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Catalaunian Fields AD 451
A description of Attila the Hun's invasion of Gaul in AD 451, the Roman response and the eventual battle of Chalons. The battle of the Catalaunian Fields saw two massive, powerful empires square up in a conflict that was to shape the course of Eurasian history forever. For despite the Roman victory, the Roman Empire would not survive for more than 15 years following the battle, whilst the Huns, shattered and demoralized, would meet their downfall against a coalition of German tribes soon after. This book, using revealing bird's-eye-views of the plains of Champagne and detailed illustrations of the opposing warriors in the midst of desperate combat, describes the fighting at the Catalaunian Fields and reveals the broader campaign of Hunnic incursion that led up to it. Drawing on the latest research, Simon MacDowall reveals the shocking intensity and appalling casualties of the battle, whilst assessing the wider significance and consequences of the campaign.
Conquerors of the Roman Empire
On 31 December AD 406, a group of German tribes crossed the Rhine, pierced the Roman defensive lines and began a rampage across Roman Gaul. Foremost amongst them were the Vandals and their search for a new homeland. The Romans were unable to stop them and their closest allies, the Alans, marching the breadth of Gaul and making themselves masters of
Malplaquet 1709
A highly illustrated study of the battle of Malplaquet, the last and bloodiest of Marlborough's victories in the 18th century War of the Spanish Succession. In 1709, after eight years of war, France was on her knees. There was not enough money left in the treasury to pay, equip, or feed the army and a bad harvest led to starvation throughout the kingdom. Things were so bad that King Louis XIV was forced to offer to end the War of Spanish Succession on humiliating terms for his country. However, the allied powers–Britain, the Dutch Republic, and the Holy Roman Empire–refused Louis' offer, believing that one more successful campaign would utterly destroy French power. This book examines th...
Late Roman Cavalryman AD 236–565
The twilight of the Roman Empire saw a revolution in the way war was waged. The drilled infantryman, who had been the mainstay of Mediterranean armies since the days of the Greek hoplite, was gradually replaced by the mounted warrior. This change did not take place overnight, and in the 3rd and 4th centuries the role of the cavalryman was primarily to support the infantry. However, by the time of the 6th century, the situation had been completely reversed. Late Roman Cavalryman gives a full account of the changing experience of the mounted soldiers who defended Rome's withering western empire.
Late Roman Infantryman AD 236–565
Between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD the traditional legions of heavy infantry were whittled away and eventually replaced by a force of various arms and nationalities dominated by cavalry and supported by missile troops. However, in spite of this trend towards cavalry, the pedes remained the backbone of the Roman army until well into the 5th century. This book details a warrior who was very different from the legionary who preceded him; perhaps he was not as well disciplined, but in many ways he was more flexible – ready for deployment to trouble spots, and for fighting both as a skirmisher and a heavy infantryman.
The Vandals
An up-close look at the Germanic people who sacked Rome in the fifth century AD. On 31 December AD 406, a group of German tribes crossed the Rhine, pierced the Roman defensive lines, and began a rampage across Roman Gaul, sacking cities such as Metz, Arras, and Strasbourg. Foremost amongst them were the Vandals, and their search for a new homeland took them on the most remarkable odyssey. The Romans were unable to stop them and their closest allies, the Alans, marching the breadth of Gaul, crossing the Pyrenees, and making themselves masters of Spain. However, this kingdom of the Vandals and Alans soon came under intense pressure from Rome’s Visigothic allies. In 429, under their new king, Gaiseric, they crossed the straits of Gibraltar to North Africa. They quickly overran this rich Roman province and established a stable kingdom. Taking to the seas, they soon dominated the Western Mediterranean and raided Italy, famously sacking Rome itself in 455. Eventually, however, they were utterly conquered by Belisarius in 533 and vanished from history. Simon MacDowall narrates and analyzes these events, with particular focus on the evolution of Vandal armies and warfare.
Late Roman Cavalryman 236-565AD
The twilight of the Roman Empire saw a revolution in the way war was waged. The drilled infantryman, who had been the mainstay of Mediterranean armies since the days of the Greek hoplite, was gradually replaced by the mounted warrior. This change did not take place overnight, and in the 3rd and 4th centuries the role of the cavalryman was primarily to support the infantry. However, by the 6th century, the situation had been completely reversed. This book gives a full account of the changing experience of the mounted soldiers who defended Rome's withering western empire.
Germanic Warrior 236-568 AD
The 3rd to 6th centuries AD saw the collapse of the classical Mediterranean civilisation and the emergence of new states in Western Europe based on the Germanic warrior society. This book focuses particularly on the men that made up the retinues of the Germanic warlords who carved kingdoms out of the carcass of the West Roman Empire. Although sources for this early period are scarce, Simon MacDowall manages to construct a convincing picture of the Germanic warrior. Using evidence from Roman historians, German archaeology and Anglo-Saxon poetry, MacDowall examines first the warriors' society and hierarchy before dealing with their training, equipment, appearance, tactics and style of fighting.
Conquerors of the Roman Empire
Simon MacDowall examines how this relatively small group of Germans came to be overlords of all of the former Roman province of Gaul, giving their name to France in the process. From their earliest incursions into the Empire, down to the Battle of Casilinum (554), their last battle against Romans, he studies the Frankish way of warfare and assesses its effectiveness. The size and composition of their armies, their weapons (including the characteristic Francisca axe), equipment and tactics are discussed. In this tumultuous period, the Franks had a complex relationship with the Romans, being by turns invaders, recruits to the legions and independent allies. Accordingly, this book also covers the Franks' role in defending the Rhine frontier against subsequent invasions by the Vandals, Alans, Suebi and the Huns. Their success in defending their new homeland against all comers allowed them, under the leadership of the Merovingian dynasty of Clovis, to establish the Frankish kingdom as one of the most enduring of the 'barbarian' successors to the power of Rome.
The Goths
The fascinating history of “a race that simply would not accept defeat” (Books Monthly). In the late fourth century, pressure from the Huns forced the Goths to cross the Danube into the Roman Empire. The resultant Battle of Adrianople in 378 was one of Rome’s greatest defeats. Both western (Visigoth) and eastern (Ostrogoth) branches of the Goths had a complex relationship with the Romans, sometimes fighting as their allies against other “barbarian” interlopers but carving out their own kingdoms in the process. Under Alaric, the Visigoths sacked Rome itself in 410 and went on to establish a kingdom in Gaul (France). They helped the Romans defeat the Hunnic invasion of Gaul at Chalon...
