Brian R Price
Air University, Joint Warfare, Faculty Member
- Hawaii Pacific University, History / Diplomatic & Military Studies, Faculty MemberUniversity of North Texas, History, AlumnusUniversity of California, Los Angeles, Political Science, Alumnusadd
- American Military History, Military and Martial Culture, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency(COIN), Warfare and Technology, Arms and Armour, Fiore dei Liberi, and 37 moreAfghanistan War, Human Terrain, Martial Arts, Medieval Studies, The Hundred Years War, Condottieri in Northern Italy, Arms and Armor Studies, Military Revolution, International Trade, Guerrilla Warfare, Historical European Martial Arts, Western Martial Arts, Greek and Roman Warfare, Strategy (Military Science), Military History, Medieval Military History, Economic History, Kinesiology, Chivalric Arts, Chivalry, Knighthood, Medieval Germany, Intelligence, Mercenaries and Private Military Contractors, Ancient Weapons and Warfare, Medieval History, Chivalry (Medieval Studies), Historical Fencing, Martial Arts of Middle Ages, Medieval Warfare, War Studies, Martial Arts (Anthropology), Research Methodology, Aviation, Tactical Air Power, Air Power History, and Strategic Air Poweredit
- Brian R. Price earned a Bachelors in Political Science at UCLA and a doctorate in history from the University of Nort... moreBrian R. Price earned a Bachelors in Political Science at UCLA and a doctorate in history from the University of North Texas. He was past editor and publisher for Chronique: The Journal of Chivalry and The Chivalry Bookshelf; a Silicon Valley executive; a civilian Senior Social Scientist in RC East, Afghanistan. He taught for six years in Hawai'i Pacific University's graduate Diplomacy & Military Studies program, worked for a year with the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency, and served again in Afghanistan in Information Operations before receiving an appointment to the Air Command & Staff college as an Associate Professor of Strategy & Military Studies.edit
The contentious US Air Force modernization of the 1970s and 1980s holds lessons for today’s leaders, as the result represented a successful struggle to reconcile and integrate revolutionary technology, decentralized operations, and the... more
The contentious US Air Force modernization of the 1970s and 1980s holds lessons for today’s leaders, as the result represented a successful struggle to reconcile and integrate revolutionary technology, decentralized operations, and the harnessing of disruption.
Anchored in original archival research, newly declassified documents, and extensive oral histories conducted by the author, the study reconciles previous works that tend to ascribe America’s success either to the outspoken challenge of the Defense Reform Movement, to realistic training, the efforts of the “iron majors” or the office of the OSD.
The author looks at the critical importance of individual contributions General Creech, eventually Commander of Tactical Air Command (1978-1984) and the cult hero Col. John Boyd. Born in the same year, the experience, effort and philosophies of the two men would shape American AirPower in unique ways. The result by 1990 was a fusion of a reformed institution, integrated and revolutionary technology of what we now call the “Second Offset”. But it is also a cautionary tale, as visions for air combat “as it might have been” and of process driving itself from success to failure. Eagles, Falcons and Warthogs tells the story of how human passion, creativity and vision collided, producing the astoundingly professional Air Force that went to war in 1991 while acquisition and development remained stubbornly mired in process stacked upon process.
Contracted by Naval Institute Press.
Anchored in original archival research, newly declassified documents, and extensive oral histories conducted by the author, the study reconciles previous works that tend to ascribe America’s success either to the outspoken challenge of the Defense Reform Movement, to realistic training, the efforts of the “iron majors” or the office of the OSD.
The author looks at the critical importance of individual contributions General Creech, eventually Commander of Tactical Air Command (1978-1984) and the cult hero Col. John Boyd. Born in the same year, the experience, effort and philosophies of the two men would shape American AirPower in unique ways. The result by 1990 was a fusion of a reformed institution, integrated and revolutionary technology of what we now call the “Second Offset”. But it is also a cautionary tale, as visions for air combat “as it might have been” and of process driving itself from success to failure. Eagles, Falcons and Warthogs tells the story of how human passion, creativity and vision collided, producing the astoundingly professional Air Force that went to war in 1991 while acquisition and development remained stubbornly mired in process stacked upon process.
Contracted by Naval Institute Press.
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Ongoing medium-term research project based upon a blend of original archival research and a large number of oral histories gathered as part of the project.
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Publication of my 2011 dissertation, establishing intellectual and social frameworks underpinning the fechtbucher as systematic approaches to personal combat.
