Armies of the Medieval Italian Wars 1125–1325 (Men-at-Arms)

Control of what is now Italy was the goal of a series of Medieval wars between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor and their respective allies inside and outside Italy. The conflict spurred the growth of a variety of armies, manned by ennobled knights, mercenaries, and the armed forces of various Italian city states. These warriors are the subject of this Osprey Men-at-Arms Series book by Gabriel Esposito.The author's introduction seeks to briefly explain the basis of the conflict between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire. It includes a useful chronology that the reader is encouraged to work through. The heart of the narrative is the description, necessarily brief, of the various combatant armies. The narrative is nicely helped along by the expected and well-executed color plates of uniforms, armor and weapons, and the very helpful inclusion of photographs of re-enactors in period costume, which provide a sense of scale. Well recommended as a concise introduction to the topic.

A fine example of the Osprey model. Some of the illustrations are even somewhat imaginative. Covers the equipment and organization (with some training and tactics) of the Imperial armies, the Normans, the various cities and republics, the Angevins, and the Aragonese.Quibble: Bring Your own map.

I love how these book bring specific parts of history to life, especially the parts I didn't know much about.

Only missing one troop description.

As always with Osprey you know what you’re getting and this volume is no exception; an informative and concise introduction to a specialist subject. A very good starter volume to this period of history.

E' un testo di mera divulgazione , vi sono molte imprecisioni.Un esempio e' la tavola che raffigura il "berroviere": e' una figura molto piu' complessa di quanto rappresentato.Se non hai spazio a sufficienza meglio tralasciare che essere imprecisi.

Testo sintetico, ma completo.Contiene numerose foto in b&n e tavole a colori.Buon riferimento per appassionati, rievocatori o figurinisti.Ha una buona bibliografia