The essential visual guide to the warriors of the Middle Ages, this richly illustrated guide provides an overview of the medieval world and a guide to the typical battlefield and the armies that populated it.

The Medieval Warrior is a gorgeously illustrated, fact-filled introduction to the weaponry and fighting methods of the Middle Ages. Written in an accessible style for the nonexpert—with chapters coveringthe key types of warriors, from mounted knights to foot soldiers, siege engineers to sappers—it shows how the development of new weapons, technology, and techniques changed the face of war in Europe. The popular image of the mounted knight dominating the battlefields still persists, but medieval warfare was in reality far more complex. Rarely celebrated in the art or literature of the time, ordinary foot soldiers—such as longbowmen and pike-armed peasants—had a revolutionary impact on the development of warfare. Disciplined groups of archers defeated larger and better-armored forces of knights, while tightly packed formations of pikemen began defining all military encounters in the fifteenth century. Then the introduction of gunpowder weapons leveled the battlefield and swiftly ended the power of armored cavalry, forever changing the way we wage war.More than 300 beautiful and comprehensive color illustrations showcase the weapons, equipment, techniques, and tactics of the medieval warrior. All types of soldiers appear in stunning detail—including English longbowmen, Norman knights, Milanese crossbowmen, Saxon huscarls, Swiss pikemen,Hussite handgunners, Mongol horse archers, and Mamluk cavalry. Easy-to-understand line illustrations depict popular techniques, such as fighting with two-hand swords, forming a shield wall, pole axe combat, and mounted combat with sword and lance. From the Battle of Hastings to the Battle of Agincourt, see in rich, majestic color how the weapons, methods, and fighting tactics of the medieval warrior evolved over the centuries.