Research Interests: History, Military History, Medieval History, Medieval Studies, Martial Arts, and 10 moreMedieval Archaeology, Medieval Europe, Medieval Art, Manuscripts (Medieval Studies), Late Medieval History, Swordsmanship, Historical European Martial Arts, Fighting Tactics, Western Martial Arts, and Medieval Swords
2007 (1st ed) 2022 (2nd ed) study and teaching guide based on Fiore dei Liberi's l'arte d'armizare, presenting material on the context for the Fior di Battaglia, on the author, on the segno, and on fundamentals including the kinetics of... more
2007 (1st ed) 2022 (2nd ed) study and teaching guide based on Fiore dei Liberi's l'arte d'armizare, presenting material on the context for the Fior di Battaglia, on the author, on the segno, and on fundamentals including the kinetics of blow delivery, essentials of footwork, balance, Fiore's fighting positions or poste, and six foundational plays developed from Fiore's material to teach core principles. Sold well but went out of print in 2011; a second, revised edition is now in print with Echo Point Books!
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Published by Paladin Press in 1999, Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction (TOMAR) remained in print until 2017, when Paladin closed their business. A limited number of copies are available at the URL below. Intended for the... more
Published by Paladin Press in 1999, Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction (TOMAR) remained in print until 2017, when Paladin closed their business. A limited number of copies are available at the URL below.
Intended for the practitioner market, TOMAR is a massive tome of 660+ pages and more than 600 photographs and illustrations documenting the fundamentals of metalwork and engineering employed in the reproduction of medieval armour. Anchored in basic techniques, it was always intended that a follow-on advanced book be completed which would include more intensive techniques such as raising, square edge-rolling, locksmithing, and the like.
The book has earned hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon and has been called the "bible" of armouring. Find it here: https://brianrprice.com/.
Intended for the practitioner market, TOMAR is a massive tome of 660+ pages and more than 600 photographs and illustrations documenting the fundamentals of metalwork and engineering employed in the reproduction of medieval armour. Anchored in basic techniques, it was always intended that a follow-on advanced book be completed which would include more intensive techniques such as raising, square edge-rolling, locksmithing, and the like.
The book has earned hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon and has been called the "bible" of armouring. Find it here: https://brianrprice.com/.
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Forthcoming project for Routledge's Primary Source series. Interested military historians may send me a note of interest by 1 March, 2015.
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Entries: Afghan War (3000 words), Counterinsurgency (2000 words), Guerrilla War (1500 words), Human Terrain System (2500 words), Minerva Program (1500 words), Project Camelot (1500 words), Honor (3000 words), Wars of Medieval Europe (2000... more
Entries: Afghan War (3000 words), Counterinsurgency (2000 words), Guerrilla War (1500 words), Human Terrain System (2500 words), Minerva Program (1500 words), Project Camelot (1500 words), Honor (3000 words), Wars of Medieval Europe (2000 words). UPDATE: Fall, 2015 - added Military Culture (3000 words) and Multilateral Warfare (2000 words)
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Discusses the role of the Internet enabling "affinity groups", in this case influenced from the corpus of Arthurian romance blended with the historical literature on feats of arms. The emphasis is on the nature of the affiliations and the... more
Discusses the role of the Internet enabling "affinity groups", in this case influenced from the corpus of Arthurian romance blended with the historical literature on feats of arms. The emphasis is on the nature of the affiliations and the resulting social networks.
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A close examination of John R. Boyd’s concept of disruption as recorded in his 1987 presentation, “An Organic Design for Command and Control.” This article draws attention to a series of disruptive actions Boyd lists, including... more
A close examination of John R. Boyd’s concept of disruption as recorded in his 1987 presentation, “An Organic Design for Command and Control.” This article draws attention to a series of disruptive actions Boyd lists, including uncertainty, doubt, mistrust, confusion, disorder, fear, panic, and chaos, noting that the list begins with the mildest effect but that it progresses regularly toward collapse and chaos. The author argues that Boyd was specific in listing these effects in order and notes that this cycle could be developed into a useful effects spiral, which, once understood, can be catalyzed to enhance enemy disruption in a Joint all-domain operations (JADO) environment. In the postscript, this article argues that officers seeking to operate in a multi- or all-domain environment can benefit from a broad educational base to unlock creativity in approaching wicked problem sets. This creativity, when coupled with concepts like the effects spiral, can enhance traditional maneuver and combat, triggering an opponent’s collapse without the need for annihilation.
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Discusses David Epstein’s analysis of cross-domain expertise, and breadth, raised in his recent book and extends the author’s observations and arguments by applying them to planning and professional military education
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Against the backdrop of Morini's 2010 article focused on the need to take regional perspectives into account when articulating an Afghan strategy, and in light of the harried 2021 withdrawal, argues for the use of what Dr. Jeffrey Reilly... more
Against the backdrop of Morini's 2010 article focused on the need to take regional perspectives into account when articulating an Afghan strategy, and in light of the harried 2021 withdrawal, argues for the use of what Dr. Jeffrey Reilly calls, "Strategic Design," taught within Air Command & Staff's Joint All-Domain Strategist Concentration (JADS), a parallel process designed to either validate strategy as received or propose one when it is missing, in preparation for the more familiar operational design process.
