Review of Medieval Siege Warfare by Christopher Gravett

Medieval Siege Warfare by Christopher Gravett
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 24, 1990)
ISBN-10: 0850459478

Medieval Siege Warfare offers a brief but encompassing look at the tactics and strategy used by armies to attack and defend castles during the Middle Ages. While the book is short enough to easily read in one day, it is still chocked full of good information, covering the evolution of arms and besieging methods, and it also has helpful illustrations detailing various weapons and castle sieges. The history of several sieges are detailed, including Le Puiset, Acre, and the siege of Chateau Gaillard.

This book is more for the casual reader or hobbyist than the academic of medieval history. It only covers siege warfare and not other types of warfare (e.g. – pitched battles, sea battles, etc.), though siege warfare was by far the most common type of battle fought by armies during this period. For a more in-depth look at warfare and tactics, I’d suggest Art of War in the Middle Ages by C.W.C Oman.

My rating: 3.5 stars