The Art of War in the Middle Ages (378-1515) (Summarized Edition)
Enriched edition. From Adrianople to Marignano: Knights, Longbowmen, Swiss Pike, and the Rise of Gunpowder WarfareBy Charles Oman
Length2h 20m
About this audiobook
Spanning from Adrianople (378) to Marignano (1515), Charles Oman's classic surveys the long transformation of European warfare from late Roman and Byzantine paradigms through the ascendancy of the mailed knight to the infantry revolutions of the longbowman, the Swiss pike, and early gunpowder. In lucid Victorian prose, Oman interweaves battle narratives—Hastings, Bouvines, Courtrai, Crécy, and Agincourt—with analysis of recruitment, armament, and command to show how social institutions molded tactics. His comparative method, grounded in close reading of chronicles, places the book at the birth of professional military historiography. A scholar of vast range and later Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford, Oman brought philological rigour and a campaign historian's eye to medieval sources. His training amid late nineteenth‑century debates on feudalism and state formation, and his lifelong interest in tactical evolution, shaped a project intent on disentangling legend from practice. This work remains indispensable for students of medieval studies, military history, and the history of technology. Even where subsequent archaeology and source criticism have refined particular conclusions, Oman's sweep, clarity, and taxonomic insight make the book a reliable scaffolding for further study and an invigorating guide to how Europeans learned to fight across a millennium.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.1 (1.5K)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing, StoryGraph
GenreHistory
Length2 hrs 20 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 8, 2026
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5The Art of War in the Middle Ages (378-1515)
Show all chaptersShow less
6Introduction
7The Transition from Roman to Mediæval Forms in War - A.D. 378–582.
8The Early Middle Ages - A.D. 476–1066–81.
9The Byzantines and their Enemies - A.D. 582–1071.
10The Supremacy of Feudal Cavalry - A.D. 1066–1346.
11The Swiss - A.D. 1315–1515.
12The English and their Enemies - A.D. 1272–1485.
13Conclusion
14Analysis
15Reflection
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