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"Royal Armouries, arms and armour series"--Cover.
"The history of England records no more charismatic figure than King Henry VIII. His reign reveals an intriguing amalgam of the old and the new, and during it his kingdom emerged as a power to be reckoned with. He was fascinated by weapons and armour, taking a personal interest in their design and manufacture. Henry's impact upon the Royal Armouries' collection is immense. The arms and armour made for him, his personal guard and his army still form the core of the collection. This book is part of a series of introductions to aspects of the Royal Armouries' collection of arms and armour, written by specialists in the field and packed with fascinating information and stunning photography."--woodslane.com.au.
The Littlecote House armoury is the most important surviving armoury of the English Civil Wars. This volume describes how the collection was saved for the nation (in part by a sponsored march in original armour from Littlecote to London), and includes a full illustrated catalogue of its contents.
The Elizabethan court was a vibrant and colourful place, where the inherited traditions and technological skill that had characterised the Middle Ages came face to face with the decorative techniques of the Renaissance. This book shows how the arms and armour in the collections of the Royal Armouries can be studied to gain insight into this creative and dynamic period. This book is part of a series of introductions to aspects of the Royal Armouries' collection of arms and armour. Written by specialists in the field, they are packed full of fascinating information and stunning photography.
Jointly Published with the British Royal Armouries Medieval fighting has long been thought to be rough and untutored. Visions of men madly slashing to and fro and hoping for the best still dominate not only popular culture but modern histories of fencing as well. In recent years, the survival of more than 175 fighting treatises from the Middle Ages and Renaissance has provided a whole generation of enthusiasts, scholars, reenactors and stage choreographers with a wealth of new information. This text represents the earliest known text on swordsmanship anywhere in the world. Royal Armouries MS I.33 presents a system of combat that is sophisticated and demonstrates the diffusion of fighting arts beyond the military classes. Within the manuscripts richly illustrated full-color illustrations lie still-potent demonstrates of sword techniques, surprisingly shown by a Priest and Scholar. Most surprisingly, however, is the presence of a woman practcing in the text, the only one illustrated in any European fighting treatise. This full color facsimile & translation has been long-awaited and promises to become an important resource for years to come
India is a vast sub-continent with a complex history and a great array of languages, cultures and religions. This book serves as a short introduction to the exquisite weapons used in the region, focusing on the Royal Armouries' collections from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Beautiful photography is interwoven with remarkable historical and cultural detail about archery, swords, shields, daggers, firearms, artillery and elephant armour.
Few single events in history have carried such vast consequences as the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which led to World War I, a war whose aftermath continues to affect our world today, a century later. But could the assassination have been prevented? Lisa Traynor starts with a little-known fact: the Archduke had--but did not wear that day--a bulletproof vest. From there, she highlights the risks faced by all powerful figures in that period of unrest, charts the technological development of pistols in the era, and, finally, tests her findings on a replica of the Archduke's vest. Could it have stood up to a close-up shot from the Browning Model 1910 used by the assassin? Of such questions is history made.
The idea of late medieval arms and armour often conjures up images of lumbering warriors, clad in heavy plate armour, hacking away at with each other with enormous weapons - depictions perpetuated in both bad literature and bad movies. In this introductory guide, replete with fabulous photography and marvellous anecdotes, internationally-renowned edged weapons expert Robert Woosnam-Savage describes the brutal reality of personal protection and attack in the so-called 'age of chivalry'. From Bannockburn to Bosworth, Poitiers to Pavia, this book is an indispensable introduction to an iconic era.
Fresh insights into the development of the tournament as an opportunity for social display.
"The documents surviving from the privy wardrobe, the department which administrated the Tower armoury under Edward III, Richard II and Henry IV, provide a unique insight into the use of arms and armour in England as the Hundred Years War unfolded. Here, Thom Richardson expertly brings these documents to life. He answers many long-standing questions and challenges a number of assumptions, notably about the use of the longbow and the wearing of armour during that formative period of English history. Richardson shows how the previously peripatetic armoury became established in the Tower of London at the outbreak of the Hundred Years War, and grew into the national arsenal which today forms the basis of the Royal Armouries, the national museum of arms and armour."--Publisher's description.