A short history of the hundred years war /

Prestwich (emer., Durham Univ., UK) offers a condensed history of the battles fought and avoided, protracted sieges, bloody naval engagements, and campaigns of unrestrained plundering that wove the web of violence known as the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). This small book has a broad scope. Warfare over claims to the French crown spread to the Scottish borderlands and the Iberian Peninsula. Veteran warlords sold their skills to warring Italian states. Against the backdrop of his account of events, Prestwich examines the changing character of military recruitment, equipment, deployment, and tactics for both armies. He analyzes the war's burden on royal treasuries and assesses its sometimes positive and sometimes negative impact on royal power. Finally, the work explores the inevitable tensions between the chivalric code and the chaotic brutality of combat for the knights and barons of both armies. Prestwich takes time to address various historiographic arguments about the war from its role in the "military revolution," late-medieval state building, and the generation of national consciousness. This is a concise, clearly written, accessible introduction to the war. The extensive scholarly apparatus includes maps, genealogical tables, numerous figures, and excellent suggestions for further reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. --Peter G. Wallace, emeritus, Hartwick College