Nine Things the Movie ‘Braveheart’ Got Wrong… And One Thing It Got Right
Mel Gibson’s film Braveheart is both one of the most celebrated and one of the most reviled pieces of historical filmmaking ever. A heart-stirring and…
Single Combat At The Siege of Bayonne, 1131AD
Pedro de Lara was bored. His had lived a full life, a life of personal pride and skill at arms, of politics, wine and of…
Richard the Lionheart’s Secret Weapon During the Third Crusade
During the Third Crusade, the city of Acre (today in Israel) was surrounded. Occupying the city was a Muslim garrison, besieged by a Christian army,…
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 Duke Of Marlborough Was A Very Successful General – He Was Adaptable, Courageous, And He Took Care Of 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…
Building Armies 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…
“The Great Army” – The Vikings at Their Peak
The most powerful and devastating series of Vikings raids to hit Western Europe came between 865 and 896 AD. During these decades, a massive combined…
Richard the Lionheart’s Secret Weapon During the Third Crusade
During the Third Crusade, the city of Acre (today in Israel) was surrounded. Occupying the city was a Muslim garrison, besieged by a Christian army,…
Krak des Chevaliers – The Impenetrable Castle, Captured With A Single Sheet of Paper
A hulking edifice of sun-bleached stone, Krak des Chevaliers loomed against a clear blue sky. How many men had died to hold those walls, and…
Raiders and Traders: How The Vikings Conquer England
The end of the first millennium AD saw a turning point for England. After decades of security, the independent kingdom once again came under attack…
A Great And Formidable General – The Military Campaigns Of Frederick Barbarossa
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
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…