By John William Fortescue
Sir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent position among British army historians, his enduring popularity and legacy resting generally on his life’s paintings “The historical past of the British Army”, issued in 20 volumes, which took him a few 30 years to accomplish. In scope and breadth it really is such that no smooth pupil has tried to hide the sort of huge and numerous topic in its entirety; yet Sir John did so with aplomb, resulting in a readable and finished study.
According to Professor Emeritus of army historical past at King’s university, Brian Bond, the paintings was once “the manufactured from indefatigable study in unique files, a selection to provide a transparent, exact, and readable narrative of army operations, and an in depth own wisdom of the battlefields, which enabled him to clarify his account with very good maps. most crucial, notwithstanding, was once his motivation: particularly, a lifelong affection for the outdated, long-service, pre-Cardwell military, the spirit of the regiments of which it mostly consisted, and the worth of its traditions to the state. a tremendous a part of his activity was once to distil and inculcate those soldierly virtues which, in his conservative view, contrasted sharply with the unedifying personality of politicians who habitually meddled in army matters.” ODNB.
This first quantity covers the interval from the conflict of Hastings in 1066 to the tip of the Seven Year’s warfare in 1713. It contains the battles at Bannockburn, Crecy, Agincourt, Flodden, the battles of the English Civil struggle, Dunkirk Dunes, Tangiers, and the battles in the course of Marlborough’s campaigns. the amount additionally lines the improvement of ecu Armies, infantry, cavalry and artillery, and the categorical adjustments in Britain in the course of the period.
ENGLISH ancient assessment —"Mr. Fortescue has been the 1st to build a scholarly and attached tale of the expansion of our army associations and of the improvement of strategies as printed in a continual sequence of wars. His variety is lucid, and his descriptions of battles are effortless to stick to. yet his leader advantage is a well-balanced judgment."
A needs to learn for any army fanatic.
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Additional resources for A History of the British Army - Vol. I (1066-1713)
But those fans enjoyed the lifestyles and tramped after their lords in all places Europe, expanding their numbers as they went; the men as they grew up being hired to hold the men's guns or harness at the march. Such boys, or relatively fags, have been known as in French goujats, and are a curious characteristic within the armies of the time. the best of all goujats, if legend might be depended on, was once Thomas Cromwell, the Hammer of the priests. For the trial of army offences a board of justices followed every one specified physique, yet there have been a few corps of landsknechts that liked the privilege of the trial of the lengthy pikes,{128} which gave the rank and dossier sole jurisdiction in appreciate of crimes that introduced shame at the regiment. In such situations the provost laid his grievance; and the ensigns, thrusting their flags element downward into the floor, vowed that they might by no means fly them back till the blot at the reasonable identify of the regiment was once got rid of. The wrongdoer used to be then attempted in accordance with a undeniable mounted process through his comrades on my own, with no the intervention of any officer. If he have been came upon in charge, the boys drew themselves up in ranks, north and south, dealing with inwards; the ensigns, with shades flying, published themselves on the east finish of the lane therefore shaped, and the prisoner used to be dropped at the west. The ensigns then exhorted him to play the fellow and make bravely for the colors, and the provost, clapping him three times at the shoulder within the identify of the Trinity, bade him run. Then the doomed guy plunged into the lane, and each comrade plied pike and halberd and sword on him as he handed. The quicker he ran the earlier got here the tip, and as he lay hewn mangled, and bleeding, gasping out his lifestyles, his comrades kneeled down jointly and prayed God to relaxation his soul. Then all rose and filed in silence thrice around the corpse, and on the final the musketeers fired over it 3 volleys within the identify of the Trinity. The power of a regiment of landsknechts various very tremendously. There may be thirty businesses or there may be ten; the full strength occasionally reached ten or twelve thousand males, and in this sort of case used to be often reinforced through a contingent of artillery. The guns have been the pike, the halberd, and a share of firearms, which final tended consistently to extend. each guy provided his personal palms, and the costume of the landsknechts, being that which it happy every one guy top to put on, was once in most cases either excellent and indulgent, for that they had all of the soldier's ambition to allow their gentle shine earlier than ladies. Maximilian's courtiers have been so jealous in their wonderful clothing that they begged him to forbid it; however the Emperor used to be a long way too brilliant to do whatever so silly. “Bah! “ he stated, “this is the cheese with which we bait our seize to trap such mice,” a sentiment which English officials will nonetheless suggest. now not the entire prejudices of death feudalism might result in Maximilian to deter his new infantry; to the contrary, assembly a regiment as soon as at the march he dismounted, shouldered a pike, and marched with them for the remainder of the day.