Abstract
It is a commonplace among historians of medieval warfare that battle was rarely engaged — as Vegetius had stated, battle should be avoided as far as possible because it involved too many risks and its result was final. It was often better to draw out a campaign and to harass the enemy by burning crops and besieging buildings, rather than commit everything to a few hours of direct engagement. This chapter, therefore, will consider various ways in which warfare was waged, and not simply battles. The discussion will follow the logical course of a campaign, from initial training to the final peace.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Further reading
Bernard S. Bachrach, Merovingian Military Organisation (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1972)
Bernard S. Bachrach, Early Carolingian Warfare: Prelude to Empire (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001)
Juliet R. V. Barker, The Tournament in England, 1100–1400 (Woodbridge: Boydell, 1986)
Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege (Woodbridge: Boydell, 1992)
Ivy A. Corfis and Michael Wolfe, eds, The Medieval City Under Siege (Woodbridge: Boydell, 1995)
Anne Curry, The Hundred Years War (Basingstoke: Macmillan - now Palgrave Macmillan, 1993)
Anne Curry, The Battle of Agincourt: Sources and Interpretations (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2000)
Clifford J. Rogers, War Cruel and Sharp: English Strategy under Edward III, 1327–1360 (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2000)
Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992)
Copyright information
© 2004 Helen J. Nicholson
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nicholson, H. (2004). The practice of land warfare. In: Medieval Warfare. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4039-4386-6_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4039-4386-6_6
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-76331-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4039-4386-6
eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)