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Offers specific, practical axioms, with examples drawn from industry and the U.S. Air Force--to implement innovative change. Aspects include, using cross-functional teams to solve problems; pushing authority down to where the knowledge... more
Offers specific, practical axioms, with examples drawn from industry and the U.S. Air Force--to implement innovative change. Aspects include, using cross-functional teams to solve problems; pushing authority down to where the knowledge is; keeping the organization small; using experts to grow experts; learn fast and fail small; involve the warfighter, plan for uncertainty but capitalize on agility. For each, gives a USAF example and a book to consult for further detail.
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Co-authored with Maj. A.J. DeNeve, USAF - Article provides analysis of terms commonly used in discussing defense acquisition.
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Compares the development of AirLand Battle and the Multi-Domain Operations concept, noting that the co-location and cooperative spirit championed by Generals Creech and Starry (the "TAC-TRADOC Dialogue") and the Service-Secretary forging... more
Compares the development of AirLand Battle and the Multi-Domain Operations concept, noting that the co-location and cooperative spirit championed by Generals Creech and Starry (the "TAC-TRADOC Dialogue") and the Service-Secretary forging of the 31-Initiatives are instructive for resolving key challenges in today's MDO, such as centralization v. decentralization, problems of access, capabilities and authorities. (team written: forthcoming)
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Article for Joint Force Quarterly, examining efforts by various DoD and Intelligence Community agencies to integrate socio-cultural knowledge in the wake of the disbanding of the Human Terrain System in 2014. Examines the risks... more
Article for Joint Force Quarterly, examining efforts by various DoD and Intelligence Community agencies to integrate socio-cultural knowledge in the wake of the disbanding of the Human Terrain System in 2014. Examines the risks associated with bringing such research "in-house" instead of engaging with academia. See also my talk at Texas Tech University's Modern Warfare Symposium, 6 Oct. 2017 for more background, and the 2015 talk at the Global Warfare Conference at Hawaii Pacific University, where my paper focused on the earlier Project Camelot imbroglio.
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Discusses overlapping principles that apply equally in COIN or CT; the population as center of gravity, trust (and force protection), and the value of adaptability, flexibility, creativity.
Will appear in The Counter-Terrorist, Fall 2016.
Will appear in The Counter-Terrorist, Fall 2016.
Research Interests: Military History, Cultural Studies, Strategy (Military Science), Social Sciences, Terrorism, and 13 moreCreativity, War Studies, Critical Thinking, Political Science, Afghanistan, Security Studies, Political Violence and Terrorism, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency(COIN), Information operations (IO), Counter terrorism, War on Terror, Global War on Terror, and Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Discusses the use of local histories to order socio-cultural variables in the study of village clusters through two case studies from Eastern Afghanistan, 2011-12. Proposes similar approaches might be useful for special operations and... more
Discusses the use of local histories to order socio-cultural variables in the study of village clusters through two case studies from Eastern Afghanistan, 2011-12. Proposes similar approaches might be useful for special operations and other forces in low conflict or phase zero operations. (Submitted, March 2016; In editorial, Army Press, May. 2016)
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Discusses solutions to operational movement challenges in a combat environment in conflict ethnography. Discusses ethics, the Common Rule, and methods of seeking depth and trust-building along with a multi-layered approach for the... more
Discusses solutions to operational movement challenges in a combat environment in conflict ethnography. Discusses ethics, the Common Rule, and methods of seeking depth and trust-building along with a multi-layered approach for the analysis of organizations, in this case within the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). From a paper delivered at the 2011 Social Science Conference, Bagram, Afghanistan. (UNCLASSIFIED)
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A fine collection of essays challenging some fundamentals and examining changes in the environment with respect to war
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Review of Conrad Crane's Cassandra in Oz
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An interesting, timely and useful examination of Russian thoughts on war, drawn from published sources (forthcoming).
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Examines an important collection of essays on the Human Terrain System, offering also a brief historiography.
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Review commissioned by Strategic Studies Quarterly; accepted 1 Aug. 2016, forthcoming.
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Commissioned review, Military Review, accepted Spring 2016 for Spring 2017 publication
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Short review of Kilcullen's most recent book, not published elsewhere.
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Review for Strategic Studies Quarterly, Oct. 2015
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Reviews Anthony James Joes "Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions that Shaped our World", arguing that what characterizes insurgency is the persistent weakness of most such movements, and that errors in the counterinsugents' practice... more
Reviews Anthony James Joes "Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions that Shaped our World", arguing that what characterizes insurgency is the persistent weakness of most such movements, and that errors in the counterinsugents' practice are necessary, in many cases, for a rebel victory.
