Soldiers' Lives through History - The Middle Ages

"The most dangerous arms in the world are those of horse and lance, because there is no means of stopping them," wrote a fifteenth-century commander, Jean de Bueil.

This book looks at the men (and a few women) who fought in wars from the fall of the Roman Empire to the end of the fifteenth century.

This was the 'Age of Chivalry', in which the deeds of knights were celebrated in poetry and romance.

But the reality of medieval warfare was often a brutal affair, characterised by sieges, massacres, and plunder.

This is the history of medieval soldiers in wartime and in peacetime, and describes the lives of those who attacked, and those who defended, the fortified castles, towns, and lands of Europe and beyond in the Middle Age.

Written for students and anyone interested in medieval history, "Soldiers' Lives Through History - The Middle Ages" includes extensive quotations from the primary sources of the period, including the soldiers' own words. To help the reader, there are a variety of helpful resources: a timeline that provides a context for the dates, events, and places discussed in the book; extensive endnotes; a comprehensive selected bibliography of recommended sources; and a thorough index.