by RNS | Dec 28, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Dan Spencer, The Castle in the Wars of the Roses (Pen & Sword, 2020)
The Wars of the Roses were noteworthy for their colourful cast of characters competing for the English crown, savage battles decided by close combat, and crumbling codes of medieval chivalry when loyalty and treachery clashed. Castles seem to be conspicuously missing from the scene, treated as an anachronism by many contemporary and modern chroniclers. Dan Spencer is here to address that neglect and return castles to their rightful place in the Wars of the Roses tapestry.
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Spencer begins with a helpful overview of castle development from William the Conqueror to the 15th Century, demonstrating their multifunctional purpose at the heart of English military, political, and economic life. He complements that with the background story leading into the Wars of the Roses in which besieged castles play their part. And that is how Spencer proceeds, weaving a mostly familiar narrative between unfamiliar locations and events. In following him, we visit castles the length and breadth of England and Wales – having lived in Northumberland, I found the stories of those castles particularly interesting. We also find out how sieges were conducted in war – thirty-six of them apparently – and how castles were built and modified in peace. Spencer concludes that castles played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, though in some places and times more than others. He adds appendices on notable characters, recorded and possible sieges, and recorded garrisons. It is also worth noting that Spencer includes an excellent set of notes to accompany his text and a proper bibliography.
In some ways, this is a straightforward retelling of the Wars of the Roses narrative. But it’s as if Spencer has travelled down a different road to get there. He has written an engaging text full of those little side stories that make the Wars of the Roses so interesting outside of the more obvious dynastic powerplays. A collection of diagrams and colour plates of castles helps his cause. Readers of the Wars of the Roses and castles will enjoy this book and appreciate Spencer’s contribution to both fields.
by RNS | Dec 26, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Rene Chartrand, The Armies and Wars of the Sun King 1643 – 1715 Volume 3: The Cavalry of Louis XIV (Helion, 2020)
Helion, via the talents of Rene Chartrand, brings us the third volume on Louis XIV’s Army and the wars they fought. It describes the historical events from 1685 through to the end of the Wars of the league of Augsburg and the cavalry from 1643 through to 1715.
The author starts with the persecution of the Huguenots by Louis XIV, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the impact that this had on the French and Dutch armies, with large numbers of civilians and soldiers fleeing France. He then rolls straight into the Jacobite Wars in Ireland pausing briefly to mention the Scottish Jacobite’s before coming to rest at the end of the Wars of the League of Augsburg. It is a bit of a whistle stop tour, but it covers the ground in an easy to understand manner and provides background for the main focus of the book, which is the description of the French cavalry.
The book comes into its own now, and Chartrand starts by covering the development of the Gendarmerie de France, which formed a brigade sitting between the line cavalry and the Guard. The organisation, weapons, equipment, and uniforms of the Line Cavalry, Dragoons, and Hussars are all covered in sequence, and there is a real wealth of detail in these chapters which will be of interest to many. There are a couple of chapters outwith the main theme: one covering the costs of the Kings Wars, indicating what a smooth operator Louis could be, and the other describing the much vaunted Wild Geese and their place in the French army.
The book, as with all the others in the series, is supported by a large number of illustrations. There are 32 colour plates, 5 of which were specially commissioned for the book and drawn by Ed Dovey, and very nice they are too. There are far too many period black and white illustrations for me to count, but they have been carefully selected and I found that they were the ones that I studied the most. The Appendices are a bit of a mixed bag but contain some useful information, including a list of uniform colours for the more important Line Cavalry and Dragoon Regiments.
Chartrand knows his stuff and he is able to share this with the reader in an easy to digest format. Recommended for those already familiar with the army of Louis XIV who either want more detailed information on the organisation of the French cavalry across the period, a wider view of the history of the wars of Louis XIV, or a bit of both.
