Medieval Polish Armies 966-1500

by David Nicolle, Witold Sarnecki, Gerry Embleton (Illustrator)

Overview

The fascinating history of a war-torn state that emerged with a strong Medieval army that became one of the dominating powers of Eastern Europe.

Poland became a unified Christian state in AD 966 and by the 12th century a knightly class had emerged - a force that was integral to the defence of Poland against increasingly frequent foreign invasions. Intent on crushing rival Christian states, the Templars, Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights all mounted attacks but were beaten back by the Poles, as were invading Mongols and Turks.

This book reveals the organisation, equipment and battle histories of the medieval Polish armies as they developed and modernised to emerge as one of the dominant powers of Eastern Europe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780964560
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	02/20/2012
Series:	Men-at-Arms , #445
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

David Nicolle worked in the BBC Arabic service for a number of years, before gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He later taught world and Islamic art and architectural history at Yarmuk University, Jordan. He has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. Witold Sarnecki is a Polish museum curator who specialises in the medieval armies of Poland.

Gerry Embleton is an internationally respected authority on military costume and material culture. He has illustrated more than 40 Osprey titles. His company Time Machine AG has made 3D life sized historical figures for more than 60 museums world-wide.
David Nicolle is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Medieval Studies, Nottingham University. He is the author of numerous books on aspects of medieval military history, including many for Osprey.
Gerry Embleton has been a leading illustrator and researcher of historical costume since the 1970s, and has illustrated and written Osprey titles on a wide range of subjects for more than 20 years. He is an internationally respected authority on 15th and 18th century costumes in particular. He lives in Switzerland, where since 1988 he has also become well known for designing and creating life-size historical figures for museums.

Table of Contents

Introduction - overview of medieval Poland
Chronology of major military events
Early Polish armies, 10th-12th Centuries
Campaigns&tactics of early Piast rulers
The Division of the Provinces, 1138-1320
The 14th Century unification
15th Century changes
Polish heraldry