How Napoleon Managed His Vast Armies
The wars fought by Napoleon Bonaparte were like nothing that had ever come before. His armies were vast in scale and constant in their activity,…
The Slave Who Stole A Confederate ship, Met President Lincoln & Bought His Master’s House
In 1862, Robert Smalls stole a Confederate ship, gave it to the Union Army, freed slaves, and met President Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he…
7 Types of Medieval Armor – From Quilted Cloth to Full Steel Plate
More than any other artifact of war, armor dominates visual images of medieval Europe. From the chainmail carefully stitched onto each warrior in the Bayeux…
Battle of Lepanto – The Naval Battle that Saved Europe From The Ottoman Empire
The Siege of Venetian Famagusta, which lasted over a year and ended in Ottoman victory, was a critical loss for the Christian world. The merciless…
The Longbow: Its Rise and Dominance
The growing effectiveness of metal armour created a challenge for medieval soldiers. While the elite of knights and men-at-arms were now well protected, the majority…
9 Factors that Caused the First Crusade
On the surface, the First Crusade looks like something with a simple cause – the hatred of one religious group for another. In reality, the…
The Iberian Wars between Rome and Persia
At the beginning of the 6th century, the Roman and Persian Empires were in the midst of a major conflict. The Second War between Rome and…
8 Ways Soldiers Were Recruited in 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…
Last Battle Of The Vikings On The West Coast Of Scotland
It was the age of the Great Mongol Khans. It was the age of Byzantium, of the Holy Roman Empire. The wars of the Reconquista…
“My heart refused such sinister grandeurs” – the fall of the last Napoleon
It was a turbulent time in Europe. The year was 1870, and the Kingdom of Prussia held the reins of power. Prussia’s king, Wilhelm, was…
Greek Fire – The Top Secret Weapon of the Byzantine Empire
During the Middle Ages, the fortified city of Constantinople, the imperial capital of the Byzantine Empire, was considered unconquerable. It was not the city’s large…
5 Of The Bloodiest and Most Devastating Sieges We Tend To Neglect
Siege of Suiyang (757) Up to 100,000 Killed Or Eaten The rebel army of Yan fought against the Chinese Tang army in an attempt to…