Basics of Medieval Armor

History and War

Introduction

Armor has been used in various forms since humans evolved enough intelligence to make it. It is thus no surprise that it features heavily in history and works of fiction alike. Some forms of armor were so weird they are not even used in fiction, while on the flip side fictional armor can often be partly or completely dysfunctional.

Basic Principles

Armor is supposed to keep person alive. Because of this, there is logic in what it protects and doesn’t. These principles are visible in armor from antiquity until modernity. Specifically, this reflects the set of priorities in armoring the body that are consistent over time and space. While ACOUP states that this holds true “prior to the advent of gunpowder”, this qualification is actually incorrect – same concerns existed for entirety of human history, both before and after the advent of gunpowder. Only thing that differed was technonogical…

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Why Did Byzantine Empire Survive For So Long

This is SUPERB History Blog. Highly recommend it!

History and War

Introduction

Byzantines saw their conflict with Islam as a “conflict of civilizations” between traditional Roman world and a desert menace. But at first, this was not actually the case. Whereas Muslims had, from the start, separated the world into dar al-Islam (“Land of Islamd”) and dar al-harb (“House of War”), from Roman point of view, the conflict was a confrontation between a civilized society and uncivilized barbarians, the “godless Saracens”. Only from late eighth and early ninth century does a nuanced understanding of Islam develop in the Roman world, and only in the ninth century is Islam understood as an existential threat to the Roman Empire. Roman identity itself was highly religious, with expansion of Islam reducing the Empire to areas with almost exclusively Orthodox Christian population. This identity was a key for resistance to invasion, with Arab conquest having taken almost exclusively the areas where this identity was weak.

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A Brief History of Jägers and Light Infantry

As some of you may already know, I am planning to offer the 5-day Jäger Course in the coming years. The Jäger Course will be an immersive light infantry training experience, in which students will learn to work as small squad-sized elements, living for a week out of just what they carry in their packs.…

A brief History of Jägers and Light Infantry — American Partisan

5 Of The Most Brutal Tactics in the History of Warfare

5 Of The Most Brutal Tactics in the History of Warfare

 

Very interesting piece about the tactics of the Roman cohort, to include their footwear.

Never underestimate how useful and practical a good pair of boots are!

I have always worn mid-ankle type boots year around versus athletic shoes for this very reason.

Prepare Accordingly.

 

From Longbows to Spitfires – Nine Weapons that Made Britain Great

“Part of the country’s edge in its history of conflicts has been superior technology by land, sea, and air.” By Douglas Brown THE UNITED KINGDOM has seen its share of armed conflicts. In fact, few… The post From Longbows to Spitfires – Nine Weapons that Made Britain Great appeared first on MilitaryHistoryNow.com.

From Longbows to Spitfires – Nine Weapons that Made Britain Great — MilitaryHistoryNow.com