The author is a well known historian specializing in ancient and Medieval history with an impressive catalogue of books to his credit. In this new study, he attempts to find the elusive King Arthur through a study of the military of the period following the Fall of Rome. – Most Highly Recommended.
NAME: Britain in the Age of Arthur, a Military History FILE: R3155 AUTHOR: Ilkka Syvanne PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: hard back PRICE: £25.00 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: The Dark Age, myth, reality, military history, Romano Britons, Fall of Rome, Saxon invaders, raiding, cavalry, tactics, operations, warfare, equipment, strategy, structure, composition of armies, legend weapons ISBN: 1-47389-520-0 PAGES: 278 IMAGE: B3155.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/qrsqapw DESCRIPTION: The author is a well known historian specializing in ancient and Medieval history with an impressive catalogue of books to his credit. In this new study, he attempts to find the elusive King Arthur through a study of the military of the period following the Fall of Rome. – Most Highly Recommended. The myths and legends of King Arthur are enduring, although there is little proof that the person existed. He could be the amalgam of stories of several figures who did exist, or it may be that the basics of the legends are largely factual. For many, he is pictured as a Medieval monarch ruling in England and establishing an order of chivalry in the form pictured by the Medieval French. We know that is not the reality only because the period in which he was romantically pictured was more convincingly recorded. The period where he may have lived was the Dark Ages that followed the Fall of Rome. Suddenly the legions were recalled and Romano-Britons had to fend for themselves. Some had served in or with the Roman legions, particularly in the cavalry. They were trained in Roman tactics and weapons, familiar with the strongly built fortifications that the Romans had erected. As in the period before the Fall of Rome, the major threat to the English came from north of Hadrian's Wall. To respond to that threat, Romano-Britons hired Saxons to fight for them as mercenaries. They were paid in money and land and settled quickly into the English landscape. In that process they brought over their families and the stories of wealth and plenty began to spread in their homeland. From there the Saxons began to raid and invade, becoming a more serious threat than the Celts to the North. The author presents the results of his research with convincing argument and delightful, informative illustrations in support. This is a story to enjoy. Many readers may not be convinced by some information but that might well be because the myth and legend of Arthur is so firmly rooted in the Middle Ages.