Talks by Ian Wilson
Beheading is an ancient and deeply rooted practice within the human psyche. The severed head appe... more Beheading is an ancient and deeply rooted practice within the human psyche. The severed head appeared in great works of art, literature and modern media and had provoked numerous studies in anthropology, theology and the arts. However, this paper is concerned with the head in war. Beheading was an ancient and enduring martial practice. From the first men to the modern era warriors have taken heads as a trophy of their prowess. Although in this study the time span is more limited. The paper explores the practice from First Crusade in 1097 to the departure of Richard I from the Holy Land in 1193. A century of warfare considered by many as violent and brutal but it was also an era where martial values promoted restraint in war.
The traditional image of crusader sieges is one of extreme savagery, unrestrained by any customar... more The traditional image of crusader sieges is one of extreme savagery, unrestrained by any customary practice. One by one the Franks stormed and sacked the cities of the Holy Land massacring their inhabitants in acts of brutality that still resonate today. Historians have pointed out; such violence was commonplace in medieval warfare. Here the 'right of storm' gave the victors complete dominion over the lives and property of the vanquished. In the Christian West, these customs while acknowledged had become rare in their application. Instead, a series of conventions led to the growing importance of the truce to conclude sieges. However regarding holy war, it is widely assumed the crusaders choose not to apply these new practices against the 'enemies of God'. Instead, crusader sieges marked a return to an older more brutal form of war. The paper challenges this interpretation.
The paper uses numerous overlooked sieges to presents siege warfare in the Latin East in a different perspective. It argues that siege warfare was a risky and uncertain enterprise and the Franks were willing to achieve their aims through diplomacy. The problem was not in the willingness in granting terms but In their implementation because of the dearth of trust and poor discipline. In this environment, martial prowess remained important but a man's word was of equal importance.
Edited Books by Ian Wilson
I. NAVAL ACTIVITY
1. Tilemachos Loungis - The Byzantine War Navy and the West, 5th-12th centuri... more I. NAVAL ACTIVITY
1. Tilemachos Loungis - The Byzantine War Navy and the West, 5th-12th centuries
2. Lilia Campana, The Defence of the Venetian dominio da mar in the Sixteenth Century: Ship Design, Naval Architecture, and the Naval Career of Vettor Fausto's Quinquereme
3. Elina Gugliuzzo - Sea Power in the early age Mediterranean
4. Wayne H. Bowen - Conflict and Collaboration: The Spanish and Ottoman Empires in the Mediterranean, 1453-1923
II. WEAPONS & ARMOUR
5. Raffaele D’Amato – A sixth or early seventh century AD iconography of Roman military equipment in Egypt: the Deir Abou Hennis frescoes
6. Georgios Theotokis - Σώκος, an unusual Byzantine weapon
7. Iason Tzouriades - Post-Byzantine Art and Western Influences in Military Iconography: The Case of Staff Weapons in the Work of Mihail Damaskinos
III. STRATEGY & COMMAND
8. Alan V. Murray - The Middle Ground: The Passage of Crusade Armies to the Holy Land by Land and Sea (1096-1204)
9. Cornel Bontea - The theory of the passagium particulare: a commercial blockade of the Mediterranean Sea in the early 14th century?
10. Stephen Bennett - Faith and Authority: Guy of Lusignan at the Battle of Acre
11. Ian Wilson - By the Sword or By an Oath: Siege Warfare in the Latin East 1097-1131
IV. MILITARY LITERATURE
12. Philip Rance - Late Byzantine Elites and Military Literature: Authors, Readers and Manuscripts (11th-15th Centuries)
13. Nikolaos Kanellopoulos - The byzantine influence on the military writings of Theodore I Palaiologos, marquis of Montferrat
14. Savvas Kyriakides - Warfare in the Histories of John Kantakouzenos
V. MILITARY ROLES WITHIN SOCIETY
15. Stathis Birtachas - Stradioti, cappelletti, compagnie or milizie greche: “Greek” mounted and foot mercenary companies in the Venetian State (15th-18th c.)
16. Chrysovalantis Papadamou - A Secret War: Espionage in Venetian Corfu during the construction of the San Marco fortress (1576-88)
17. Jacopo Pessina - The Social Make-up of the Republic of Lucca's Ordinanze della Montagna Officers, c. 1550-1600
18. Aysel Yildiz – Commanders of the Janissary army: the Janissary Agas, their Career and Promotion Patterns
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Talks by Ian Wilson
The paper uses numerous overlooked sieges to presents siege warfare in the Latin East in a different perspective. It argues that siege warfare was a risky and uncertain enterprise and the Franks were willing to achieve their aims through diplomacy. The problem was not in the willingness in granting terms but In their implementation because of the dearth of trust and poor discipline. In this environment, martial prowess remained important but a man's word was of equal importance.
