Administration and Organization of War in Thirteenth-Century England

The essays brought together in this volume examine the conduct of war by the Angevin kings of England during the long thirteenth century (1189-1307). Drawing upon a wide range of unpublished administrative records that have been largely ignored by previous scholarship, David S. Bachrach offers new insights into the military technology of the period, including the types of artillery and missile weapons produced by the royal government. The studies in this volume also highlight the administrative sophistication of the Angevin kings in military affairs, showing how they produced and maintained huge arsenals, mobilized vast quantities of supplies for their armies in the field, and provided for the pastoral care of their men. Bachrach also challenges the knight-centric focus of much of the scholarship on this period, demonstrating that the militarization of the English population penetrated to men in the lower social and economic strata, who volunteered in large numbers for military service, and even made careers as professional soldiers. (CS1088).

David S. Bachrach, Professor of Medieval History at the University of New Hampshire,USA, is a specialist in the military, administrative, and governmental history of the English and German kingdoms during the Middle Ages. He has published numerous articles and books, including Warfare in Medieval Europe c.400-c.1453 (2016), Warfare in Tenth-Century Germany (2012), and Religion and the Conduct of War c.300-1215 (2003).

Introduction; Section 1: Military Technology and Engineering; 1. The Royal Crossbow Makers of England, 1204-1272; 2. Crossbows for the King: The Crossbow during the Reigns of John and Henry III of England; 3. The Royal Arms Makers of England 1199-1216: A Prosopographical Survey; 4. Crossbows for the King, Part II: The Crossbow during the Reign of Edward I of England (1272-1307); 5. English Artillery 1189-1307: The Implications of Terminology; Section 2: Military Logistics; 6. The Military Administration of England: The Royal Artillery (1216-1272); 7. Military Planning in Thirteenth-Century England; 8. Military Logistics during the Reign of Edward I of England, 1272-1307; 9. Prices, Price Controls and Market Forces in England under Edward I, c. 1294-1307; 10. Military Industrial Production in Thirteen-Century England: The Case of the Crossbow Bolt; 11. The Crossbow in English Warfare from King John to Edward I: An Administrative Perspective; 12. King Edward's Military Bureaucracy: The Case of Peter of Dunwich; Section 3: Military Organization; 13. The Organisation of Military Religion in the Armies of Edward I of England (1272-1307); 14. The Ecclesia Anglican Goes to War: Prayers, Propaganda, and Conquest during the Reign of Edward I of England; 15. Urban Military Forces in England and Germany c. 1240-c.1315, A Comparison; 16. Edward I's "Centurions": Professional Soldiers in an Era of Militia Armies