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An excellent survey of warfare during the period especially suitable for World History courses, offering a surprising blend of operational and war & society approaches. Commissioned, World History Connected. Completed Fall, 2015, pub.... more
An excellent survey of warfare during the period especially suitable for World History courses, offering a surprising blend of operational and war & society approaches. Commissioned, World History Connected. Completed Fall, 2015, pub. June 2016.
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Forthcoming review for H-Humanities (H-War)
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(H-Net War), June 2015
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Commissioned review for The Historian, journal of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Complete, forthcoming.
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During the Hundred Years' War, the techniques of personal combat underwent a shift alongside available technology and with the changing social structure of Western Europe. The development of full "cap à pied" plate armour impacted the... more
During the Hundred Years' War, the techniques of personal combat underwent a shift alongside available technology and with the changing social structure of Western Europe. The development of full "cap à pied" plate armour impacted the techniques needed to defeat a knight or man-at-arms. At the same time, the demand for fighting instruction grew beyond the aristocracy and resulted in the production of fechtbücher-fighting treatises, making the practice of combat arts available to the urban-dwelling bourgeois. Based on surviving examples of arms and armour, works of art, literature, the fighting treatises, and the author's long experience in-harness, this paper examines the interaction of harness and the practice of personal combat loosely during the period of the Hundred Years' War. It argues that while we find an initial and efficient arte, a principle-based approach to the military use of shock weapons recorded in the early treatises, over time we also see a change dividing of the combat art into the needs of war (emphasizing power and leverage) and the practice of personal violence off the battlefield, as in the duel and in street defense, where timing and distance were paramount characteristics.
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Briefly discusses fencing v. fighting and the power differential between the two, noting the usage of flicks, twitches, and casts for use where power is not needed. Notes that modern HEMA and the SCA's cut & thrust tend to emphasize... more
Briefly discusses fencing v. fighting and the power differential between the two, noting the usage of flicks, twitches, and casts for use where power is not needed. Notes that modern HEMA and the SCA's cut & thrust tend to emphasize speed, which drives the need to modify the SSG's emphasis on power and stability. Proposes five ways the arte d'armizare might be altered to thrive in a HEMA environment, noting that Filippo Vadi's Arte Gladiatoria does exactly this, and recommends SSG students who want to compete in HEMA study Vadi after completing their Fiore dei Liberi core study.
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Discusses ramifications of David Epstein's RANGE: Why Generalists Succeed in a Specialized World on martial arts training through the example of a Western Martial Arts school, the Schola Saint George.
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Thought piece on the late medieval martial arts system of Fiore dei Liberi as a heuristic for enabling rapid combat decision-making.
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Closely examines a popular work copied well into the fifteenth century, distilling obvervations about chivalric culture and practice.
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2,500 word feature article forthcoming for Medieval Warfare, completed summer 2016, for publication Fall 2016.
Research Interests: Mechanical Engineering, Military History, Military Science, Medieval Literature, Late Middle Ages, and 17 moreMedieval History, Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, Medieval Studies, War Studies, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Medieval Europe, Military Revolution, History of Military Technology, Medieval Art, Manuscripts (Medieval Studies), Medieval illuminated manuscripts, Medieval Warfare, History of military Engineering, Medieval Military History, Middle Ages, Military Technology, and War books
Dissertation excerpt (introduction, 2011) discussing the historiography of the fighting treatises, the importance of cultural context, and the argument that medieval fighting was sometimes organized into recognizable, systematic martial... more
Dissertation excerpt (introduction, 2011) discussing the historiography of the fighting treatises, the importance of cultural context, and the argument that medieval fighting was sometimes organized into recognizable, systematic martial arts.
Research Interests: History, Military History, Cultural History, German Studies, Military Science, and 27 moreMedieval Philosophy, Medieval Literature, Medieval History, Renaissance Studies, Martial Arts, Chivalry (Chivalry), Pedagogy, Social History, Italian Renaissance Art, Medieval Art, Chivalry (Medieval Studies), Martial Arts (Anthropology), Martial Arts of Middle Ages, History of European Martial Arts, Middle Ages, Pedagogia, Swordsmanship, Historical European Martial Arts, Chivalric Arts, Research in Martial arts, Fighting Tactics, Historical Fencing, Knighthood, Medieval Swords, Fiore dei Liberi, Ms. I.33, and Johannes Liechtenauer
Discusses the physical characteristics and the poleaxe as a symbol of both enduring chivalric expression and the increasing importance of foot infantry.