Edited Books by Ian Wilson
1. Tilemachos Loungis - The Byzantine War Navy and the West, 5th-12th centuries
2. Lilia Campana, The Defence of the Venetian dominio da mar in the Sixteenth Century: Ship Design, Naval Architecture, and the Naval Career of Vettor Fausto's Quinquereme
3. Elina Gugliuzzo - Sea Power in the early age Mediterranean
4. Wayne H. Bowen - Conflict and Collaboration: The Spanish and Ottoman Empires in the Mediterranean, 1453-1923
II. WEAPONS & ARMOUR
5. Raffaele D’Amato – A sixth or early seventh century AD iconography of Roman military equipment in Egypt: the Deir Abou Hennis frescoes
6. Georgios Theotokis - Σώκος, an unusual Byzantine weapon
7. Iason Tzouriades - Post-Byzantine Art and Western Influences in Military Iconography: The Case of Staff Weapons in the Work of Mihail Damaskinos
III. STRATEGY & COMMAND
8. Alan V. Murray - The Middle Ground: The Passage of Crusade Armies to the Holy Land by Land and Sea (1096-1204)
9. Cornel Bontea - The theory of the passagium particulare: a commercial blockade of the Mediterranean Sea in the early 14th century?
10. Stephen Bennett - Faith and Authority: Guy of Lusignan at the Battle of Acre
11. Ian Wilson - By the Sword or By an Oath: Siege Warfare in the Latin East 1097-1131
IV. MILITARY LITERATURE
12. Philip Rance - Late Byzantine Elites and Military Literature: Authors, Readers and Manuscripts (11th-15th Centuries)
13. Nikolaos Kanellopoulos - The byzantine influence on the military writings of Theodore I Palaiologos, marquis of Montferrat
14. Savvas Kyriakides - Warfare in the Histories of John Kantakouzenos
V. MILITARY ROLES WITHIN SOCIETY
15. Stathis Birtachas - Stradioti, cappelletti, compagnie or milizie greche: “Greek” mounted and foot mercenary companies in the Venetian State (15th-18th c.)
16. Chrysovalantis Papadamou - A Secret War: Espionage in Venetian Corfu during the construction of the San Marco fortress (1576-88)
17. Jacopo Pessina - The Social Make-up of the Republic of Lucca's Ordinanze della Montagna Officers, c. 1550-1600
18. Aysel Yildiz – Commanders of the Janissary army: the Janissary Agas, their Career and Promotion Patterns
The paper uses numerous overlooked sieges to presents siege warfare in the Latin East in a different perspective. It argues that siege warfare was a risky and uncertain enterprise and the Franks were willing to achieve their aims through diplomacy. The problem was not in the willingness in granting terms but In their implementation because of the dearth of trust and poor discipline. In this environment, martial prowess remained important but a man's word was of equal importance.
1. Tilemachos Loungis - The Byzantine War Navy and the West, 5th-12th centuries
2. Lilia Campana, The Defence of the Venetian dominio da mar in the Sixteenth Century: Ship Design, Naval Architecture, and the Naval Career of Vettor Fausto's Quinquereme
3. Elina Gugliuzzo - Sea Power in the early age Mediterranean
4. Wayne H. Bowen - Conflict and Collaboration: The Spanish and Ottoman Empires in the Mediterranean, 1453-1923
II. WEAPONS & ARMOUR
5. Raffaele D’Amato – A sixth or early seventh century AD iconography of Roman military equipment in Egypt: the Deir Abou Hennis frescoes
6. Georgios Theotokis - Σώκος, an unusual Byzantine weapon
7. Iason Tzouriades - Post-Byzantine Art and Western Influences in Military Iconography: The Case of Staff Weapons in the Work of Mihail Damaskinos
III. STRATEGY & COMMAND
8. Alan V. Murray - The Middle Ground: The Passage of Crusade Armies to the Holy Land by Land and Sea (1096-1204)
9. Cornel Bontea - The theory of the passagium particulare: a commercial blockade of the Mediterranean Sea in the early 14th century?
10. Stephen Bennett - Faith and Authority: Guy of Lusignan at the Battle of Acre
11. Ian Wilson - By the Sword or By an Oath: Siege Warfare in the Latin East 1097-1131
IV. MILITARY LITERATURE
12. Philip Rance - Late Byzantine Elites and Military Literature: Authors, Readers and Manuscripts (11th-15th Centuries)
13. Nikolaos Kanellopoulos - The byzantine influence on the military writings of Theodore I Palaiologos, marquis of Montferrat
14. Savvas Kyriakides - Warfare in the Histories of John Kantakouzenos
V. MILITARY ROLES WITHIN SOCIETY
15. Stathis Birtachas - Stradioti, cappelletti, compagnie or milizie greche: “Greek” mounted and foot mercenary companies in the Venetian State (15th-18th c.)
16. Chrysovalantis Papadamou - A Secret War: Espionage in Venetian Corfu during the construction of the San Marco fortress (1576-88)
17. Jacopo Pessina - The Social Make-up of the Republic of Lucca's Ordinanze della Montagna Officers, c. 1550-1600
18. Aysel Yildiz – Commanders of the Janissary army: the Janissary Agas, their Career and Promotion Patterns