Armies of Castile and Aragon depicts the fighting men whose skill and tactical flexibility made Spain into a world power at the close of the Middle Ages, carving out empires from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. Much has been written of the men who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses. But meanwhile, on the Iberian peninsula, the foundations of Spain's military 'Golden Age' were being laid as the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon under the Trastamara dynasty grew in power, ambition and success.

This book features spectacular...

An in-depth analysis of the Chinese Armies that fought a series of increasingly fractious wars over nearly a century, this history begins with a run-through of the Chinese forces that combated the British and French during the two Opium Wars. It goes on to trace the forces who were drawn into internal wars and rebellions in the 1850s and 60s, the open warfare in North Vietnam, the string of defeats suffered during the First Sino-Japanese War, and the Boxer Rebellion.

Providing an unparalleled insight into the dizzying array of troop types and unique uniforms, this is a history of...

For the best part of three centuries the "corsairs," or pirates, from the "Barbary" coasts of North Africa dominated the western and central Mediterranean, making forays far into the Atlantic and preying on the shipping and coastal settlements across Christian Europe, ranging from Greece to West Africa to the British Isles. In the absence of organized European navies, they seldom faced serious opposition, and the scope of their raiding was remarkable.

As well as piracy and slave-raiding, they fought as privateers, sharing their spoils with the rulers of the port cities that...

Concluding his bestselling series on the French Foreign Legion, Martin Windrow explores the formation and development of the Legion during its "first generation." Raised in 1831, the Legion's formative years would see it fight continuous and savage campaigns in Algeria, aid the Spanish government in the Carlist War, join the British in the Crimean campaign, and fight alongside the Swiss in the bloody battles of Magenta and Solferino. With the ever-changing combat environments they found themselves in, the Legion had to constantly adapt in order to survive.

Taking advantage of the...

Throughout the 16th Century, the Spanish had an aura of invincibility. They controlled a vast colonial empire that stretched across the Americas and the Pacific, and held considerable territories in Europe, centering on the so-called "Spanish Road." The Dutch War of Independence (also known as the 80 Years' War) was a major challenge to their dominance. The Dutch army created by Maurice of Orange-Nassau used innovative new tactics and training to take the fight to Spain and in so doing created a model that would be followed by European armies for decades to come.

The second in a...

France's colonial wars in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia were very largely fought by an organization completely separate from both the home-defense Metropolitan Army and the Armee d'Afrique in Algeria. The Naval Troops (Troupes de la Marine) were volunteers, and earned a reputation for greater toughness and hardiness than the conscripted Metropolitan Army.

Spread throughout the French Empire, Naval Troops in this period were characterized by very large infantry and artillery regiments based in France, mixed race regiments (Regiments Mixtes), and entire native regiments...