Charles the Bold, Burgundy’s Flawed Reforming Warlord
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 Army Itch And 7 Other Scary Civil War Maladies Which Make Us Thankful For Modern Medicine
Disease accounted for the deaths of 65% of Union soldiers and 62% of Confederates during the Civil War. Those high numbers beat out all other…
When Malaria Sided With Napoleon: The Doomed British Walcheren Expedition That Cost 4,000 Lives
The British expedition sent to Walcheren in the Netherlands in 1809 was one of the boldest moves of the Napoleonic wars. Unfortunately for the soldiers…
The Duke Of Marlborough Was A Very Successful General – He Was Adaptable, Cunning, And He Looked After His Men
John Churchill, the First Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) is perhaps the greatest commander in British military history. Leading British troops on the continent in the…
He Started As An Artillery Officer And Became An Emperor – The Spectacular Rise Of Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte began life as the son of relatively minor Corsican nobility. Through talent, perseverance, and charisma, he forged a path that took him to…
The First Native American General Wrote The Appomattox Surrender In The Civil War
How hard would you work to make a change in this world? How many times would you take rejection before giving up? Ely Parker, the…
14 Facts about the Teutonic Knights, Crusading Lords of Eastern Europe
When thinking of crusaders, the Knights Templar and Hospitaller first come to mind, being the most famous of the Christian warrior Orders. Another Order was…
The Brutal Reality of Naval Warfare in the Hundred Years War
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…
The Causes Of The English Civil Wars – Some Of The Most Destructive Conflicts In British History
By Guest Blogger Jemahl Evans The English Civil Wars (there were three, involving all the nations of the British Isles) were some of the most destructive…
The Battle Of Marignano: The Reason For (Almost) 500 Years Of Swiss Neutrality
In November of 2016, Switzerland will have had a strict policy of neutrality for five centuries. Even during the World Wars, Switzerland was able to…
How To Build An Army In The Harsh World Of Medieval England
Recruiting an army could be a difficult business in the Middle Ages. Most people’s lives consisted of farming small patches of land. When people didn’t…
When Napoleon Invaded Russia, Freezing Weather And Determined Defenders Drove Him Back
Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia is one of the most famous campaigns of his career. It was extraordinary for many reasons. The Size of the…