Edward I’s armies

This article reassesses some of the evidence for Edward I’s armies, and suggests that the extent to which these armies anticipated the organisation and tactics used in the Hundred Years War should not be exaggerated. Cavalry numbers are hard to calculate, but historians may have underestimated the quantity of support staff. While horses were imported at the time of the Welsh wars, there is little evidence for this in Edward’s later years. Infantry forces were large and well organised in theory, but desertion was a major problem. Commanders, especially castle constables, had considerable experience. For some, pay and rewards were inadequate. Engineers were highly skilled, with notable achievements in castle warfare and bridge building. The crown’s chief concern in providing supplies was to ensure that there was sufficient for the royal household and for castle garrisons. Battles were few, and evidence for innovative tactics is thin. Bannockburn provided a test for the type of army developed under Edward I, a test which was failed. After 1314 new solutions were needed.     

Prelude to War: The Russian Siege and Storming of the Fortress of Ganjeh, 1803–4

This essay is the full account, the first in English, of the correspondence between the Russian general, Paul Tsitsianov, and the governor of the khanate of Ganjeh, Javād Khān Qajar. Drawing on contemporary Russian and Iranian records, it includes a daily account of Tsitsianov’s preparation, siege and the storming of the fortress of Ganjeh, which led to the First Russo-Iranian War (1804–13). The essay further includes two special maps—the first is the map of the South Caucasus in 1800 and the route of the invasion; while the second is based on a rare Russian military map that reveals the siege and storming of the fortress.     

An Archaeological Study of Talamanca Battlefield

Abstract

The Peace of Utrecht (1713) ended the War of the Spanish Succession as a global European conflict. However, the treaty abandoned to their fate the Spanish territories that had supported Archduke Charles. Resistance to the House of Bourbon was focused in the city of Barcelona, which was immediately put under siege. However, the Catalan government managed to create a powerful army outside the siege belt of the capital. This force, comprising almost 5,000 soldiers, attacked a similar Bourbon army in the small town of Talamanca on 13 August, 1714. The Catalan commander, the Marquis of Poal, successfully launched three simultaneous attacks against the Bourbon force. This study is an approach to this battle, using the results of archaeological fieldwork undertaken in the area. The study of material evidence is combined with GIS and statistical analysis in order to better understand the armies of the 18th century.     

What's Missing Here? Homing in on Haddington's Lost Defences

Abstract

The eighteen month occupation of Haddington 1548–1549 is said to be Scotland's longest siege. French, German and Scottish armies battered the defences of the burgh town trying to dislodge a stubborn and forlorn English garrison. In September 1549, the English relief column arrived unopposed and extricated the remaining plague-ridden defenders, leaving the fortifications to be levelled by the besiegers. The fortifications at Haddington were the first appearance in Scotland of the Trace Italienne, designed to defeat conventional siege tactics; bombardment, sapping and storming. Despite long-held assumptions that the fortifications are now lost to history, recent research indicates the survival of elements of the defences.     

The Great East Window of Gloucester Cathedral and its Heraldic Glass

Although the coats of arms in the great east window of Gloucester Cathedral are often associated with Edward III’s 1346–47 military campaign in France, the window’s function as a commemorative monument has never been thoroughly studied. The aim of this paper is to provide a political and social contextualisation to the heraldry of the east window, while considering its symbolic meaning (and possible intention) in the framework of the window’s iconography and spatial setting. In regarding the heraldry as thematically connected to the window’s overall theme, and by examining the window in correlation to contemporary discourse on England’s military victories, this paper demonstrates how the window’s composition evokes the exalted social position of Edward III’s military companions after the victories in the first phase of the Hundred Years War. Additionally, this paper argues that the window coincides with Edward III’s kingly ideals by celebrating his rule and lineage as divinely blessed, while affirming his right to the French throne.     

‘Ambushed by Victory’: British,French and American Military Plans to Defeat Germany in 1919

The United States, Britain, and France’s discussions on how to achieve victory over the enemy reveal how widespread was the notion that the war would have to be carried into 1919 in order to ensure a military victory over the German army. With the British, political pressure to maintain a sizable army combined with the over-estimation of the abilities of the enemy meant that many considered victory only possible in 1919. The Americans were determined to expand their army substantially to play a leading role in the 1919 campaign; however, they had to negotiate what constituted a realistic contribution. Behind these deliberations stood the French who were promoting the idea of a decisive 1919 campaign and pressuring their co-belligerents to make the greatest possible commitment to ensure a victorious outcome.     

