ages. As the Plantagenet kings of…

Massive Towers, Unbreakable Walls, Terrifying Siege Engines – This Was The Hundred Years War

Andrew Knighton

As the sun rises over the battlefield, a column of knights gallops towards the assembled infantry. Banners flutter and arrows hurtle through the air as…

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,…

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…

The Many Lives Of A US Civil War Revenue Cutter Which Was Present At The Start Of The Civil War

Late in the day on April 11th, 1861, the ship Nashville was sailing past Charleston harbor. The crew could see a fleet of ships at…

The Byzantine Empire Was The Noble Descendant Of Ancient Rome – But In Matters Of Military Genius They Could Not Rival Their Ancestors

Andrew Knighton

Though they clung to the name of the Roman Empire, the Byzantines never achieved the glory of their predecessors. Theirs was an empire in slow…

Fact Or Fiction – Finding out what Really Happened to the Knights Templar

Malcolm Higgins

Few military orders throughout history have maintained the same air of secrecy and mystique as the Knights Templar. From their humble origins in the Middle…

Napoleon Bonaparte Played A Clever Psychological Game – He Likened Himself To Powerful Figures From History, Like The Great Emperor Charlemagne

One of the most powerful tools in Napoleon Bonaparte’s intellectual arsenal was the connections he drew between his own life and that of great figures…