{"product_id":"war-in-the-middle-ages-9780760707371","title":"War in the Middle Ages","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWar in the Middle Ages\u003c\/strong\u003e by Contamine, Philippe. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780760707371.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCovering the ten centuries following the fall of Rome, War in the Middle Ages engages all aspects of its subject, including the military customs and conditions of the various Western European states; armor and weaponry recruitment; and rules of combat developed to limit bloodshed.\n\nPhilippe Contamine writes with an awareness that, in both theory and fact, medieval warfare was constantly evolving. He opens with a chapter on Roman military disintegration and the practice of warfare in the barbarian kingdoms erected on the empires ruins. He then shows how feudalization multiplied conflicts, and describes the resulting growth of the \"great stone civilization\" of the castle. In the area of military method, he emphasizes three innovations: gunpowder, standing armies and the increased use of infantry, supplying in each case a wealth of data and documentation.\n\nContamine traces the rise of a new literature of strategy and changes in the concept of courage which he puts in the context of actual risk. He points out that the chivalric ideals of the later Middle Ages operated within narrow limits, outside which aristocrats and commoners freely slaughtered each other. Contamine also analyzes the theories of just and unjust war that developed at this time, and illustrates a phenomenon more typical of the period; the religious glorification of the warrior.\n\nEver mindful of the chaos and devastation that war brings, War in the Middle Ages nonetheless offers a clear and consistent picture of the military ethos of a millennium.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Barnes \u0026amp; Noble Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45119024726069,"sku":"ByrdShop_0760707375","price":24.81,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780760707371_4cdcb2b4-f1a6-4486-8e9b-9ac477c409b0.jpg?v=1777027201","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/war-in-the-middle-ages-9780760707371","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}