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…
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…
Who Led The Knights And How: Military Leadership In The Hundred Years War
The Hundred Years War was one of the most protracted wars of the Middle Ages. For over a century, the French and English monarchies battled…
Land Forces of the Hundred Years War – A War That Seemed To Have No End
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…
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…
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…
Arab Women Shame Their Fleeing Men Back Towards the Fight At The Battle of Yarmouk
Most people are familiar with the general history of the Arab expansion after the death of Mohammad. The Arabs didn’t sit idly in Saudi Arabia,…
When A Bloody 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…
10 Medieval Knightly Orders – And What Made Each One Unique
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 Muslims Responded To The Crusades
For Muslims living in the Holy Land, the arrival of Christian crusaders from the late 11th century onwards was hugely disruptive. It brought misery to…