Cosmopolitan Catterick? Isotopic evidence for population mobility on Rome’s Northern frontier

In order to investigate how the population diversity at major Romano-British urban centres compared to small towns and military outposts, we conducted multi-isotope (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and strontium) analyses of bones (42 individuals) and teeth (26 individuals) of human skeletons from Cataractonium/Roman Catterick in North Yorkshire (U.K.). The results suggest a markedly less diverse population at Catterick than at the larger towns. Significant differences are observed between burials from the town and fort area and the suburb of Bainesse to the south, and it is suggested that these reflect a shift to more localised recruitment for the Roman army in the Late Roman period. Isotope data for the ‘Bainesse Eunuch’, an unusual 4th century burial that has been interpreted as the remains of a ‘transvestite’ priest of Cybele, are not ultimately conclusive but consistent with origins in Southern Britain or areas with a similar climate abroad.     

安邦彦围贵阳城明政府解围后的善后措施

明朝后期,随着专制统治的日渐腐败,明王朝阶级矛盾、民族矛盾、中央与地方矛盾日益尖锐,天启二年终于酿成贵州地区的安邦彦反明事件。贵州宣慰同知安邦彦挟其侄贵州宣慰使安位起兵反明,率土司军队包围贵阳城。由于明政府推行＂重辽轻黔＂的战略,对安氏反明事件重视不够,导致安氏包围贵阳城达十月之久。1622年12月明朝调集大军驰援解围,使贵阳城终得保全。     

New Archaeological Books and Journals

Abstract

In 714 B.C., Sargon II, king of Assyria, conducted a major military campaign across the Zagros Mountains into western Iran. It was the eighth campaign of his reign, and the fourth into Iran. This time, Sargon's main goal was to contain the state of Urartu within its territory and to subdue its allies. The itinerary of the Assyrian army and the events of the campaign were written in the form of a long letter from the king to the god Assur, and it is preserved almost in its entirety. The text is of great importance because it gives one of the most extensive itineraries of an Assyrian campaign and, unlike other Assyrian reports, it mentions by name, and often describes, a large number of cities and fortresses as well as many geographical features.

For over 70 years scholars have attempted to reconstruct the route of Sargon from Assyria to Iran and to identify by epigraphical and archaeological research and survey the cities and features he mentions. Unfortunately, there has been little agreement among the modern researchers with regard to the specific directions taken by Sargon and equally so with attempts to link a site on the archaeological map with one mentioned in the ancient text. The present article gives a summary of the various solutions offered over the years and argues for the identification of two archaeologically known sites with two of those mentioned by Sargon.     

明故武略将军陈兴墓志考释

1996年,河南省沁阳市山王庄镇万善村东北发现一方明代墓志——大明故武略将军陈公墓志铭。碑文从保卫家乡、征战南北、镇守怀庆、修理城池等几个方面简要地概括了墓主陈兴的一生,为研究明初的兵制、官制和军事形势等提供了实物资料。     

The organisation of military religion in the armies of King Edward I of England (1272–1307)

King Edward I of England (1272–1307) was an exceptionally capable leader both on the battlefield and in the organisation of the bureaucratic institutions necessary for the successful pursuit of his military objectives. The military history of Edward’s reign has benefited from extensive scholarly attention, particularly with regard to matters such as military recruitment, battlefield strategy, and logistics. However, one major lacuna has been an examination of the pastoral care made available to soldiers serving the king in both peace and war. This study considers the means by which both professional fighting men and militia forces serving in the armies of Edward I were provided with the opportunity to obtain pastoral care. It considers in turn, soldiers attached to the royal household, the troops of the royal garrisons, militia forces drawn from the shires, and finally the contingents provided by men who held land from the king through military tenure.     

Indigènes after Indigènes: post-war France and its North African troops

This article focuses on North African soldiers who served in the French army of occupation in western Germany after its liberation in 1945. Taking as its starting point Rachid Bouchareb's 2006 film, Indigènes, the article contrasts claims the film made about the memorial exclusion of the colonial soldier with his surprising centrality to French accounts of their own military exploits. Using publications issued by the army for its internal readership and archival records of the military occupation's day-to-day activities, the author argues for a modified understanding of the French Republican notion of assimilation that is able to take account of the prolific representation of the North African soldier, and his accommodation, in Cold War Germany.     

