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The War over Naples was fought by France and Spain between 1502 and 1504. Gonzalo de Córdoba, called El Gran Capitán, distinguished himself for his military skills thanks to his brilliant victories against the French at Cerignola and Garigliano (1503). With the Treaty of Lyon in 1504, the Kingdom of Naples was ceded to Spain, which controlled it for 200 years - until the War of the Spanish Secession.In November 1500, Ferdinand of Spain and Louis XII of France signed the secret Treaty of Granada. This agreement enabled Spain and France to easily conquer and divide the Kingdom of Naples in the years 1501 and 1502. The treaty divided Naples between the two nations. However, disputes arose over the division and the boundaries of the newly conquered territories that soon led to war.Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the Spanish Commander in Naples, was aware of the inferior quality of his troops and retreated to Barletta (Apulia). His plan was to await reinforcements from Spain. The French commander, Louis d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, split the French army into several garrisons all around Barletta, and sent a contingent led by Beraud d'Aubigny to occupy Calabria. Over the following eight months, skirmishes, ambushes, and sudden attacks, which were to become Córdoba's trademark tactic, became the norm.In April 1503, Córdoba, following the arrival of Spanish and Landsknecht reinforcements, left Barletta and moved over to the offensive. The Spanish defeated d'Aubigny's army on 21 April, and then just over a week later, on the 28th, they defeated the Duke of Nemours at Cerignola. The Duke was to fall in the fighting. Gonzalo de Córdoba and his troops entered Naples in triumph on 16 May 1503.Louis XII, eager to reclaim his lost territories, gathered an army and invaded Naples. However, the French were defeated again in December 1503, near the river Garigliano. Gaeta, the last French stronghold in Naples, fell on 1 January 1504. On the 31st the Treaty of Lyon was signed, ratifying Spanish possession of the Kingdom of Naples.Praise for earlier volumes of The Italian Wars: 'This mini-series gets better with each book and I would thoroughly recommend it and I, for one, am looking forward to the final volume(s).' - Arquebusier'This book is undeniably successful and interesting' - Vae Victus Magazine'...the text contains a wealth of information about the situation, commanders, unit types, weapons, and uniform colors covering Italian, Spanish, French, and Swiss troops.' - The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

The Sieges of Rhodes 1480 and 1522 provides accounts of the two epic sieges of Rhodes when the Hospitallers of the Order of St John faced the might of the Ottomans. Photographs and maps included in the book fully illustrate what a nearly impossible task the Ottomans faced in both sieges. The two sieges illustrate the changes in warfare in the 40 years between them and the revolution in artillery that was taking place. The Sieges of Rhodes contains grand tales of the greatest heroes and the worst of villains, stories of ingenuity, bravery, cruelty and cowardice, tales which echoed across Christendom.When Grand Master Phillipe Villiers De L`Isle-Adam and the few surviving knights and brothers of the Order of St John departed from the port of Rhodes on 1 January 1523, the long history of the Crusades ended.The Order had protected the Latin States for almost 200 years until forced to leave after the fall of Acre in 1291. Unlike the Templars, they survived the disgrace of defeat and re-established themselves on the island of Rhodes. Here it was, that they remained a militant presence, always a challenge to the power of Islam and hopeful of reclaiming the Holy Land. The rise of Ottoman power in the mid-fifteenth century led to two great sieges, the first in the reign of Mehmed II in 1480 and the second by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522.Both sieges were epic in their character and scale and added to the fame and prestige of the Hospitallers. The Grand Masters, on both occasions, provided inspiration not only for the garrisons but for Christendom. The sieges occurred in a critical period in Europe's political, religious and military history. In 1480, Christendom was united, and both the means of attack and the forms of defense were fundamentally late-medieval in nature. Both sides even built trebuchets, which had been thought long obsolete. In 1522, Europe was deeply divided, and the weapons and fortifications had dramatically changed. This book considers the medieval fortification and their transformation in the intervening years, according to the most up-to-date ideas. It also outlines the artillery revolution that occurred over the same period, with the massive, clumsy, but still powerful stone-throwing bombards giving way to narrow-bore cast bronze pieces, firing iron projectiles at much higher velocities and with much greater effect.The sieges are also of great technical interest to military historians because of the extensive use of pyrotechnics and mining. Fire was an especially horrible addition to the Hospitaller's arsenal, and the book summarizes what flame weapons were available and how they were used. The mining and counter-mining that took place in the second siege was an epic in its own right. Recent groundbreaking research has highlighted why the war underground was so extensive and became the most effective Ottoman strategy.The soldiers that faced each other were utterly unlike one another in arms, armor and tactics, although similar in religious devotion. What effect did this have on the outcome? The Ottoman army, especially the Janissaries, were the terror of the East and West, yet they met their match on both occasions. How was it that a vastly numerically inferior force managed to fight their enemy to a standstill? This can only be understood by studying the sieges in detail, which is possible because of the excellent first-hand accounts produced so soon after the events themselves. Therefore, the reader can experience the siege through the words of those who fought. The extraordinary survival of Hospitaller armor from Rhodes and the superb collections of Ottoman and Mameluke armor and weapons help illustrate the contrast between these warrior cultures.

