Medieval Warfare IV-6 will be returning from the printers very soon. Its theme covers the crossover period of Ancient Warfare and Medieval Warfare magazines with the Lombard invasion and occupation of Italy in the 6th to 8th centuries AD, and the Byzantine efforts to prevent the total loss of the peninsula.
Due to the nature of warfare during this period, with a limited number of staged battles and focusing mostly on raids, skirmishes and sieges, the articles are mostly devoted to the important campaigns conducted by both sides. The introduction by Erich Anderson covers the historical events which would lead to the Byzantine-Lombard Wars, including a (very general) overview of what happened between the moment the Lombard Kingdom in Italy was established in 568, and 751, the year that the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna would fall. This is followed by three articles by Sidney Dean, Nicola Bergamo and Filippo Donvito that cover three major episodes of the conflict. James Gilmer's article on the Strategikon of Emperor Maurice shows how the Byzantine military commanders were carefully instructed in the art of war. Gabriele Esposito devotes his article to the Lombard army, whose warriors were equipped with a range of deadly weapons and protected by well-crafted defensive equipment. Last but not least, Federico Zorzenon has the honor of having written the first 'The Reenactor' article in Medieval Warfare magazine, which shows a heavy Lombard infantryman of the mid-seventh century.
As for our non-theme articles, the Battle of Clontarf celebrated its 1000th anniversary this year, which was ample reason for us to ask new author and specialist Kerry Cathers to write an article on the battle between Brian Boru (whose army included Viking warriors as well) and his equally Irish-Viking opponents. Gareth Williams once again takes up his role as our unofficial weapon specialist, this time focusing on the hand-and-a-half sword. The issue's final regular article is written by another new author, Joanna Arman, and deserves a special mention. In a 'The Debate'-like article, Joanna proves that Henry V's Agincourt campaign was not motivated by any religious extremism on Henry's part, as was recently suggested by a certain scholar, but instead was driven by motivations which would be perfectly natural in any fifteenth-century ruler.
Medieval Warfare IV-6 is certainly another issue you won't want to miss; it will be sent out to subscribers around the 8th of December. There's also still time to pre-order your copy of this issue for only €5.95 EUR (instead of €7.50 EUR) plus P&P and receive it at the same time as Medieval Warfare subscribers. Or, why not subscribe yourself to get the very best deal and receive all our new issues automatically.
