Featured battle : Saragosa First Siege

Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Date : 15 July 1808 - 14 August 1808

On the Spanish side there were only 6,000 troops most of whom were raw recruits. The remainder were the armed citizens and men and women of the city. Each French attack was replused with significant losses. Vicious house-to-house fighting was almost continuous. The siege was called off after the news came through of the surrender of Dupont's Corps at Bailén.

Lepanto 1571

Nic Fields
Here it is all you need to know about Lepanto and much more. This is Lepanto in the round set within its context which is the sixteenth century almost everything which has a bearing on the battle is herein. For instances included are a brief history of the Knights Hospitallers, the development of the galley, Janissaries, the confusion around the naming of big guns and the power politics of all participants. The footnotes alone make fascinating reading and also refer out to more information on most of the topics discussed in the book. The bibliography covers eleven pages in fairly small typeface. There are a few illustrations and maps.
The author, Nic Fields, does not ‘talk down’ to the reader but, while not being a dry academic tone, leaves one aware of the considerable scholarship which has gone into the writing.
This is a book to get immersed in and we highly recommend it to everyone with any interest in the sixteenth century generally and the development of naval warfare in particular.

Pen & Sword Maritime, 2020