This book offers a detailed and highly readable account of warfare in Europe and the Mediterranean from the time of Charlemagne to the end of the Middle Ages.

The book focuses on military strategy and de-bunks some of the prevailing myths of medieval warfare. Often characterized as an era dominated by lone, heroic knights, the Middle Ages in fact had a military culture as sophisticated and complex as our own, with organized armies and a high degree of tactical intelligence.

This complexity is revealed by way of maps, plans, pictures, and an informative but accessible text which explores topics such as the development of naval warfare and siege tactics; medieval understanding of the science of warfare; and the legacy of the Middle Ages in more recent military dvelopments.