Italian Militiaman 12601392
By (Author) Dr David Nicolle
Illustrated by Christa Hook
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Osprey Publishing
26th February 1999
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Weapons and equipment
European history: medieval period, middle ages
355.00945
Paperback
64
Width 184mm, Height 248mm, Spine 7mm
240g
Medieval Italy was characterized by regular warfare among its numerous city-states, as well as internal strife within comunes as aristocratic factions fought each other for domination of the cities' governments. In this context, Italian warfare developed quickly, with the crossbow playing a key role in improving the armour technology of the Italian city militias that used them. This book traces the evolution of the Italian militiaman, providing a comprehensive view of all aspects of the late medieval Italian city militias, from the weaponry, attitudes and social backgrounds of their members, to the political context that made such formations necessary.
David Nicolle was born in 1944 . He worked in the BBCs 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 has written numerous books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. Christa Hook began her illustrating career in 1986. Her work has featured extensively in the worlds of publishing and television, and she has established herself as one of Osprey's most popular illustrators. Her illustrations combine the historian's attention to detail with the artist's sense of drama and atmosphere, and they are sought after by collectors worldwide.