(Reviewed by Mike Huston)
by RNS | Dec 25, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Timothy Venning, Royal Mysteries: The Medieval Period (Pen & Sword, 2021)
Who doesn’t love a mystery? Especially where a suspicious death is involved. Throw in our seemingly endless fascination with all things Royal, and you have the recipe for an absorbing book, perfect for those dark and stormy nights of Winter. Timothy Venning dips into the medieval era to tease readers with five enduring mysteries; most of them you will have heard of, but there are always new things to learn.
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The mysteries begin with the accidental death of William II in August 1100, or was it? Did his brother Henry have him bumped off for the throne? Venning analyses motive, means, and opportunity – the classic trifecta for murder – using a series of sub-topic questions to drive the investigation. That creates a rather fractured structure, which isn’t helped by a cramped writing style that feels as if Venning is rushing through the story. The mystery of Edward II’s perhaps brutal demise follows. Venning takes more space to narrate Edward’s disastrous reign, leading to his overthrow, by his queen Isabella and her lover Mortimer, and subsequent death in September 1321. But did Edward cheat death and escape to a hermit’s life on the continent? Venning quite adroitly picks his way through the evidence, but as with all mysteries, we still don’t truly know what happened.
The reign of Richard II echoed that of Edward II I some respects, but we (almost) certainly know that the former died in January 1400. But how he died is the mystery: by his own hand or was he murdered? Again, Venning covers the background leading to Richard’s overthrow and picks his way through the resultant shenanigans, but this mystery somewhat peters out. Arguably the most famous medieval mystery is up next: the Princes in the Tower. Did Richard III have these two boys, his nephews, murdered in 1483, or did they survive? Modern day Richard supporters, Ricardians, argue for his innocence, but they swim against the tide of most contemporary and modern reporting. Venning’s final medieval mystery is the alleged bigamy of Edward IV. Why did he marry a woman of no political value away from prying eyes in 1464? This anticlimactic mystery is accorded the same treatment as the more violent and dramatic affairs but with the same outcome: we don’t really know but the search for answers continues.
Venning clearly knows his material when it comes to medieval royal mysteries, and despite some avoidable editing and proofreading errors, his text is engaging and informative. I suspect most medieval readers will be familiar with these mysteries, but they will probably come away knowing more than they did. Those not conversant, however, would probably appreciate more general background information to help follow the evidence Venning lays down. He also helpfully points readers in the right direction to dig more deeply into these condensed case studies. This is, therefore, a very good gateway book for the period that requires a little bit of effort by the reader.
by RNS | Dec 24, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Michael Fredholm Von Essen, The Lion from the North, The Swedish Army during the Thirty Years War: Volume 2 1632-1648 (Helion, 2020)
This book describes the Swedish army and its battles during the Thirty Years War from 1632 through to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
After the death of Gustavus Adolphus II, his Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna took over command of the Swedish and allied forces in Germany. Essen covers the various phases of the War in Germany, the sieges in the Imperial lands, and the on-off relationship with their French allies in some detail. He describes the main Swedish commanders of the time, their personalities, and how that impacted on strategy and tactics. The reorganisation of the Swedish army in terms of how it was raised and funded, its organisational structure, the weapons, uniforms and equipment and how these ultimately impacted on battlefield tactics are laid out clearly and concisely. In addition, there are chapters on the Swedish invasion of Denmark, the Swedish navy and Sweden’s colonies in North America, and the Gold Coast. Each of which is fascinating in its own right.
The text which is written in a very engaging style and is supported by 8 colour pages showing Swedish uniforms, 23 pages of flags, and a map of the Imperial Circles. There are also numerous black and white images of period paintings and illustrations, some of which are really inspiring. The literature most readily available in English on the Swedish Army of this period tends to concentrate on the Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years War led by Gustavus Adolphus. What we have in both this and the first volume is a far more well-rounded and balanced view of the army, its organisation, and its changing tactics. It shows the brilliance of both Gustavus Adolphus and his Chancellor Oxenstierna, and to my mind is a great example of a well written, illuminating and interesting military history.
