Stephen Turnbull Books

Important sourcebook investigates the developments in samurai army organization, weapon technology and communication. Travel through the history of warfare and see how it evolved through the centuries. Take an in-depth look at battles, siege craft and naval warfare. Remarkable color artwork, photographs, and illustrations fill the pages along with reconstructions of battle scenes, archive materials, maps and plans, tactics to actual case studies.

Few countries have a warrior tradition as long and exciting as that of Japan. It is a tradition found particularly in the person of the romantic, loyal and self-sacrificing knight of old Japan -- the samurai. He is the valiant lone swordsman, the ultimate individual warrior

This unique book tells for the first time the violent story of the siege of Tanaka based on never-before translated war chronicles, maps, and fieldwork.

The Mongol warriors are one of the great success stories of world military history. Under the leadership of Genghis Khan and his successors the Mongols conquered much of the known world, fighting in territory ranging from the frozen steppes, the wilderness of Palestine, the jungles of Java and the great rivers of China. Through all this they showed a remarkable ability to adopt, adapt and improve a vast range of military techniques and technology, from siege weapons to naval warfare. This book tells the story of this remarkable military organisation, including details of weaponry, tactics, training and beliefs.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and maps, carefully chosen illustrations and insightful analysis, this book examines the legendary Mongol warriors and their vastly different European opponents. Having conquered much of Central Asia by 1237, the Mongols advanced into the northern Caucasus. The fall of several key centres such as Riazan and Vladimir was followed by Mongol victory at Kiev. Moving west, in 1241 two Mongol armies achieved stunning victories at the battles of Liegnitz in Poland and the Sajo River (Mohi) in Hungary, before suffering their only reverse of the campaign at the fortress of Klis. The Mongol forces regrouped in Hungary to prepare for a further advance into Austria and Germany, but the death of their leader, Ogedei Khan, meant that his generals were required to return to Mongolia to choose a successor. Smaller Mongol forces would return to raid in the years to come, but never again would Western Europe be threatened as it was in 1242. Fully illustrated, this innovative study of the forces that clashed during the Mongol invasion of Europe between 1237 and 1242 allows a comparison to be made between the all-conquering nomad horsemen of the steppes and the mounted knights of the West.

The Ōnin War was the key turning point in samurai warfare. There had been conflicts before, but what made the Ōnin War unique was the fierce street-fighting that went on within Kyoto itself. The battles were conducted from fortified mansions, which were surrounded by stout wooden walls and ditches and sported tall observation towers.

The essentials of samurai warfare, weaponry and tradition are all explained in this comprehensive work of reference E on the samurai culture.The introduction outlines samurai history, and a detailed section on arms and armour includes the evolution and construction of samurai armour, the Japanese bow, the samurai sword and polearms - plus the technology and deployment of explosives and gunpowder weapons, including the fire lance and arquebus.The chapters on strategy and tactics include details of command structures, the raising of armies, campaign life, the role of the castle, the characteristics of Japanese battles and the rituals and other consequences of battle.A catalogue of every major battle and siege from 940 to 1638 is followed by ten specific case studies examining such subjects as personal combat and guerilla warfare. Further sections cover religion and the samurai, bushido and hara-kiri, and samurai heraldry.More than 175 maps, diagrams and illustrations, many previously unpublished outside Japan, add greatly to the text, and some forty anecdotes illuminate the heroic events of Japanese military history during the samurai period.Dr Stephen Turnbull is the recognised authority on the samurai tradition. He has travelled widely in Japan since his first visit in 1970 and is an expert on the Japanese religion. The Samurai Sourcebook is his latest in a long and eminent line of published works.

Fully illustrated with colour maps and 50 images, this is an accessible introduction to the most violent, turbulent, cruel and exciting chapter in Japanese history.In 1467 the Onin War ushered in a period of unparalleled conflict and rivalry in Japan that came to be called the Age of Warring States. In this book, Stephen Turnbull offers a masterly exposition of the wars, explaining what led to Japan's disintegration into rival domains after more than a century of relative peace; the years of fighting that followed; and the period of gradual fusion when the daimyo (great names) strove to reunite Japan under a new Shogun. Peace returned to Japan with the end of the Osaka War in 1615. Turnbull draws on his latest research to include new material for this updated edition, covering samurai acting as mercenaries, the expeditions to Korea, Taiwan and Okinawa, and the little-known campaigns against the Ainu of Hokkaido, to present a richer picture of an age when conflicts were spread far more widely than was hitherto realised.With specially commissioned maps and all-new images throughout, this updated and revised edition provides a concise overview of Japan's turbulent Age of Warring States.

The original forced conversion of pagan Livonia, what is now the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia, was carried out by a military order known as the Brethren of the Sword. In 1236 this order was incorporated into the Teutonic Knights following a catastrophic military defeat. The knights had always consolidated their conquests through networks of castles and fortified places, and the Livonian Chapter of the Teutonic Order built castles of stone. This title covers the developmental and operational history of these fortresses over the length of the Middle Ages. It details how the Baltic fortifications of the Teutonic Knights evolved to reflect the changing nature of siege warfare and the increasing dominance of gunpowder in warfare.