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This paper first introduces medieval martial subcultures, then looks at the Aristotelian foundation for the use of the medieval martial " arts, " termed l'arte by Aristotle, highlighting linkage between scholasticism and the... more
This paper first introduces medieval martial subcultures, then looks at the Aristotelian foundation for the use of the medieval martial " arts, " termed l'arte by Aristotle, highlighting linkage between scholasticism and the methods whereby urban-based fighting masters recorded some of their teachings in books, in the process answering part of the contextual question for why the books take on their surviving forms.
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Proposes a multi-layered approach to validation and assessment of differing reconstructions of Historical European Martial Arts drawn from surviving fighting treatises from the thirteenth - sixteenth centuries. Layers of linguistic,... more
Proposes a multi-layered approach to validation and assessment of differing reconstructions of Historical European Martial Arts drawn from surviving fighting treatises from the thirteenth - sixteenth centuries. Layers of linguistic, pedagogical and competitive evaluation are offered to harness academic and practical expertise.
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Handout / Preliminary research for the 2003 38th Annual International Congress of Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, 2003. This was a longish (90-minute) presentation, and it discusses the sources and techniques of use for the medieval... more
Handout / Preliminary research for the 2003 38th Annual International Congress of Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, 2003. This was a longish (90-minute) presentation, and it discusses the sources and techniques of use for the medieval poleaxe, touching also on the chivalric context for its use. A later set of practicum notes also survives from 2005, and this is the foundation for an in-progress book-length work on my queue looking at the weapon, armored combat, and its social and martial context.
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Class notes for a seminar given at the 2014 Schola Saint George Swordsmanship Symposium, Dallas, TX. Examines the hanging guard for the sword in one hand through the lens of Fiore dei Liberi's 1409 treatise, Fior di Battaglia, both as... more
Class notes for a seminar given at the 2014 Schola Saint George Swordsmanship Symposium, Dallas, TX.
Examines the hanging guard for the sword in one hand through the lens of Fiore dei Liberi's 1409 treatise, Fior di Battaglia, both as a practical training tool for teaching swordmanship and as an exercise in using Fiore's principles to analyze aspects not presented in the text. Second half of the presentation analyzes Fiore's use of the sword in one hand as preserved in the treatise.
Examines the hanging guard for the sword in one hand through the lens of Fiore dei Liberi's 1409 treatise, Fior di Battaglia, both as a practical training tool for teaching swordmanship and as an exercise in using Fiore's principles to analyze aspects not presented in the text. Second half of the presentation analyzes Fiore's use of the sword in one hand as preserved in the treatise.
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Discusses the relationship between Trial by Combat and chivalric feats of arms during the later Middle Ages. Course paper written in 2007, unpublished.
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Delivered at the 39 th International Congress on Medieval Studies Kalamazoo, MI, 7 th May, 2004 " Young knight, learn to love God and revere women; thus your honor will grow. Practice knighthood and learn the Art that dignifies you, and... more
Delivered at the 39 th International Congress on Medieval Studies Kalamazoo, MI, 7 th May, 2004 " Young knight, learn to love God and revere women; thus your honor will grow. Practice knighthood and learn the Art that dignifies you, and brings you honor in wars. Be a good grappler in wrestling; lance, spear, sword and falchion handle manfully, and foil them in your opponent's hands. Cut in and hasten forth; rush to, let it hit, or go by. Those with wisdom loath the one forced to defend. This you should grasp: All arts have length and measure. " 1 These are the words not of Ramon Lull, the famed articulator of chivalry both practical and ideal, but are attributed to the 14 th century Master-at-Arms Johannes Liectenauer, a chivalric " invocation " at the start of his merkeverse that encrypted his art for generations of students who followed. " When charity, loyalty, truth, justice and verity fell in the world, then began cruelty, injury, disloyalty and falseness. And therefore there was error and trouble in the world in which God had created man, with the intention that man be known and loved, doubted, served and honored. In the beginning, when to the world came wickedness, justice returned by dread in the honor in which she was wont to be, and therefore all of the people were divided by the thousands. Of each thousand was chosen a man most loyal, most strong, and of noble courage; better educated and mannered than all the others. He was inquired and searched for, he who was best and was covenably most fair, most courageous, and most able to sustain trials, and the most able to serve mankind. " 2 " God in Glory chose the knights because by force of arms they vanquished the miscreants who labored daily to destroy the holy church and such knights as God holds as friends, honored in this world, when they keep and maintain the faith by which we intend to be saved. " Such is the origin of Ramon Lull's knight, as recorded by the venerable knight-cum-priest in the 2 nd half of the 13 th century.
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2007 analyis written for the Schola Saint George as a preliminary analysis of close-play tactics in Fiore's treatise, Fior di Battaglia (c. 1409-20).
