Early Modern | War History

Top 10 True Innovations of the Civil War

You often hear about how the Civil War brought submarines, iron-clad ships, or the telegraph into play, but that’s not exactly true. While they are…

Making Magna Carta: King John’s Civil War

Andrew Knighton

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…

Civil War Showdown: The Henry Rifle vs The Spencer Rifle (Watch)

During the American Civil War, lasting from 1861 to 1865, the Henry rifle and the Spencer rifle saw considerable use on the battlefield. Members of…

The Albigensian Crusades: Christians vs Christians

Andrew Knighton

Some crusades were fought against fellow Christians. The Cathars, one of the inspirations behind Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, were the targets of one…

Hastings and Beyond: The Norman Conquest of England

Andrew Knighton

The Norman conquest of England was more than just the Battle of Hastings. To secure his new country, William the Conqueror had to gain control…

“The Great Army” – The Vikings at Their Peak

Andrew Knighton

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…

Four Men and One Woman – Five Mighty Leaders Whose Wars United Medieval England

Andrew Knighton

In the late ninth century, England was not a united country. Viking raiders from Denmark controlled the north and east. Norwegian and Irish raids left…

Napoleon In The War For The Spanish Peninsula: A Massive Operation

The war for the Spanish Peninsula in 1807-14, was as draining to Napoleon’s military efforts as Russia was disastrous. It featured many different styles of…

8 Brutal Eurpoean Conflicts Between The Vikings and The Franks

Andrew Knighton

Two great military forces dominated Europe in the 9th century. On the mainland was the Frankish Empire, a kingdom covering modern France and much of…

5 Similarities Between Two of History’s Greatest Generals

The Duke of Wellington and Ulysses S. Grant were two of the greatest generals of the 19th century; arguably in the whole of history. Their…

What the Film Glory Got Right About the American Civil War and What It Did Not

Edward Zwick’s film Glory is one of the best-known screen depictions of the American Civil War. It is the story of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment,…

Heroes of America: The Red String Band who rebelled against the Confederacy in the Southern States

It is easy to think of wars from earlier centuries in rather simplistic terms, especially as they fade further into the past. The American Civil…