The Border Reivers along the Anglo-Scots frontier, were known for their raiding and thieving - a terror to society. They gave rise to such words as 'blackmail', 'caught red-handed' and 'bereave' - certainly not the kind of people to meet on a dark night. This book explores their origins, on how & why they came about. The reivers were a unique phenomenon to British history, created by a combination of unique circumstances. The society which emerged is explored, with chapters examining aspects of their communities, such as - family life, farming, marriages, nationality, sports & pastimes, clothing, weapons, tactics, beliefs and religion (lack of). Those who held the difficult job of stopping the reivers from their thieving, the March Wardens, are also looked at.The reivers are looked at as more than professional criminals, explaining why they lived a life of crime. Placing them within the context of the British Isles as a whole. An understanding on why they took to the saddle and committed theft on a regular basis is explained using contemporary reports. The consequences of being caught in the act (which the reivers saw as their job) of stealing is examined, illustrating the regular danger in which they put themselves. Where they brave, resourceful, romantic, heroic, honorable, dangerous, treacherous, cruel or murderous ? ... Or a mixture of descriptions. The reader can decide.The book is one of three. Volume two looks at the reiver's themselves, presenting short summaries on all of the 'Riding' families, with biographies on individuals - plus chapters highlighting the main offenders. The full extent of the reiver's crimes are laid bare, with examples of their cruel acts. And volume three explores the fight against the reivers and the slow battle to stop their raids, and ultimately, remove them from society.

A detailed account of the reconquest of Normandy and Gascony, including the battle which marked the first decisive use of artillery on the battlefield.The defeat of John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and the Anglo-Gascon army on 17 July 1453 at Castillon on the River Dordogne, 25 miles east of Bordeaux, was the last of the great battles of the Hundred Years' War. The battle resulted in a catastrophic defeat for Talbot and heralded the rapid collapse of the last vestiges of English power in south-west France. Three months later the last English troops le Bordeaux.The end of English rule in Gascony brought to an end a period during which, in a little over four years, the French had driven the English from their lands in Normandy and Gascony, leaving the Calais Pale as the only surviving possession in France, a possession that the English Crown would hold for another century. The battle also marked an important step in the evolution of warfare. King Charles VII had brought about major reforms in the French Army, establishing a standing army, and, thanks to the technical and tactical innovations of the Bureau brothers, artillery played a decisive role on the battle field for the first time. To put the Battle of Castillon in perspective the book summarizes the origins of the Hundred Years' War and the ebb and flow of fortunes during the war up to the Treaty of Tours in 1444. It then describes the military reforms of King Charles VII and the innovations of the Bureau brothers in the development of artillery. Shrewsbury, who died in the battle, had a long and successful military career, and was one of the few English commanders to emerge from the final years of the 100 Years War with his reputation intact. He fought during the reconquest of Normandy and, as the commander of the English Army attempting to stem the French tide in Gascony, was a key figure in the later years of the war. His military career is described and the book then recounts in detail the campaigns in Normandy during 1449-50 and in Gascony in 1451 and 1452-3. The battle of Castillon, the decisive action in the French conquest of Gascony, is described in detail. The book concludes with an account of the aftermath of the battle and the final expulsion of the English after the surrender of Bordeaux, three months to the day after the defeat of Shrewsbury at Castillon.

