Medieval Weapons and Warfare: Research Sources
European sword, 15th century
BY B.J. SEDLOCK
A scan of the Historical Novels Review shows that there are fewer historical novels set in the Middle Ages than those set in more recent centuries. But authors and readers with a passion for medieval times may find these resources useful for learning more about medieval arms, armor and warfare. I limited the list to Western Europe for length’s sake.
Note: All images are in public domain, courtesy the Cleveland Museum of Art.
PRINT BOOKS (ISBNs provided if available)
Boutell, Charles. Arms and Armour in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Reeves and Turner, 1893.
This book, a translation of a French work by M. Lacombe, is 130+ years old, but it has a large number of high-quality engravings for a book from this period.
Clark, John, (ed.) The Medieval Horse and Its Equipment, c.1150-c.1450. Boydell Press in association with Museum of London. 2004. 9781843836797
Horses were weapons of war for those who could afford one. This volume covers archaeological finds in London as the basis for a study on the medieval horse. Contains drawings and photos of tack found on archaeological digs.
Klučina, Petr and Pavol Pewný. Armor: From Ancient to Modern Times. Barnes & Noble Books, 1997. 0760704759
The text is rather basic, as for a beginner, but this is the only book in the list with all full-color illustrations, eye-candy for an armor enthusiast.
Crombie, Laura. Archery and Crossbow Guilds in Medieval Flanders, 1300-1500. Boydell Press, 2018. 9781783273058
Author aims to “present the guilds to a wider audience, to place them firmly within their urban and historiographical context…”—p.6. Chapters deal with organization, social function, and as a form of identity.
Davidson, Hilda Ellis. The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England: its Archaeology and Literature. Boydell Press, 1994. 0851153550
The title is self-explanatory, there’s a small number of photos and black and white drawings. The first half is about the sword itself, the second about its treatment in literature.
DeVries, Kelly, and Robert D. Smith. Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-Clio, 2007. 9781851095261
Discusses the “historical, social, and political contexts” of medieval weapons. Chapters progress by era, from 376 to 1550. With black and white photographs.
Featherstone, Donald. The Bowmen of England: The Story of the English Longbow. Jarrolds, 1967.
“The English archer was not a peasant to be lorded over by the higher born…[but] without him, and the tactics built around him, none of the victories in France…would have been possible”—introduction.
Armor for Man and Horse with Völs-Colonna Arms c. 1575, North Italy
France, John. Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, 1000-1300. Cornell University Press, 1999. 0801436710
Has chapters on weapons, cavalry, infantry, castles, sieges, and battle tactics. Very few illustrations.
Humphries, Julian. Enemies at the Gate: English Castles Under Siege from the 12th Century to the Civil War. English Heritage, 2007. 9781905624263
The author believes that battles get more attention than sieges, and it’s time to reverse the imbalance. Discusses siege warfare and profiles certain noted events such as Rochester, Kenilworth, and Norham.
Hyland, Ann. The Horse in the Middle Ages. Sutton Publishing, 1999. 0750910674
The scope is the English horse in general, but chapters on hunting, tournaments, and war will be of use.
Krebs, Robert E. Groundbreaking scientific experiments, inventions, and discoveries of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Greenwood Press, 2004. 0313324336
Chapter 8 gives a good basic grounding in medieval warfare and weapons for the beginner in the field.
Lepage, Jean-Denis G.G. Medieval Armies and Weapons in Western Europe: An Illustrated History. McFarland, 2005. 0786417722
“This book will focus on the feudal heartland of Western Europe”—p.1. Covers 6th-15th centuries, and has some excellent black and white drawings.
McGlynn, Sean. By Sword and Fire: Cruelty and Atrocity in Medieval Warfare. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2008. 9780297846789
The author argues that chivalry gets “too much attention” and was only a small facet of medieval warfare. This book deals with “the realities of conflict and what it meant for non-belligerents”—xiii. Chapters cover specific examples of massacres, sieges, and campaigns. This would be a good source to read if your character is a non-combatant.
Nicolle, David (ed.). A Companion to Medieval Arms and Armour. Boydell Press, 2002. 0851158722
A collection of essays by multiple authors, covering Europe from 4th-15th centuries. Has a large appendix of black and white illustrations and photos.
