War and the Soldier in the Fourteenth Century

ISBN-13: 9781843831037 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 248 str.

Adrian R. Bell

Opis

Much has been written about military matters during the Hundred Years War but few studies approach specific campaigns with as much detail as Adrian Bell in this study. Based on his doctoral research, Bell's book examines source material for two royal expeditions led by the earl of Arundel in 1387 and 1388 to investigate the nature of the military community involved and to trace the careers of individual soldiers. The study begins with a survey of the war after 1369 within the context of the reigns of Edward III, Richard II and Henry IV, followed by a detailed analysis of the organisation of Arundel's two campaigns, the personnel involved, recruitment and so on. In seeking to assess the influence of the political background of the time on the composition of the army, Bell reveals that this profesional army placed patriotism, duty, loyalty, friendship and kinship above politics.