This is a book about someone, I have no knowledge of. For me , the Crusades were about Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. Yet the book says Bohemond as one of the most remarkable soldiers of the Middle Ages, and led the first crusade.

From the very first paragraph in this book, we hear that Bohemond was hugely ambitious and was always looking to achieve there seemingly impossible.

The book paints Bohemond as the most experienced officer in the Crusader army. Bohemond is a Norman, but had vast experience fighting in Italy, the Balkans, and the Middle East.

It must be said early on, that this book, will take time to read as there is a lot going on in the Regions and lots of resources to pull from. The author does a great job keeping it all together. I did have to keep flicking back every now and again.

We start with the Norman invasion of the Balkans around 1081, so not long after William’s successes in England, but these seem to be a different set of Normans, from Italy.

The Sources used to track the whereabout of Bohemond and his exploits are from Anna Komnena – who I have read about before, and her series of Books the Alexiad.

This book tries to examine the strategies and tactics deployed by Bohemond as he fought different a number of different opponents, on different landscapes – yet had deployed different tactics to win. He appears a flexible and capable tactician.

We see Bohemond was not afraid to fight and used all the resources (Blockades, fortifications and harrassment) at his disposable to defeat his opponents. He is painted as a daring commander but not a reckless one.

This is a great book if you want to look at how War was conducted during this period. It is also a great look at a seemingly forgotten military commander.

You can buy the book here 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.

I found this book intriguing. At school, we learnt Francis Drake was an Explorer, now it appears he was nothing more than an a royal appointed pirate.

Thats said, this is a fascinating read. This is more than just about a bunch of pirates. It tells us that Spain and Portugal had divided the new world between them, yet it took nearly 25 years for the rest of the Old World to discover that the Spanish and Portuguese were bringing back treasures from the Indies.

Yet in those early raids on the Portuguese and Spanish, it was the Dutch and French were raiding ships. Not until Mary died in 1558 did England, once again Protestant, join the privateering.

And this seems to have flourished under Queen Elizabeth. The book does also cover the start of the trade triangle between England, Africa and the New World. I didn’t realise we were trading with Brazil during Henry VIII’s reign.

I also didn’t realise Francis Drake and his family lived in Medway for a while, with Francis’s Father Edmund, being Vicar of Upchurch on the Medway.

There is a lot in this book to wrap your head around, changing allegiances and talks about other Elizabethans that plundered from the Spanish and Portuguese.

The book suggests that these Sea Dogs were bringing much need wealth and prosperity to England after Marys reign.

While it’s a complicated tale, the author does a great job of helping us navigate the period. It is an easy read.

There is also a chapter on the Spanish Armada both from the Spanish perspective and the English perspective using source material.

It is a great read and one that would be useful for any wargammers looking to fight the sea battles of the period.

You can buy the book here 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.

This book covers British Foot Regiments from 1800 -1815. By Pen and Sword Book standards this is a short book. But it is a book filled with lots of useful information and pictures for anyone interested in this period of the British Army.

The book covers not only those serving in the Peninsular War and Waterloo campaigns but also those around the Empire, in Canada, the West Indies and India.

There is also a section of the book which covers foreign units attached the British Army such as the King’s Dutch Brigade and the Royal Sicilian and Corsican Regiments. Didn’t know that…

This is a great little book to help you learn about the Army at this time and will be a good jumping off point into further researched. I can see this book being well read by Re-enactors and Wargammers alike.

You can buy the book here 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.