Early Modern | War History

7 Reasons the Conquistadors Beat the Incas

Andrew Knighton

Francisco Pizarro’s conquest of the Incan empire is one of the most extraordinary achievements in military history. In the space of a single day in…

Charles the Bold, Burgundy’s Flawed Reforming Warlord

Andrew Knighton

Charles the Bold was a man who could have changed the face of Europe. Inheriting the Valois duchy of Burgundy in 1467, he was one…

The Mongol Invasions of Japan and the Origin of the Word “Kamikaze”

In the 1270s and 1280s, the menacing forces of the Mongols attacked Japan. Through courage, determination, and good luck, the Japanese drove them off. It…

The Equipment of the Samurai – Fearsome Warriors Armed to the Teeth

Samurai were the elite warriors of feudal Japan; as dominant as knights were in Europe. Their equipment was as much a display of their status…

The 4 Types of Men Who Fought for Napoleon – Not All Wanted To

The awesome power of the Napoleonic Empire was built on the blood and courage of millions of soldiers. Though Napoleon is remembered as an icon…

A Game-Changing Medieval Siege

Civil wars and revolts were common in medieval England. Without elections to decide between opposing leaders and policies, violence became the answer. As in modern…

What Happened To Prisoners Of War In Medieval England

Every medieval English monarch had to decide how to deal with prisoners of war. Ruling over territory that sometimes ran from the highlands of Scotland…

Civil Wars That Shaped Medieval England

Andrew Knighton

Medieval England was a warlike place – so much so that the cliché of an Englishmen abroad was that of a violent thug. Though their…

Invading The Land Of The Pharaohs – Napoleon Comes To Conquer

Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt was his last great military campaign before seizing power as First Consul of France. Despite being a disaster, it helped him…

The Janissaries – An Elite Ottoman Army Unit Who Became Public Enemy No1

The walls of Vienna trembled on 27th of September, 1529, as strange music echoed close by. The sound of hundreds of drums stopped the heartbeats…

Civil War Spies: The Secret, Underground Peace Societies Of The American Civil War

Though we may think of the South as a unified place in which the Confederacy was born and fought for, it was a place divided…

A New Breed of Soldier: How the French Revolution Made Napoleon’s Career Possible

Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power marked the death knell of the French Revolution. His autocratic government ended the attempts at increased democracy that had shaken…