Medieval Maritime Warfare

I read this book one page at a time over the last 3 years. It was my going to sleep book. Names and dates turn my brain off and make my eyes tired, and this book was a magic potion that ferried me into Slumber's port like a 14th century Hanseatic carrack bringing English wool back to Danzig. Even th......more

It is hard, at first glance, to see just what a book dedicated to naval (actually, the 'maritime' of the title is a better fit than 'naval'...) warfare in the Middle Ages would have to say. However, Stanton has done a good job of rounding out the subject, and presents it well. He starts with an excel......more

Medieval Maritime Warfare by Charles D. Stanton The most interesting thing about ship warfare in the period of the 5th to 15th centuries is that it was very little about the ship itself. Unlike maritime warfare in the Mediterranean during the rise and fall of Rome, this long epoch was more defined by......more

The book presents a wide period of time, in two separate geographical areas, but with the peculiarity that there was little technical change during the period. The Mediterranean takes the bigger part of the book, as most of the action takes place there. The Atlantic is quite focused on the vikings,......more

A dull work of good scholarship. The material itself isn't dull, but the author spends much time in such exciting details as the dimensions of a ship, or its construction. I did pick up useful tidbits here and there, but overall I'd hesitate to recommend this book to a beginner. The structure of the......more