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Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550
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Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550
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Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550
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Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550

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Alongside the familiar pitched battles, regular sieges, and large-scale manoeuvres, medieval and early modern wars also involved assassination, abduction, treason and sabotage. These undercover operations were aimed chiefly against key individuals, mostly royalty or the leaders of the opposing army, and against key fortified places, including bridges, mills and dams. However, because of their clandestine nature, these deeds of "derring-do" have not been studied in any detail, a major gap which this book fills. It surveys a wide variety of special operations, from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. It then analyzes in greater depth six select and exciting operations: the betrayal of Antioch in 1098; the attempt to rescue King Baldwin II from the dungeon of Khartpert in 1123; the assassination of Conrad of Montferrat in 1192; the attempt to storm Calais in 1350; the "dirty war" waged by the rulers of France and Burgundy in the 1460s and 1470s; and the demolition of the flour mill of Auriol in 1536.

Professor YUVAL NOAH HARARI teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is the author of the international bestseller Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherBoydell Press
Release dateApr 19, 2007
ISBN9781782048756
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Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100-1550
Author

Yuval Noah Harari

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling historian and philosopher, is considered one of the world’s most influential intellectuals today. His popular books—including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind; Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow; 21 Lessons for the 21st Century; and the series Sapiens: A Graphic History and Unstoppable Us—have sold more than 45 million copies in 65 languages. Harari co-founded Sapienship, a social impact company with projects in the fields of education and storytelling, whose main goal is to focus the public conversation on the most important global challenges facing the world today. Harari has a PhD in history from the University of Oxford and currently lectures in the department of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    On first glance, the title Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry sounds like Navy Seals in chain mail, but it turns out the Middle Ages really did have a lot of what could be called "special operations" - assassinations, behind enemy lines action by small special forces, kidnappings, secret negotiations to open a gate during a siege, and so on. This is the first book dedicated to the subject. There are 6 chapters, each reconstructing an historical special operations incident. Harari, a young professor in Israel, makes the period understandable for non-specialists by providing the necessary context and background about the events and people - although scholarly this is not dry reading. I have read many books about the Middle Ages, Special Operations is notably accessible and fun for the D&D playing 12 year old in me, a reminder of the reason I originally became interested in the Middle Ages years ago - adventure, quest and daring do. My favorite is the epic quest in Chapter 3 about Baldwin II of Jerusalem, the events are almost unbelievable. This sort of high drama was not lost on the knights of the era who understood and cultivated a cult of Chivalry, essentially the Hollywood of its day as told through deeds and exploits of famous stars. Chapter 6 is a mini-history of Burgundy vs. France in the 15th century and a revelation of how utterly paranoid and aggressive one had to be as a King or Duke to survive prior to the formation of strong states. Chapter 7 details a long distance raid behind the lines on enemy infrastructure involving a small troop of elite forces reminiscent of a WWII commando operation. Overall I was engrossed and learned a lot about military, political and social history of the Middle Ages. Can't wait to read more by Harari who is little known outside Israel, he is a gifted and fun historian. (Although this review is lax with pop-culture references, the book is not, Harari is a professional historian, it is academic history with footnotes and sources, most of them primary sources in Latin, French. Be prepared to be entertained despite being serious scholarship).