Provides unprecedented detail on the Irish armies, military procedures, arms and equipment with particular attention on the Highland mercenary forces that operated in Ireland during this time.Ireland at the outset of the Tudor era was a highly militarized society, with more than sixty Gaelic lordships maintaining independent armed forces. By the 1540s, the centralizing Tudor state had ended the self-rule enjoyed by the Anglo-Irish Pale and was embarked on an increasingly severe program of reconquest. A key element of regaining central control over the island was the demilitarizing of the Irish lordships, both Gaelic and semi-Gaelicised Anglo-Irish. Native resistance resulted in an increasingly costly series of large-scale wars, fueled by the emergence of the Reformation. e book traces the development of Irish armies during the period, including the latest studies on the question of modernization: i.e., the 'Military Revolution'. Recent scholarship has called into question many long standing assumptions about Ireland in this period, including the degree of contact and commerce with mainland Europe, and the ability of Irish society to adapt to, and absorb, outside influences. A new appreciation of these questions helps place Tudor Irish military culture in a European context, calling for a reassessment of the degree to which Irish armies were outdated. While an expression of a profoundly traditional culture, they are found to be suited to purpose and eager to adopt rearms at nearly the rate seen in England.The early part of this period saw Irish lordships enjoying a degree of local autonomy, exploiting newly found sources of wealth--principally fish--and expressing great confidence in a building boom of castles and associated churches and monasteries with continental affiliations. e book covers the phenomenon of large-scale castle building in this era, which has le Ireland the most heavily encastellated landscape in Europe.Also included are comprehensive army lists and unprecedented detail on Irish arms and armor of the period, tracing developments over time. New period sources and iconography are made use of. Besides the 'rising out' of the Pale and the traditional Irish troop types (horseman, galloglass and kern), a thorough examination is made of Scots Highland mercenary activity in Ireland, including weapons and organization. Also featured are the naval forces of the West Highland Scots and maritime clans of Ireland, including strength and changes in ship types over time.

A completely new and original take on 16th century samurai history and Japan's military revolution.During the sixteenth century Japan's medieval period was left behind as the samurai experienced a military revolution that involved the introduction of rearms and the mobilization of large armies who fought from stone castles. The history of this violent time is perfectly encapsulated in the campaigns waged by five generations of one outstanding warlord family: the Hojo of Odawara Castle. In 1487 the dynasty's founder attacked a wooden stockade using bows and arrows; in 1590 his great-great grandson defended a huge castle using cannons. Successive Hojo warlords were contemporaries of famous samurai such as Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga, whose armies they fought and defeated, but their end came at the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the "Napoleon of Japan", who defeated the Hojo in a massive siege of their mighty castle of Odawara. This book tells the story of a century of warfare using Japanese sources not previously translated into English. It is spectacularly illustrated with photographs of armor and weapons plus newly-commissioned artwork. Detailed and authoritative accounts of the campaigns show the Hojo samurai using 'every trick in the book' from sea raiding to ninja attacks. There are also many surprises, such as the use of dogs as messengers and the revelation that the final siege of Odawara in 1590 was no easy matter. When the Hojo dynasty came to its glorious end and their last patriarch committed hara-kiri, Japan and samurai warfare were changed forever.

This book provides a detailed insight into the one of the greatest popular uprisings in European history and explores the organization, tactics, and experience on the battlefield of the peasant bands which faced the Landsknecht armies of the German nobility.

This volume completes the study of Tudor warfare. It provides a detailed description and analysis of the campaigns and battles of Elizabeth's reign together with their political and diplomatic background. It also explains how her armies were raised, equipped, supported and commanded.

Twenty years after the Battle of Pavia, the French army and the Swiss took revenge on the Imperial enemy. In their last battle on Italian land - that saw Francis I against Charles V - the dreaded Landsknechts were defeated by the French infantry.

Between 1494-1628 guns and their carriages underwent such a major transformation that they would remain virtually unchanged for over three centuries. This book is a practical and comprehensive guide to the development and manufacture as well as the use of artillery, drawing heavily on primary sources as well as the recent reconstructions.