Medieval Sword School (HEMA)

German Medieval Martial Arts

Clan Fabius – Defenders of Rome

Posted on Written by

A history of the Republic’s most notorious family.

In the early days of the Roman Republic there was a clan whose men sacrificed themselves for the good of the republic. The book starts around 485BC and paints the Fabii as standing next to Romulus when the city was founded.

So you don’t really get earlier than that. The Fabii Maximi were part of military and political elite until the end of the republic, which ended with civil wars, political assassinations and political street brawls.

This family seems to be the first is a long line of famous Italian families that shape roman history. The Fabii almost has this mythical status and the author has done well to piece together sources to give us this history in a really easy to follow book.

Early and late Roman history is growing on me and this book goes a long way to fill in some gaps in the bigger history. My Roman history covers a bit of Roman Britain, but this book has created a thirst for more. The book covers the role of Fabii during the period of Hannibal’s invasion. While the author doesn’t come out and say the Fabii were the reason Hannibal was defeated at Cannae. The chapter on the Fabian way covers their response to the invasion and how they arrested the Roman army pitch battle defeats.

The book provides a huge number of resources in the appendix on Republic sources of information. This goes on to share online translation of republic historical sources.  Again I am amazed at howe  much of this stuff survives.  You see the ruins of Rome but I don’t think about all the documents that are still knocking around.

If anyone is interested in this period then this book is a useful addition to your bookshelf. It is a very interesting and slightly different look at Hannibal’s invasion and other wars such as the Spanish and Gallic wars.

You can buy this book direct from Pen and Sword Books

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

The Franks – Conquerors of the Roman Empire Series

Posted on Written by

One of the series of books looking at the groups that defeated and replaced Rome. In the case of the Franks, this Germanic tribe took over Gaul, and gave its name Francia / France.

The book looks at the fighters, weapons and tactics the franks used against the Romans which ultimately led to their victory against the late Roman Army at Casilinum (just north of modern day Capua) in 554AD.

While lots of us think that the fall of the Roman Empire was more about the breakdown of the Roman war machine, the book shows us that the Franks were sophisticated soldiers that were able to fight in pitch battles and defeat armies.

But it didn’t start there, the book takes us through a period of around 250 years from the first Frankish incursions into Gaul.

My favourite chapter is chapter 9, which discusses the Frankish way of war. It is also interesting that most of the commentary and knowledge about this comes from Roman authors.

A few things I learned from the book. The Angon or barbed spear, sounds like a huge barbed arrow was a favoured weapon. Also while lots of the Germanic tribes fought on horseback, the Franks did fight both as cavalry but mainly on foot as infantry, at least this is what our Roman authors would have us believe.

The book also provides some insights to the roman cavalry tactics of the time.

For anyone is interested in the late Roman, early medieval period, this book is a great read, I found it is easy but very informative read. The maps and chronologies where fantastic and I can see myself referring to them again and again.

Also the lists of the Roman army in Gaul staggers me as I never realised this stuff was still in existence. I can see this being a great book for military historians, wargammers and period reenactors. I would highly recommend this book.

You can buy this book direct from Pen and Sword Books

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

A gentleman’s guide to duelling

Posted on Written by

Vincentio Saviolo’s rules and ettiquette of honour and honourable quarrels

As the title of the book says this is a book on duelling. In fact as far as the 16th century in England goes, this is the book on duelling in Elizabethan England. The book even goes so far as to suggest it inspire Shakespeare and was a popular guide in the Court of Queen Elizabeth.

When I was first looking for a HEMA group, Saviolo was one of the first names I discovered thanks, mainly due to Google and the 1595 group based in Brighton. At the time, I felt I needed something a bit more local so went down the earlier German Longsword tradition but have always been intrigued by Saviolo, in how a Italian from Padua, could rise so high in London society.

It must be said this is not a HEMA sword manual – it is a aide to help people who practice the arts of this period by providing the real context of why things we re done a certain way. I think without this insight it is difficult to understand the techniques that Saviolo taught at his salle in Blackfriars.

At the same time as George Silver who had himself published a fencing manual, paradoxes of defence. It seems like a golden age in English fencing.

