Medieval Military Dress 1066-1500

Who is not fascinated by pictures of men in armour, conjuring up for them dreams of daring, heroism and chivalry? Here, following Blandford's successful series of uniform books, Christopher Rothero has painted and described some 86 figures covering the entire Medieval period. Included are not only the armour of the knights, but also the attire of the common soldiers or the peasants who fulfilled their feudal obligations by giving military service in ventures such as the Crusades.

Beginning with the figures depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, the chronological order of the illustrations reveals the development of armour from the simple mail garment, the hauberk, worn by the Norman conquerors to the highly intricate 'harnesses' of interlocking plate produced in the fifteenth century for the nobility of Europe. The gradual change from mail forms of armour to plate armour, and the development of 'soft' armour worn under mail or plate are charted in much detail.

Besides elucidating the major trends in the development of military dress, the author also recounts anecdotes from the lives of the characters he has illustrated. Such characters include Simon de Montfort, Robert the Bruce and the Black Prince, men who had a profound influence on the ages in which they lived.

All this combines with Christopher Rothero's superbly detailed and lavish illustrations to produce a book that is at once a source for the serious student of medieval history, and a delight to those whose imagination has been fired by the colourful tales that have sprung from those times.