Late Roman Infantryman AD 236-565

Between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD the traditional legions of heavy infantry were whittled away and eventually replaced by a force of various arms and nationalities dominated by cavalry and supported by missile troops. However, in spite of this trend towards cavalry, the pedes remained the backbone of the Roman army until well into the 5th century. This book details a warrior who was very different from the legionary who preceded him; perhaps he was not as well disciplined, but in many ways he was more flexible - ready for deployment to trouble spots, and for fighting both as a skirmisher and a heavy infantryman.

Simon MacDowall is a former army officer with a deep interest in military history, especially the period around the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West. After 22 years in the Canadian army he held senior positions at NATO and the UK Government, including Director General Media and Communications at the UK Ministry of Defence. Simon takes a practical approach to military history combining his own military and political experience with a lifelong study of ancient warfare. After living in Canada, Germany and Belgium, and seeing service in Central America, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, Simon now makes his home on the Suffolk coast near Southwold.