1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910817292403321

Autore

Whetham David

Titolo

Just wars and moral victories : surprise, deception and the normative framework of European war in the later Middle Ages / / by David Whetham

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leiden ; ; Boston, : Brill, 2009

ISBN

1-282-40041-X

9786612400414

90-474-2485-9

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (276 p.)

Collana

History of warfare, , 1385-7827 ; ; v. 55

Disciplina

355/.47409024

Soggetti

Military art and science - Europe - History - To 1500

Surprise (Military science) - History

Deception (Military science) - History

Chivalry - Europe - History - To 1500

Middle Ages

Europe History, Military To 1500

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction -- Metaphysical and moral context -- The role of war as a legal instrument in the Middle Ages -- The epitome of military science -- The works of Geoffroy de Charny -- Froissart : the management of chivalric expectation -- Conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

While recognising the sophistication of the practice of medieval warfare, many people still have problems reconciling the widespread use of surprise and deception with the code of chivalric warfare. Was chivalry really just a meaningless veneer? If true, perhaps more perplexing are the many cases where surprise or deception were not employed and advantages were therefore sacrificed. This work argues that understanding these apparent inconsistencies requires an appreciation of the moral and legal context of medieval strategic thought. Through taking this approach, chivalric warfare can be seen for what it was - a very real framework or system of rules that allowed a result or decision to be reached which could be accepted by both



sides.