ENGLISH

Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550

By Yuval Noah Harari

Book information

Publisher
Boydell Press
Year
2007
ISBN
1843832925, 9781843832928, 1843834529, 9781843834526
Open Library ID
OL11906961M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
4 MB (3972289 bytes)
Series
Warfare in History
Pages
248\242
Scanned
yes
Time added
2011-04-20 14:05:05

Description

Alongside the familiar pitched battles, regular sieges, and large-scale manoeuvres, medieval and early modern wars also involved assassination, abduction, treason and sabotage. These undercover operations were aimed chiefly against key individuals, mostly royalty or the leaders of the opposing army, and against key fortified places, including bridges, mills and dams. However, because of their clandestine nature, these deeds of `derring-do' have not been studied in any detail, a major gap which this book fills. It surveys a wide variety of special operations, from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. It then analyzes in greater depth six select and exciting operations: the betrayal of Antioch in 1098; the attempt to rescue King Baldwin II from the dungeon of Khartpert in 1123; the assassination of Conrad of Montferrat in 1192; the attempt to storm Calais in 1350; the `dirty war' waged by the rulers of France and Burgundy in the 1460s and 1470s; and the demolition of the flour mill of Auriol in 1536. Dr YUVAL NOAH HARARI teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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