Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Review: 1066 - A Guide to the Battles and the Campaigns by Livingston & DeVries

Synopsis: The Battle of Hastings, fought on 14 October 1066, changed the course of English history. This most famous moment of the Norman Conquest was recorded in graphic detail in the threads of the Bayeux Tapestry, providing a priceless glimpse into a brutal conflict.

In this fresh look at the battle and its surrounding campaigns, leading medieval military historians Michael Livingston and Kelly DeVries combine the imagery of the tapestry with the latest modern investigative research to reveal the story of Hastings as it has never been told and guide visitors around the battlefield today.

This absorbing new account of the battle will be fascinating reading for anyone keen to find out what really happened in 1066: the journeys by which Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy came to the battlefield, and the latest reconstructions of the course of the fighting on that momentous day. It is also a practical, easy-to-use guide for visitors to the sites associated with the conquest as well as the Hastings battlefield itself.



This is a well researched and easy to read entry into the period immediately before, during and after the Norman Invasion of England in 1066.

Written so that even someone with no knowledge of events can follow, Livingston and DeVries provide ample information without overwhelming the reader with a vast amount of research. What they do provide is an analysis of the events, battles and key players, whilst using separate text boxes for other key subject matters (ie: weapons, armies, tactics, etc). Each chapter includes or is finished with what the authors term as a "tour" of places and structures pivotal to the events.

The narrative is written simply yet informatively, utilising known chroniclers, the sagas, archaeological evidence, photos and maps to gently guide the reader. An extensive reading list concludes.

Definitely a book to be considered as a primer or introductory text for the Norman Invasion of 1066.


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