By Sword and Fire by Sean Mcglynn

By Sword and Fire by Sean Mcglynn

A vivid and original account of warfare in the Middle Ages and the cruelty and atrocity that accompanied it. Sean McGlynn investigates the reality of medieval warfare. For all the talk of chivalry, medieval warfare routinely involved acts which we would consider war crimes. Lands laid waste, civilians slaughtered, prisoners massacred: this was standard fare justified by tradition and practical military necessity. It was unbelievably barbaric, but seldom uncontrolled. Such acts of atrocity were calculated, hideous cruelties inflicted in order to achieve a specific end. Sean McGlynn examines the battles of Acre and Agincourt, sieges like Béziers, Lincoln, Jerusalem and Limoges as well as the infamous chevauchées of the Hundred Years War that devastated great swathes of France. He reveals how these grisly affairs form the origin of accepted 'rules of war', codes of conduct that are today being enforced in the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

Gory, but compelling reading * NORTHERN ECHO *
a much needed corrective to the view that chivalry definied medieval fighting * CONTEMPORARY REVIEW *

Sean McGlynn is the author of THE INVASION OF ENGLAND 1216 and contributed to the CASSELL ATLAS OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD. He is a regular contributor to HISTORY TODAY, HISTORY REVIEW, ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW and many academic journals.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780304366958
ISBN 10	0304366951
Title	By Sword and Fire
Author	Sean Mcglynn
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Orion Publishing Co
Year published	2009-08-20
Number of pages	336
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable