This volume covers Chinese military history, from the height of the Chinese Empire to the disastrous Opium wars, and covers the latter part of the Ming Empire, the rise of the Ming dynasty and the Ching dynasty. The effect on China of Western influences fronm 1840 onwards is also examined.
From Sleeping Beauty to Snow White, this selection of classic fairy tales showcases the best-loved stories for children. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations by up-and-coming artists from around the world, this enchanting collection is the perfect introduction to these timeless tales for readers aged 4 and up.
Having campaigned on land during their early existence, the Hospitallers fought mainly at sea from the turn of the 14th century. The emphasis was now on small-scale operations, rather than the crusading invasion that had so often come to grief. Having conquered Rhodes, the Order fortified it and transferred there in 1309. A period of on-off warfare with the Mamluks became full-blown conflict with the Ottomans, who captured Rhodes in 1522, forcing the Hospitallers to transfer to Malta. This book, the second of two, takes a close look at the men who lived and died for the Hospitaller cause in this key period, and the political and economic role that the Order played within the Christian empire.
Unlike their sometime rivals the Templars, the Order of St John of the Hospital of Jerusalem (or the Hospitallers as they are better known) was not created as a result of the First Crusade in 1099: rather, it was probably established by a group of Italian merchants from Amalfi in the mid-11th century. However, as a consequence of the crusading movement, the Hospitallers became recognised experts in the military capabilities of opposing Islamic armies. This book, the first of two to examine the lifestyle, experiences and military role of the Hospitaller knight, covers the period from the foundation of the order to the invasion of Rhodes in 1306.
The Huns were the most feared and notorious barbarians of the ancient world. The infamous Attila, king of the Huns, and his subjects were known to their Roman enemies as the 'scourge of god'. They were Turco-Mongol nomads, originating from the steppes of central Asia who migrated westward, shifting whole nations and leaving devastation in their wake.The Huns were superb horsemen and excellent archers, fighting with a reflex composite-bow, which could penetrate armour at 100 yards, a more potent weapon than the longbow or any bow in use at the time. In battle they would strike fear into the hearts of their opponents and break up their formations, charging at them with surprising speed and apparent chaos whilst showering them with arrows. Thus their very name came to epitomise swift, merciless destruction.Often the Huns are dismissed as barbarians, and thus historically they became a metaphor for barbarism. However they were well able to enjoy the trappings of civilised society won through their military gains. They also had a tremendous impact on the Roman military system, as 80 years after the Hun defeat at the battle of Chalons, the Roman cavalryman was armed with the composite bow and as skilled as the Hun in hand-to-hand fighting.Nic Fields expertly surveys the rise of the Huns and the workings of their society and the development of their battle-winning weapons and tactics, from their first attacks on the Goths to the death of the Emperor Justinian, paying particular attention to the great battle of Chalons (June 20, 451) and the mighty rule of Attila.
Throughout the 11th and 12th centuries the Norman knight was possibly the most feared warrior in Western Europe. He was descended originally from the Vikings who had settled in Northern France under their leader Rollo in or around 911 at the behest of Charles the Simple and throughout the following centuries they remembered and built on their warlike reputation. This book shows how their military prowess was renowned throughout the known world and resulted in Normans conquering Sicily in 1060 and England in 1066, as well as participating in many important battles in Italy and playing a major part in the First Crusade.
V době vlády Filipa II. a Alexandra Velikého byla makedonská armáda - složená z falangitů - reformována a vycvičena v neporazitelnou vojenskou sílu s jedinečnou taktikou a výzbrojí. Makedonský válečník během své služby ušel přes 32 000 kilometrů v nejrůznějších podmínkách a terénu a vybojoval některé z nejslavnějších bitev dějin. Tato kniha zkoumá počáteční výcvik, každodenní život, výzbroj, zkušenosti i motivace těchto mužů. Líčí detailní informace o organizaci a taktice makedonské falangy. Vychází při tom z původních písemných pramenů i dochované hmotné kultury.
Další publikace z nakladatelství Grada věnovaná oblíbené tematice křížových výprav tentokrát čtenáře zavede před brány hlavního města kdysi mocné byzantské říše. Konstantinopol zde vzdoruje čtyřměsíčnímu obléhání, její snaha se ubránit je však bez výraznější pomoci západní Evropy nakonec marná. Proti poslední křesťanské výspě na Východě stojí osmanský sultán Mehmed II. "Dobyvatel" s armádou o síle 80 000 mužů, doplněnou o mohutná obléhací zařízení, zatímco obránců pod velením císaře Konstantina je pouhých 10 000. Císař Konstantin statečně vzdoruje mohutnému několikahodinovému útoku a je zabit v boji. Podrobné líčení dramatických událostí roku 1453 doprovází velké množství ilustrací a map.
Většina rozborů tohoto tažení byla až dodnes založena především na francouzských pramenech, Ian Castle nám však nyní na základě svého důkladného průzkumu rakouských archivů konečně poskytuje vyvážený popis slavkovského tažení. Ve zcela novém svazku naší série nám tak přibližuje události, jež vyvrcholily na pláni mezi Brnem a Slavkovem v prosinci 1805.