The organisation of military religion in the armies of King Edward I of England (1272–1307)

King Edward I of England (1272–1307) was an exceptionally capable leader both on the battlefield and in the organisation of the bureaucratic institutions necessary for the successful pursuit of his military objectives. The military history of Edward’s reign has benefited from extensive scholarly attention, particularly with regard to matters such as military recruitment, battlefield strategy, and logistics. However, one major lacuna has been an examination of the pastoral care made available to soldiers serving the king in both peace and war. This study considers the means by which both professional fighting men and militia forces serving in the armies of Edward I were provided with the opportunity to obtain pastoral care. It considers in turn, soldiers attached to the royal household, the troops of the royal garrisons, militia forces drawn from the shires, and finally the contingents provided by men who held land from the king through military tenure.     

Colonial knowledge and the military in India, 1780–1860

Military officers and surgeons played a critical role in the collection, analysis and dissemination of knowledge in colonial India. Yet the little attention to date that has been directed at scholars with military backgrounds has treated their army service as incidental to, rather than formative of, their contributions to knowledge of India. While not all were actively engaged in intellectual pursuits, a surprisingly large number of orientalists came from the army. In some cases, this can be attributed to the military's need for specific information. But such strictly utilitarian motives were not always at work; boredom, curiosity and professional aspirations encouraged officers and surgeons to take up scientific, literary and artistic activities. Military service also offered opportunities for travel, as well as technical training, which furthered such pursuits. Consequently, much of the colonial knowledge that was generated in the first century of colonial rule was tinged with military values and it was sometimes framed in language redolent of the army. This would in turn help to popularise certain readings of Indian society, particularly those which stressed the medieval and fragmented nature of Indian society. The boundaries between fact and fiction became blurred as romanticism came to influence British aesthetic, historical and scientific encounters with India.     

Angli cum multis aliis alienigenis: crusade settlers in Tortosa (second half of the twelfth century)

In the spring of 1147 Anglo-Norman and Flemish crusaders set out from Dartmouth in the direction of the Holy Land to take part in the Second Crusade. On their way they participated in the siege of Lisbon (October 1147) and the campaign against Tortosa which finished with the surrender of the city on the last day of 1148. A significant number of crusaders from the British Isles settled in Tortosa and its environs after the successful campaign, appearing in the documents as Angli, Anglici and Angles. The article describes the archival information for the role of these Anglo-Norman crusaders in the settlement of the region. They received grants from Count Ramon Berenguer IV, transferred real property, entered into credit and loan agreements, and established patrimonies. Many of the English settlers became part of the ruling oligarchy in the early years of feudal Tortosa, entering into transactions with the leading ecclesiastical and lay powers.     

Stuck in the past? British views on the Spanish army’s effectiveness and military culture, 1946–1983

After the Civil War the Spanish army functioned as a guardian of domestic order, but suffered from antiquated material and little financial means. These factors have been described as fundamental reasons for the army’s low potential wartime capability. This article draws on British and German sources to demonstrate how Spanish military culture prevented an augmented effectiveness and organisational change. Claiming that the army merely lacked funding and modern equipment, falls considerably short in grasping the complexities of military effectiveness and organisational cultures, and might prove fatal for current attempts to develop foreign armed forces in conflict or post-conflict zones.     

How the mosquito (man) liberated Cuba

Disease is a more efficient killer of armies than man, but military historians tend not to dwell on this fact, for fear of relegating human volition to a secondary role in the outcome of wars. Thus, studies of the Cuban War of Independence from 1895 to 1898 tell of thrilling machete charges and awe-inspiring battleships, but pay insufficient attention to the insects and microbes that really killed the Spanish army and prepared the ground for the liberation of Cuba. This essay argues that the mosquito and yellow fever did most of the work of freeing Cuba from Spanish military occupation. It also tells how the theory of a Cuban physician, Carlos Finlay, helped to liberate the island from yellow fever following the American occupation in 1898. In this way the essay unites two sundered histories that belong together, and then goes on to explain why the medical community ignored Finlay for almost 20 years, just time enough to allow Cubans to found a new nation.     

"毋忧案是桩冤案"辨析——张家山汉简《奏谳书》研究之二

汉简《奏谳书》案例一记载了蛮夷成年男子毋忧因逃避"都尉屯"而被起诉,由夷道官吏审理,但未能判决.该案被上报廷尉,廷尉判处毋忧腰斩刑.本案诉讼程序完整,适用军法也符合汉初的司法要求,所以毋忧案是一则典型的军法案例.     

“毋忧案是桩冤案”辨析——张家山汉简《奏谳书》研究之二

汉简《奏谳书》案例一记载了蛮夷成年男子毋忧因逃避”都尉屯”而被起诉,由夷道官吏审理,但未能判决。该案被上报廷尉,廷尉判处毋忧腰斩刑。本案诉讼程序完整,适用军法也符合汉初的司法要求,所以毋忧案是一则典型的军法案例。