Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques
William R. Short
Once again available from your favorite bookseller.
A history of the arms, armor, and individual fighting strategies of medieval Europe's most feared warriors.
A source of enduring fascination, the Vikings are the most famous raiders of medieval Europe. Despite the exciting and compelling descriptions in the Icelandic sagas and other contemporary accounts that have fueled this interest, we know comparatively little about Viking age arms and armor as compared to weapons from other historical periods. We know even less about how the weapons were used. While the sagas provide few specific combat details, the stories are invaluable. They were written by authors familiar with the use of weapons for an audience that, likewise, knew how to use them. Critically, the sagas describe how these weapons were wielded not by kings or gods, but by ordinary men, as part of their everyday lives. Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques provides an introduction to the arms and armor of the Vikings, the people who lived in Northern Europe during the Viking age, roughly the years 793–1066. Using a variety of available sources, including medieval martial arts treatises, and copiously illustrated with images of historical artifacts, battle sites, and demonstrations of modern replicas of Viking weapons, the author and his colleagues at Hurstwic (a firm specializing in Viking-age combat training and research) and at the Higgins Armory Sword Guild have reconstructed the combat techniques of the Viking age and what is known about the defensive and offensive weapons of the time in general. Throughout, the author corrects some popular misconceptions about Viking warriors and warfare, such as the belief that their combat techniques were crude and blunt rather than sophisticated. In addition, the book provides an overview of Viking history and culture, focusing on the importance of weapons to the society as well as the Vikings’ lasting impact on Europe through their expeditions of trade and exploration. Please be aware that in the years since the book was written, our research has advanced. Some of the ideas in the book no longer represent our current thinking about how Vikings fought and used their weapons.
ISBN: 978-1-59416-217-6 |
Personal appearances and events related to the book.
Book Contents:
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Introduction
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Chapter 1: Overview of Weapons in Viking-Age Society
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Chapter 2: Available Sources
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Chapter 3: Shields
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Chapter 4: Helmets
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Chapter 5: Mail
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Chapter 6: Other Personal Defenses in the Viking Age
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Chapter 7: Battle Axes
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Chapter 8: Spears
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Chapter 9: Saxes
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Chapter 10: Swords
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Chapter 11: Viking-Age Sword and Shield Combat Techniques
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Chapter 12: Other Offensive Weapons in the Viking Age
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Chapter 13: The End of the Viking Age
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Glossary References Index Acknowledgements About the Author |
©2008-2024 William R. Short |