By Sword And Fire: Cruelty And Atrocity In Medieval Warfare

Used
Hardcover
2008
$4.26

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 Beziers, Lincoln, Jerusalem and Limoges as well as the infamous chevauchees 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. Written for the popular not the academic market, this is a 'warts and all' portrait of war in the middle ages that combines vivid narrative with explanation and analysis.

Synopsis

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 Beziers, Lincoln, Jerusalem and Limoges as well as the infamous chevauchees 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. Written for the popular not the academic market, this is a 'warts and all' portrait of war in the middle ages that combines vivid narrative with explanation and analysis.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Orion
Published: 10 Apr 2008
ISBN 10: 0297846787
ISBN 13: 9780297846789
Book Overview: A popular treatment of a grisly subject An original and authoritative account by a leading medieval specialist Reveals the 'chivalric' Henry V and Richard the Lionheart to have ordered the deaths of civilians as well as prisoners-of-war. Shows the emergence of 'rules of war' that are the origin of modern definitions of war crimes

Media Reviews

'Sean McGlynn's excellent book examines the reason for [the] barbarity and reaches the same conclusion as [McNab] did during [his] time as a PoW in the first Iraq war...Unlike many books on warfare, this book dares to say what others won't.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'it is vividly and wittily related, full of detail nd constantly fascinating' DAILY TELEGRAPH

Author Bio

Sean McGlynn is the author of THE INVASION OF ENGLAND 1216 (Sutton 2001) 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.