About the Book

First published in 1992, Medieval Military Technology has become the definitive book in its field, garnering much praise and a large readership. This thorough update of a classic book, regarded as both an excellent overview and an important piece of scholarship, includes fully revised content, new sections on the use of horses, handguns, incendiary weapons, and siege engines, and eighteen new illustrations.

The four key organizing sections of the book still remain: arms and armor, artillery, fortifications, and warships. Throughout, the authors connect these technologies to broader themes and developments in medieval society as well as to current scholarly and curatorial controversies.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part I: Arms and Armor

Chapter 1: Arms

The Spear/Lance
The Axe
The Sword
The Dagger
The Staff-Weapon
The Mace
The War Hammer
The Sling
The Bow
The Crossbow

Chapter 2: Armor

Early Medieval Armor
Armor in the Bayeux Tapestry
Twelfth-Century Armor
Shields, Helmets, and Heraldry in the Thirteenth Century
Fourteenth-Century Body Armor
Cloth-Covered Armor from the Battlefield of Visby
Later Fourteenth-Century Armor Developments
Plate Armor
Late Medieval Infantry Armor
Late Medieval Helmets
Late Medieval Shields and Barding

Chapter 3: The Stirrup, Mounted Shock Combat, Chivalry, and Feudalism

White's Thesis
Criticism of White's Thesis

Part II: Artillery

Chapter 4: Non-Gunpowder Artillery

Torsion Catapults
Traction Trebuchets
Counterweight Trebuchets
Greek Fire

Chapter 5: Gunpowder Artillery

Early History of European Gunpower Weapons
Siege, Battlefield, and Naval Applications
Types and Manufacturing of Gunpowder, Gunpowder Weapons, and Projectiles
Societal Impacts and Administrative Changes

Chapter 6: Siege Machines

Ladders
Siege Towers
Battering Rams and Mining Devices

Part III: Fortifications

Chapter 7: Early Medieval Fortifications

Late Roman and Barbarian
Carolingian
The Viking Invasions and Reactions

Chapter 8: The Motte-and-Bailey Castle

The Influence of William the Conqueror
Construction Techniques

Chapter 9: Stone Castles

The Origin of Stone Castles
Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Stone Castles
Crusader Castles
The Golden Age of Castle Construction
Edward I's Castles in Wales

Chapter 10: Urban Fortifications and Fortified Residences

Fortified Residences
Town Walls
The Influence of Gunpowder Weapons

Part IV: Warships

Chapter 11: Early Medieval Warships

Late Roman and Early Medieval Ships
Viking Ships
William the Conqueror's Fleet

Chapter 12: High and Late Medieval Warships

Crusader Ships
Thirteenth-Century Ships
Technological Innovations
Later Medieval Ships

Conclusion
Bibliography
Index