In this important new study, Trevor Dean examines the history of crime and criminal justice in Italy from the mid-thirteenth to the end of the fifteenth century. The book contains studies of the most frequent types of prosecuted crime such as violence, theft and insult, along with the rarely prosecuted sorcery and sex crimes. Drawing on a diverse and innovative range of sources, including legislation, legal opinions, prosecutions, chronicles and works of fiction, Dean demonstrates how knowledge of the history of criminal justice can illuminate our wider understanding of the Middle Ages. Issues and instruments of criminal justice reflected the structure and operation of state power; they were an essential element in the evolution of cities and they provided raw material for fictions. Furthermore, the study of judicial records provides insight into a wide range of social situations, from domestic violence to the oppression of ethnic minorities.
ISBN-10: 0521864488
ISBN-13: 978-0521864480

Having primarily campaigned on land during the early phase of their existence, the Hospitallers fought mainly at sea from the 14th century. However, it took the Order a long time to become truly 'naval minded'. The military emphasis was also now on small-scale operations, rather than the sort of all-out crusading invasion that had so often come to grief. Having conquered the Byzantine island of 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, their present day headquarters. 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 examines the significant cultural, political and economic role that the Order played within the Christian empire.
(ISBN: 1-84176-215-6)

The 14th-century knight lived in a century of change, both in the method of recruitment and in the visual appearance of the fighting men. The knight's life is described; his training in the castle yard; the hard knocks in the tournament, whether in joust, team event or the increasingly popular foot combat later in the century; plus the risks in the hunting field. His role as a feudal vassal, with concomitant castle guard duties, is compared to the later part of the century and the recruitment of knights and retinues by captains using a contract system. The army on campaign explores the knight's life with the army, especially in the wars against Scotland and, latterly, the Hundred Years War in France, as well as expeditions to Spain and other theatres of war. The role of mercenary knights, the motivation of knights in the field and the influence (or not) of chivalry, are explored. Armour evolved from complete mail at the beginning of the 14th century to complete steel plate by the end, so effective as to render the shield obsolete. Photographs of rare surviving contemporary pieces are included, including photographs and diagrams of surviving coats of plates from the battle of Wisby in Gotland, to illustrate this most popular form of body armour. Costume of the period, the types of horses ridden, and the retinue following a knight, are explained. The book is illustrated with eight plates by Graham Turner, covering all aspects of knighthood in this period and with detailed exploded views of the armour and equipment.
(ISBN: 1-84176-146-X)

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. It already existed, having been established by a group of Italian merchants from Amalfi in the mid-11th century as part of a widespread charitable movement to help pilgrims: however, the way in which the Order then evolved from a charitable organisation into one of the most effective fighting forces of the Middle Ages was a consequence of the crusading movement. In the process the Hospitallers became recognised experts in the military capabilities of opposing Islamic armies. In contrast, the Hospitaller presence in Western Europe was largely non-military, with the major exception of their role in the Iberian peninsula, where they took a leading part in the Spanish Reconquista. 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 the Byzantine island of Rhodes in 1306. It takes a close look at the individual Hospitaller 'warrior monk' - his recruitment, motivation, duties, weaponry, armour and dress - and also looks at the Order's overall role in the cultural, political and economic development of the Christian Empire.
(ISBN: 1-84176-214-8)

The Wars of the Roses are undoubtedly one of the most turbulent periods of English history, and the Battle of Towton reputedly the most bloody battle of any fought on English soil. In 1996 a construction company preparing to build a garage near the site of the battlefield discovered the first mass grave of soldiers ever found on British soil. It contained the remains of up to 51 soldiers who had clearly suffered violent and brutal deaths. The grave provided an unparalleled opportunity for an in-depth study of medieval warfare. Blood Red Roses is the culmination of 4 years work arising from the excavation and study of its contents. Osteoarchaeological analysis revealed a pattern of injuries consistent with death resulting from a series of frenzied attacks to the head. What remains unknown is whether the injuries were inflicted at the time of the battle, or in the days after it. The book tells the fascinating story of the piecing together of the evidence of how the soldiers died, in what circumstances, and the wider implications of the discovery for our knowledge of medieval weaponry, armor, possible battle tactics, and the real horror and brutality of medieval warfare. Forensic analysis of the bones has enabled conclusions to be drawn about the diet, age profile of the army and level of military training the soldiers possessed. The excavation at Towton was the subject of a major British documentary television program, Secrets of the Dead. Blood. Blood Red Roses has been included in History Today's Autumn Books selection, and is to be featured in the BBC History Magazine and Current Archaeology. Anthea Boylston holds a MSc degree in Osteology, Palaeopathology, and Funerary Archaeology. She coordinated the excavation team, and involved weapons experts from the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, UK, who advised on likely weapons used. She has worked for archaeological units all over the country.Veronica Fiorato, the Principle Archaeological Officer for West Berkshire Council, was the first archaeologist on the site and subsequently managed the rescue excavation. Christopher Knusel is a lecturer in Biological Anthropology at the University of Bradford, UK. He was responsible for setting the findings in socio-cultural context, linking findings from the bone analysis to the condition and skill level of the soldiers concerned.
(ISBN: 1-84217-025-2)

This primer is aimed at students andothers who may have heard a little about heraldry and are curious about it, but are put off by the seriousness, academic tone and sheer size of the standard heraldric texts - and perhaps by the hushed reverence with which the subjet is sometimes discussed by its proponents. Heraldry is a fascinating hobby which is also a great deal of fun and there is no need to take it too seriously. However, like any other hobby, you need to know some facts and backgroiund in order to get the most out of it. This book is intended to give a short, slightly irreverent account of heraldry, with the hope of giving at least a flavour of this intriguing subject and perhaps whetting a few appetites. The primer is published under the auspices of the Heraldry Society of Canada. (preface by Dr. Kevin Greaves)
(ISBN: 0-96930-634-2)

Rivele recounts the incredible odyssey of one of his own ancestors, an eleventh-century French crusader. Seeking remission for his carnal and spiritual sins, Roger, duke of Lunel, enlists in the First Crusade launched against the Turkish infidels occupying much of the Holy Land. Joining forces with an armed pilgrimage sanctioned by Pope Urban II, he bids farewell to his family and abandons his Provencal estate. As he travels across Europe and into the Near East, he dutifully records his remarkable and exotic experiences in a journal, earning him the nickname l'Escrivel ("the scribbler"). When the religious expedition degenerates into chaos and brutality, Roger's idealism is shattered by the base realities of battles fought in the name of God. A vividly rendered and historically authentic account of a journey of self-discovery underscored by the tragic loss of both love and faith.
(ISBN: 0-78670-348-2)

Bound by religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Knights Templar were a military crusading order engaged in religious war in the Holy Land. At the end of the 14th century, after their withdrawal from Syria, they became the apparently innocent victims of a campaign of slander and persecution mounted against them by the French government.

The ruthless dissolution of the Knights Templar was only the beginning of a new and strange chapter in their history. They soon became the focus of numerous beliefs about their presumed occult powers, and by the 18th century their history had undergone a mythical metamorphosis - they figured highly in occult fantasies of magical practices and hidden knowledge as well as in the romance of the Gothic novel, with its frequent tales of monastic impropriety.
(ISBN: 0-89281-273-7)

An excellent and intense account of a unique king's biography. The book much information on Harold II to provide the "other side" of William the Conqueror's story. A must-read for history buffs.
(ISBN: 0-75091-388-6)