Campaldino 1289: The battle that made Dante

Description

Campaldino is one of the important battles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines - the major political factions in the city states of central and northern Italy. It heralded the rise of Florence to a dominant position over the area of Tuscany and was one of the last occassions when the Italian city militias contested a battle, with the 14th century seeing the rise of the condottiere in Italy's Wars. In this highly illustrated new study, renowned medieval historians Kelly De Vries and Niccolo Capponi have uncovered new material from the battlefield itself, as well as using all the available sources, to breathe new life into this colourful and fascinating battle.

Kelly DeVries holds a PhD from the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. He is professor of history at Loyola University Maryland and has most recently written Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of their Impact (2007) and The Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy, 1363-1477 (2006), both with Robert Douglas Smith. His other books include: Medieval Military Technology (1992); Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century: Discipline, Tactics and Technology (1996); The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066 (1999); Joan of Arc: A Military Leader (1999); A Cumulative Bibliography of Medieval Military History and Technology (2002; updated 2005); and Guns and Men in Medieval Europe, 1200-1500: Studies in Military History and Technology (2002), as well as several edited works. In addition he is the author of more than 60 articles on military history and the history of military technology. He currently edits the Journal of Medieval Military History and is the series editor for the History of Warfare series of Brill Publishing. Count Niccolo Capponi is a part of Florence's living history. His family has been in the city since the thirteenth century and he is a historian. After earning a PhD in military history from the University of Padova, he returned to Florence where he currently teaches political science and the history of Florence to Americans studying abroad. He is, most recently, author of Victory of the West: The Story of the Battle of Lepanto, as well as I legionari rossi: Le brigate internazionali nella guerra civile spagnola 1936-1939, a history of the international brigades during the Spanish Civil War.

This 96-page book paperback explains how Campaldino's historical impact has been overshadowed by its literary significance because it plays a prominent role in the Divine Comedy. It turns out that Dante fought in the battle and his impressions of the ferocious combat inspired his long narrative poem. - Toy Soldier & Model Figure ...highly recommended for its in-depth coverage of a significant battle in Italian history, the in-depth coverage of the military technology and weaponry used in the battle, the excellent coverage of the political, economic, social, and religious environment in which the battle took place, and the superb artwork and images that accompany the text. - IPMS / USA . . . another memorable volume in Osprey's Campaign Series. - Military Heritage