HIS 478/479: Medieval Military History
(formerly HIS 310)

The Middle Ages was a bellicose era, whose popular associations today include castles, crusaders, brutal barbarian attacks, the ubiquitous "knight in shining armor" and the knightly ethos of chivalry. This course will trace the history of Western warfare from the end of the Roman Empire to the late fifteenth century, as well as covering strategy, tactics, combatants, technology, diplomacy, the role of religion, the effects on non-military society, and the social, political and economic circumstances surrounding medieval warfare.