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A very brief review of part of Duckworth's 2016 work, GRIT, briefly examing how her work fits within other expert performance literature (Ericsson, Csikszentmihalyi), and draws a quick connection to Baldassare Castiglione's famous 1528... more
A very brief review of part of Duckworth's 2016 work, GRIT, briefly examing how her work fits within other expert performance literature (Ericsson, Csikszentmihalyi), and draws a quick connection to Baldassare Castiglione's famous 1528 work, Il Libro del Corteggiano (Book of the Courtier), and medieval literature.
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Another superb work by Boydell, this one tracing scholarship on chivalry in the years following Maurice Keen's fundamental book Chivalry (Yale, 1984).
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A fine collection of important chronicles now gathered together in a single, useful volume, together with excellent apparatus and commentary (forthcoming, Apr. 2020).
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Unusual and fascinating insight of a very specialized and interesting field - of interest to those interested in fighting treatises and war manuals (forthcoming, April 2020).
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Review intended for the Arms and Armour, the journal of the Royal Armouries, June 2016. At press.
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Review - January 2016 Journal of Military History
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Survey's Conedera's excellent challenge to the idea of the medieval religious knightly orders as "monastic," focusing on three Iberian orders in addition to the Templars and Hospitallers. Forthcoming, commissioned by the Journal of... more
Survey's Conedera's excellent challenge to the idea of the medieval religious knightly orders as "monastic," focusing on three Iberian orders in addition to the Templars and Hospitallers. Forthcoming, commissioned by the Journal of Military History, Oct, 2015.
Research Interests: Medieval History, Medieval Studies, Crusades, Medieval Iberian History, Chivalry (Chivalry), and 9 moreMedieval Church History, History of Crusades, Knights Templar, Chivalry (Medieval Studies), Late Medieval History: Military Orders, Crusades, Ecclesiastical History, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Knighthood, Medieval Knights, and Knights Hospitaller
Graduate summer seminar (online) - Students will look at "classical" medieval warfare through the lens of the Crusades, consider the chivalric ethic, then look at the myriad changes during the Hundred Years' War.
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(graduate; senior level undergraduate): Seminar course to include key strategic thinkers and how their theories apply to the study of war, both in history and by modern practitioners. Students read works by Vegetius, Machiavelli,... more
(graduate; senior level undergraduate): Seminar course to include key strategic thinkers and how their theories apply to the study of war, both in history and by modern practitioners. Students read works by Vegetius, Machiavelli, Clausewitz, Jomini, Mahan, Corbett, Douhet, Mitchell, Brodie, and Boyd.
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(graduate) Foundational course that explores the practice of military history as a discipline, striving to build solid research methodology in students pursuing their graduate work in either history or political science. Emphasizes... more
(graduate) Foundational course that explores the practice of military history as a discipline, striving to build solid research methodology in students pursuing their graduate work in either history or political science. Emphasizes comparisons between political science and historical methodologies through a series of projects where students create a battle history, a war and society paper, conduct an oral history, and produce a final research project. Discusses careers for military historians and alternate uses of military history outside of the academy. Sample syllabus attached.
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(graduate) Readings / Research seminar that surveys major thinkers on insurgency and counterinsurgency, including Mao Tse Tung, Che Guevara, Lenin, David Galula, Roger Trinquier, John Nagl, Gian Gentile, David Kilcullen and strives to... more
(graduate) Readings / Research seminar that surveys major thinkers on insurgency and counterinsurgency, including Mao Tse Tung, Che Guevara, Lenin, David Galula, Roger Trinquier, John Nagl, Gian Gentile, David Kilcullen and strives to explore principles of counterinsurgency conflict. Conflicts covered include Malay, Algeria, Indochina/Vietnam, Philippine Insurgency (1899-1902), Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor. Sample syllabus attached.
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(graduate) Readings / Research seminar that discusses the changes brought about in response to Vietnam, improvements in technology, the pressure of the Defense Reform Movement (DRM), the Soviet Union, and the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict,... more
(graduate) Readings / Research seminar that discusses the changes brought about in response to Vietnam, improvements in technology, the pressure of the Defense Reform Movement (DRM), the Soviet Union, and the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and the First Gulf War on the development of American doctrine, training, joint operations, and civil-military relations,
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(graduate) Readings / Research Seminar introducing students to one of the great debates in military history: the question of whether or not there is such a thing as a "revolution" in warfare. First half of the course focuses on the... more
(graduate) Readings / Research Seminar introducing students to one of the great debates in military history: the question of whether or not there is such a thing as a "revolution" in warfare. First half of the course focuses on the development of gunpowder and its influence, Michael Roberts / Geoffrey Parker's traditional "military revolution," while the second half focuses on post-Vietnam developments in high technology, information technology, precision-guided munitions and the "revolution in military affairs." Students are encouraged to come to their own conclusions and classroom debate is often highly charged.