Recommended for anyone that has heard of the Thirty Years War, Sweden, or who has just been to IKEA. Buy this book, if it doesn’t spark your interest in the Swedish Army you may need to check if you are still alive.
(Reviewed by Mike Huston)
by RNS | Dec 24, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Michael Fredholm Von Essen, The Lion from the North, The Swedish Army During the Thirty Years War: Volume 1, 1618-1632 (Helion, 2020)
This book describes the Swedish army and its battles from Gustavus Adolphus taking the throne in 1611 until his death at Lutzen in 1632.
Essen introduces Gustavus and his character in the prologue. He spends the next 75 pages describing the wars with Denmark, Muscovy, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and finally the war in Northern Germany. There then follows chapters on the structure of the army, how it was raised and organised, and its weapons and uniforms. There is a separate chapter on how the King developed the tactics and style of war that developed into that seen at Breitenfeld and Lutzen. There is also a discussion on the importance of intelligence and counterintelligence in the conflicts. Finally, the author summarises the military legacy of the “Lion of the North”. The text is ably supported by 8 colour pages showing Swedish uniforms, 24 pages of military standards, maps of the battles of Breitenfeld, and Lutzen, and numerous black and white images of period paintings and illustrations spread throughout the book.
Essen puts Gustavus Adolphus and his army in its proper historical context and takes pains to try and separate both of these from the cults that have developed around them. This results in a more nuanced, incremental, and believable story of the development of the army and the King’s undeniable skills both as a reformer and a military commander. Recommended for those with any kind of interest in the Swedish army of the Thirty Years War or if you just want to read a fine example of military history.
(Reviewed by Mike Huston)
by RNS | Dec 22, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Rene Chartrand, The Armies and Wars of the Sun King 1643 – 1715 Volume 2: The Infantry of Louis XIV (Helion 2020)
This latest volume of The Armies of the Wars of the Sun King series does what is says on the tin but in the reverse order. It starts by describing the wars and political manoeuvres of the Sun King from 1668 until 1684, pauses briefly to discuss the economics of war in the later 17th Century, and then spends the rest of the book delving into the details of the French Infantry from the Wars of Devolution through to the Spanish War of Succession.
Chartrand initially focuses on describing the primary reasons leading up to the Franco-Dutch War (1672-1678) from the Sun King’s perspective, and then spends three chapters taking the reader through the main aspects of the War. These are followed by a chapter on the little known and unsuccessful Sicilian Rebellion. Chartrand rounds off the history lesson by summarising Louis XIV’s political and military manoeuvring up until the close of 1684. One of the challenges of this period is trying to find accessible information for those of us who can only read English, and this certainly piqued my interest.
The main focus of the book is the next 150 pages, which concentrate on the infantry component of the French Army. Chartrand covers the recruitment, organisation, weapons, and uniforms of the line infantry in a comprehensive manner. The text is enhanced by 24 coloured pages of uniform illustrations, 8 pages of flags, and a substantial number of black and white pictures liberally spread throughout the book. These help to demonstrate the stylistic changes that took place over the period, and this is one of the real strengths of the book. The Appendices contains lists for the numerous regiments and their various Commanders. In addition, there are separate lists of known uniform details dating mainly from the 1690’s onwards. The paucity of uniform details for specific regiments in the earliest period is frustrating but understandable as the concept of standard uniforms was in its infancy.
The only downside to this book is that it is designed to be part of an integrated series and as such struggles to stand on its own. The information contained in this volume is excellent and well worth reading, but it appears to be a case of go big or go home. The reader really needs to buy all four books to get a comprehensive description of the army as a whole, the organisation, uniforms and equipment that it fought with, and the conflicts that it fought in. Recommended for those who want a detailed description of the infantry of Louis XIV and a panoramic view of his early wars.
(Reviewed by Mike Huston)
