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Loading... The Second Scottish Wars of Independence: 1332-1363by Chris Brown
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The wars of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce cast a long shadow in Scottish history. Drawn from English and Scottish state papers and chronicle accounts, this book tells the story of the armies and campaigns that developed the tactics that gave English forces the dramatic triumphs of the Hundred Years War. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)941.103History and Geography Europe British Isles Scotland 1314-1424LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Timeline: The vast majority of the content covers the 1330s, then skips ahead to Neville's Cross, and wraps up there. Quite what happens to the other 17 years of the war I have no idea (apart from the ransoming of King David II).
Context: While a good proportion tackles the politics, campaigning and battles of the war, there are significant efforts to explain the setting, both in terms of Scottish society and medieval warfare. However these sections are scattered throughout the book, and I feel that these would have been more useful to the reader at the beginning where that context would have informed the specific discussions about the war.
There's a good section on the effects of weather upon archery, but somehow he's omitted an explanation on how rains affects bowstrings.
His appraisal of the interplay between Edward III's campaigns in Scotland and his ambitions in France seem very badly developed.
The bibliography seems very bare, but I can't judge whether this has affected the quality.
Overall, a fair introduction for the general reader, but not recommended. ( )