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(graduate) Readings/Research seminar focusing on the historiography of how Americans conduct warfare. Course surveys key writers that include John Shy, Adrian Lewis, Russell Weigley and others, aimed at answering the question, "Is there a... more
(graduate) Readings/Research seminar focusing on the historiography of how Americans conduct warfare. Course surveys key writers that include John Shy, Adrian Lewis, Russell Weigley and others, aimed at answering the question, "Is there a uniquely American way or style of war?"
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(undergraduate, upper division [taught 1x]): Online course focused on the impact of the Cold War and its aftermath on American society. Themes include Cold War competition, the Space Race, development of the American Highway System and... more
(undergraduate, upper division [taught 1x]): Online course focused on the impact of the Cold War and its aftermath on American society. Themes include Cold War competition, the Space Race, development of the American Highway System and the impact of the automobile, Popular Culture, American Business History, Politics & Social Changes, and the Impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the post-9/11 era.
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(undergraduate, capstone [taught 3x]): Seminar-style course emphasizing student written analysis and classroom discussion, surveying major thinkers in insurgency & counter-insurgency including Mao Tse Tung, Clausewitz, David Galula, John... more
(undergraduate, capstone [taught 3x]): Seminar-style course emphasizing student written analysis and classroom discussion, surveying major thinkers in insurgency & counter-insurgency including Mao Tse Tung, Clausewitz, David Galula, John Nagl, David Kilcullen and Gian Gentile. Emphasizes the fundamental character of such wars as political and underscores the importance of socio-cultural knowledge. Includes a kriegspiel wargame designed to bring students into the roles of insurgent or counterinsurgents to exercise principles explored in the course.
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(Undergraduate, upper division [taught 4x]): Lecture / readings course that surveys American military history and theories about the development of an American Way of War and the effect of war on American society. Ranges from the colonial... more
(Undergraduate, upper division [taught 4x]): Lecture / readings course that surveys American military history and theories about the development of an American Way of War and the effect of war on American society. Ranges from the colonial period through Iraq and Afghanistan.
Topics
Colonial Warfare: The Clash of Native American & European War
The American Revolution
The Barbary Pirates, the U.S. Navy & Marines
War of 1812
Mexican-American War
The American Civil War
Spanish-American War / Philippine Insurrection
World War I
World War II
The Cold War
Korea & Vietnam
Grenada, Panama & the Gulf War
9/11, Iraq & Afghanistan
Topics
Colonial Warfare: The Clash of Native American & European War
The American Revolution
The Barbary Pirates, the U.S. Navy & Marines
War of 1812
Mexican-American War
The American Civil War
Spanish-American War / Philippine Insurrection
World War I
World War II
The Cold War
Korea & Vietnam
Grenada, Panama & the Gulf War
9/11, Iraq & Afghanistan
Research Interests: American History, Afghanistan, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency(COIN), Second World War, Vietnam War, and 18 moreWorld War I, First World War, World War II, American Military History, Korean War, Spanish-American War, The Cold War, War of 1812, Iraq War, U.s. Navy, Gulf War, Barbary Pirates, U.S. Marines, U.s. Army History, Theory of War and Civil Military Relation, Colonial Wars, U.S. Air Force, and Philippine Insurrection
(Undergraduate, upper division [taught 2x]) Focuses on the development of modern forms of warfare and its impact on society. Emphasizes theories of war and peace, technology, and the crucial interaction of culture and the practice of... more
(Undergraduate, upper division [taught 2x]) Focuses on the development of modern forms of warfare and its impact on society. Emphasizes theories of war and peace, technology, and the crucial interaction of culture and the practice of warfare.
Themes include:
Military Revolutions: the debate
The Thirty Years' War
Westward Expansion: Explorers & Colonial Warfare
Development of the Art of War
Napoleonic Warfare
Revolutionary Warfare
Industrial Revolutions and the Changing Face of War
Two World Wars - The Rise of Maneuver
The Cold War - Nuclear and Limited War
Post-Cold War Warfare - War, Information & Identity
Insurgencies and Guerrilla Warfare
Themes include:
Military Revolutions: the debate
The Thirty Years' War
Westward Expansion: Explorers & Colonial Warfare
Development of the Art of War
Napoleonic Warfare
Revolutionary Warfare
Industrial Revolutions and the Changing Face of War
Two World Wars - The Rise of Maneuver
The Cold War - Nuclear and Limited War
Post-Cold War Warfare - War, Information & Identity
Insurgencies and Guerrilla Warfare
Research Interests: Nuclear Weapons, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency(COIN), Napoleonic Wars, Post Cold War Era, American Revolution, and 8 moreMilitary Revolution, War and society, Cold War Science and Technology, French Revolution and Napoleon, Revolution in military affairs, Guerrilla Warfare, Revolutionary War, and Total War and Social Change
"(undergraduate, upper division [taught 2x]) Readings / lecture course that surveys the history of warfare and the rise of "Western" style warfare from the Chariot Kingdoms to the rise of the military-fiscal state and explorers.... more
"(undergraduate, upper division [taught 2x]) Readings / lecture course that surveys the history of warfare and the rise of "Western" style warfare from the Chariot Kingdoms to the rise of the military-fiscal state and explorers.