European hauberk, 15th century
Nicholson, Helen. Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 300-1500. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. 0333763319
“This book is intended to provide a point of entry to the subject of medieval warfare…”—vi. There are no images; chapters cover naval and land warfare, equipment, buildings, and personnel.
Nicolle, David. Warriors and Their Weapons Around the Time of the Crusades. Ashgate/Variorum, 2002. 0860788989
A collection of articles by the author dealing with changes in military technology and how different cultures of the era affected others’ weaponry, especially Byzantium, the Islamic world, and Europe.
Oakeshott, Ewart. Records of the Medieval Sword. Boydell Press, 1991. 0851155391
“The origins, development, classification, usage and mystique of the knightly sword of medieval Europe”—vii. Includes many photos of medieval swords in museums and private collections.
Sinkevic, Ida, (ed.) Knights in Shining Armor: Myth and Reality 1450-1650. Bunker Hill Publishing/Allentown Art Museum, 2006. 1593730551
Accompaniment to an exhibit at the Allentown Art Museum, the book covers the “functional, aesthetic, and symbolic aspects of arms and armor” from the very late Medieval and Renaissance periods.
Williams, Alan. The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period. Brill, 2003. 9004124985
The metallurgist author analyzed metal samples from armor and gives information on how it was made, with special concentration on Italy and Germany. If your planned character will be manufacturing armor in your novel, this would be a valuable resource. Many black and white photos.
WEBSITES WITH IMAGES/INFORMATION ON MEDIEVAL WEAPONS AND ARMOR
(search on “armor” on US websites, “armour” on European sites)
The UK’s national collection of arms and armor, “one of the oldest and most extensive public collections of arms and armour in the world.” The link will take you to where you can search the collection. Search on “swords” or “gauntlet” for example, and then in the “filters” menu, choose “objects” to see thumbnails. If you choose the filter “production date,” you can specify the centuries you are interested in. Clicking on a thumbnail will bring up more information. Not all objects have an image available
The link takes you to a highlights page, and then it would be a good idea to click on “searching the collection.” Then search on “axe,” “greave,” etc.
CHATEAU DE CASTELNAUD (FRANCE)
The English language version of the site’s page will show highlights from the castle’s collection of armor, weapons, and artillery from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.
KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM (AUSTRIA)
Gothic mitten gauntlet for the right hand, c. 1490 South Germany or Austria (Innsbruck)
This is the English page of the Viennese museum that lets you view highlights from its collection. But for best results in searching for a particular object, use an online translation site to find the German equivalent and search on that instead of the English term. If the word has non-English diacritics, you might want to copy and paste the word from the translation site, such as “Rüstung” for “armor.”
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, NEW YORK (U.S.)
Read about the collection on this page, and then scroll down and click on “view highlights” to see 53 examples from the Met’s collection. It will allow you to sort the objects by date. Click on a thumbnail image to bring up additional information about the object.
WORCESTER ART MUSEUM (Massachusetts, U.S.)
This museum says it has the second largest armor collection in the U.S., but only selected images are on the website at this writing. The page has information on the new gallery being built for their collection, something you might want to check out in the future.
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO (U.S.)
Going to this “search the collections” page will let you search on “armor”, which retrieves many pages of hits. You can click on “show filters” which will let you limit the search by date, to confine it to the medieval period. Click on a thumbnail image for more information on the object.
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART (U.S.)
Use the “search” feature and search on “armor” or “swords,” etc., and then you can use the “sort by” menu to put the hits in date order. Click on a thumbnail for more information. Many of the museum’s object images are in the public domain, see the note on the detailed page for an object.
This non-profit organization’s site has a lot of information; search on “siege” and find an article titled “Siege Warfare in Medieval Europe,” “knights” to find one on “How to Become a Medieval Knight” and related articles, “jousting” to find articles on that topic.
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART (U.S.)
This page will show you highlights from the museum’s collection. You might also want to try searching on a particular item, such as “sword” or “cuirass.”
About the contributor: B.J. Sedlock is Lead Librarian and Coordinator of Metadata and Archives at Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio. She writes book reviews and articles for The Historical Novels Review and has contributed to The Sondheim Review.
