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Anniversaries for today :
Welcome to Clash of Steel!
Featured battle : Bergen-op-Zoom
Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Date : 08 March 1814
A futile British attempt on one of the strongest fortresses in the Netherlands. The British did manage to storm into the town but a determined counter attack soon drove them out again. One battalion was cut off by the rising tide was captured intact but release, on conditions, the next day.
Featured image :
English Civil War Foote
A pikeman and a musketeer from the 17th century. The pikeman in this picture actually holds a halberd, which would have been particularly effective against mounted opponents. He is also armed with a mortuary sword hanging to his left, and is protected by a pikeman's back and breast armour with a pot morion helmet. The musketeer in the left of the picture shows the much lighter arms of this branch. His only protection is his buff coat and his weapons. He carries the match-lock musket of the time, with a rapier for close combat and the powder charges and priming flask can clearly be seen. The event was an archelogical open day on The Mount, York, where evidence of a Civil War battery or sconce had been found prior to building work.
Gallery updated : 2022-04-04 08:33:43
Featured review :
Stephen and Matilda's Civil War
Matthew Lewis
As a summation, an over view, Matthew Lewis’s book captures the essence, the ebb and flow, of the Anarchy. It is cleverly structured, moving chapter to chapter from opponent to opponent. The style of writing is lively and engaging which makes it difficult to put down.
The book is well researched although original sources are not extensive for the period covered. Lewis makes clear the bias in the accounts which are available and draws out some of their discrepancies. He supports his case by describing the actuality of subsequent positions and actions
The well supported conclusion is that the Anarchy was not as anarchical as the lingering legacy of Victorian writings would have us believe.
We highly recommend this book for anyone coming new or looking for a refreshing reappraisal of the Anarchy.
Pen & Sword History, 2019
Reviewed : 2019-12-26 11:28:32