The book is an easy read as it is jam packed with not only his work but biographical information about him and his contemporaries.

One thing that struck me was the influence the Italians had on England at that time.

I thought the book was going to be much more of a traditional hema manual but it is much more than that.

It appears at least to me to be the dummies guide to living in Elizabethan England by someone who was influencing culture at the highest level as in the land.

When reading the book, I would suggest you pay attention to the footnotes as there is huge amount of value in them.

It must have been quite a complicated existence as book provides a discourse of single combats and who they come about. It seems to Saviolo that simply looking at someone the wrong way can get you in a fight.

There is then a section on the etiquette of the challenger and defender. This was clearly a serious business. It appears somewhat similar to the warrior codes of the samurai , bushido if you will.

The book continues on with a lot of discourse on how things get resolved. The book ends with a section on the nobility of women which within the context of duelling seems a bit at odds with the rest of the book until you remember we had a strong female queen on the throne.

I really enjoyed the book and was also excited by the section on finding school Saviolo taught at. Next time I am in London I am going have a look around the area and look for the red lion sign – read the book, you will know what I mean.

Appendix B, the almost whinging Silver’s description of Saviolo and his teaching – oddly seems hardly gentlemanly.

A great read.  Available on Amazon

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

Springalds and Great Crossbows

Posted on Written by

Springalds and Great Crossbows – Jean Liebel (Translated by Juliet Vale)

Part of the Royal Armouries Monograph series

When I was sent this book to review, I was puzzled to know what a Springald was. Basically this book covers what we would now know as Artillery, but before the advent of gunpowder. So machines made from wood and ropes, levers and torsion. It is fascinating to have all this information on one book. The first thing that struck me in the book was that springalds and crossbows were different from other siege or artillery weapons in that they are low trajectory weapons, unlike their more popular cousins – the trebuchet or mangonel, which launched huge rocks high and far. Springalds were medieval period weaponry based on the Roman Ballistas.

But these were not just simply short range weapons, experiments in the book show that a springald could propel a large bolt over 160 metres. Springalds were usually gate mounted so they provided a powerful defence at the weakest point of a castle.

I have been to lots of castles but never seen a replica or mention of springalds during the early Middle Ages. Even the great Norman castles or Rochester and Dover don’t have them (although Dover does have a trebuchet). Think I might have to pay them a revisit. The book also shows paintings from the 14th century of wheel mounted springalds. Even Da Vinci seems to have got in on the act with springald designs.

A lot of the ports of the Hanseatic leagues appear to have had springalds both tower and gate mounted. I would imagine huge bolts would be quite damaging to ships if the need arose to use them.

The book covers some quite interesting design pictures. I wonder if any of the reenactment groups have these? I know some roman groups have ballista.

Here is a great YouTube video of a springald

From springalds, the book moves onto crossbows and not just small handheld crossbows, but two foot or windlass crossbows. Surviving examples of these crossbows have between 1.6 and 1.8 metres wide bows. Hardly something to be easily carried into battle.

In the 1200s, France seemed to have them and their spare repair parts in 15 towns across the kingdom. There is even mention of the papal palace in Avignon having two of them.

Again we see these become cart mounted, and even specialist bolts are used, including incendiary bolts…

The book then goes onto cover ballistics with lots of research and illustrations about effective ranges. For the period wargammer, the book provides a very useful resource for not only defensive siege equipment but provides charts and tables about ranges. If your ruleset doesn’t have springalds and great crossbows. They can now!

I can honestly say this was a fascinating read and I can wait o explore more castles now and look for signs of these weapons. If I had the space and technical ability I would love to make a springald.

If you are interested in the development of artillery or siege equipment, this book should be in your library of resources as it appears to be the only book of its kind of on the period.

You can buy this book on Amazon. You can also pick it up direct from Pen and Sword Books.

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

About Us

KDF Broadstairs (Thanet Fecht Schule) is a German Longsword HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) Group based in Broadstairs, Thanet.

Canterbury Medieval Combat is a HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) Group based in Canterbury, Kent.

Store

Check out our T-shirt store

Connect with Us