Essays throwing fresh light on what it was like to be a medieval soldier, drawing on archival research.

Evidence for the identity and careers of soldiers (usually neglected by scholars in favour of tactics or hardware) in two campaigns of the Hundred Years War.

The wars of the fourteenth-century English kings with France and Scotland resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of men involved in warfare on land and sea. This book draws upon new research to identify and analyze these soldiers at all social levels in the specific context of the county of Essex. New approaches to the history of the later Middle Ages allow important evidence of military service to be correlated with the rich documentary material stemming from landholding, taxation, administration and other aspects of economic and social life. Significant comparisons can then be made: increased demands for taxation and for shipping from maritime communities, for example, cast light on the impact of war upon the 'Home Front'. The uprising of 1381 is considered as the consequence of the intensive militarization of the south and southeast coast of England and the consequent cost to taxpayers. In a series of related chapters which add up to a wide-reaching survey, leading researchers explore key aspects of military, social and economic history in fourteenth-century Essex. From the raising of forces to serve the king, through a study of aristocratic lawlessness which may have been linked to violent experiences on the battlefield, to new ways of analysing data to give insights into men recruited as archers and mariners, and a consideration of military aspects of the Peasants' Revolt, this is a rewarding examination of medieval fighting men which affords much new insight into Essex history.

Collects the names of every soldier known to have served the English Crown from 1369 to the loss of Gascony in 1453, and seeks to investigate the different types of soldier, their regional and national origins, and movement between ranks.

This book departs from the conventional view of the dominance of cavalry in medieval warfare, demonstrating the importance of infantry, and the nature of infantry tactics, through a detailed examination of 19 battles fought between 1302 and 1347.

Fourteenth Century England has quickly established for itself a deserved reputation for its scope and scholarship and for admirably filling a gap in the publication of medieval studies. HISTORY

Part of the 'Soldiers' Lives Through History' series, this book vividly brings to life the soldier in the Middle Ages, from Scotland to Portugal, and the Mediterranean to the Baltic. All aspects of soldiers' lifes, including weaponry, clothing, medicine, transport, and more, are examined.