Modules include:
The Chariot Kingdoms: Sumerians, Assyrians & Egyptians
Greeks and Persians at War
The Romans Ways of War
Medieval Warfare: Feudalism, Knights, Chivalry & Crusades
The Military Art: Gunpowder and the Renaissance
Explorers and Cross Cultural Encounters"
Modules include:
The Chariot Kingdoms: Sumerians, Assyrians & Egyptians
Greeks and Persians at War
The Romans Ways of War
Medieval Warfare: Feudalism, Knights, Chivalry & Crusades
The Military Art: Gunpowder and the Renaissance
Explorers and Cross Cultural Encounters"
Research Interests: Military Revolution, Chivalry (Medieval Studies), Ancient Warfare, Medieval Warfare, Roman Warfare, and 5 moreThe military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Ancient Weapons and Warfare, Gunpowder Artillery History and Development, Ancient Greek Warfare, and Greco-Persian Wars
"(undergraduate [taught 2x]) Sophomore level introduction to the study of war and its effects on human beings, societies, and civilizations. Discussion-based interdisciplinary course leveraging readings in history, anthropology,... more
"(undergraduate [taught 2x]) Sophomore level introduction to the study of war and its effects on human beings, societies, and civilizations.
Discussion-based interdisciplinary course leveraging readings in history, anthropology, sociology, political science and psychology. Introduces students to different approaches to the study of war and introduces the field of military history, arguing that understanding war is necessary whether one believes it is justified or not. "
Discussion-based interdisciplinary course leveraging readings in history, anthropology, sociology, political science and psychology. Introduces students to different approaches to the study of war and introduces the field of military history, arguing that understanding war is necessary whether one believes it is justified or not. "
Research Interests:
(undergraduate, lower division [taught 2x]): Traditional lecture course given to 150+ students, focusing on the changes in American identity and memory following the civil war. Emphasis is on the interplay between society, technology,... more
(undergraduate, lower division [taught 2x]): Traditional lecture course given to 150+ students, focusing on the changes in American identity and memory following the civil war. Emphasis is on the interplay between society, technology, economics, internal and external politics.
Research Interests:
(undergraduate, lower division [taught 2x]) Traditional lecture course surveying the development of the American identity from the colonial period through the civil war. Emphasizes the distinct subcultures that led to the Civil War and... more
(undergraduate, lower division [taught 2x]) Traditional lecture course surveying the development of the American identity from the colonial period through the civil war. Emphasizes the distinct subcultures that led to the Civil War and the development of the American system of checks and balances.
Research Interests:
(undergraduate, lower division [taught 3x]) Lecture course that introduces the process of globalization and connections between cultures following the Renaissance and Western expansion. Emphasizes the role of trade and examines the effect... more
(undergraduate, lower division [taught 3x]) Lecture course that introduces the process of globalization and connections between cultures following the Renaissance and Western expansion. Emphasizes the role of trade and examines the effect of increasing connections and conflict on societies.
Research Interests:
(Undergraduate, lower division [taught 4x): Lecture course that surveys major civilizations and wrestles with different theories concerning what constitutes civilization. Includes Sumeria Egypt Greece Rome India China Medieval... more
(Undergraduate, lower division [taught 4x): Lecture course that surveys major civilizations and wrestles with different theories concerning what constitutes civilization.
Includes
Sumeria
Egypt
Greece
Rome
India
China
Medieval & Early Renaissance
Includes
Sumeria
Egypt
Greece
Rome
India
China
Medieval & Early Renaissance
Research Interests:
Provides graduate students with an overview of a histiography section of a project.
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Guide for graduate students and advanced undersgraduates on how to write a successful book review.
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Paper given at the Dankeschrift for John Francis Guilmartin, Ohio State University , Sept. 24, 2016 During the Hundred Years’ War, the techniques of personal combat underwent a shift alongside available technology and with the changing... more
Paper given at the Dankeschrift for John Francis Guilmartin, Ohio State University , Sept. 24, 2016
During the Hundred Years’ War, the techniques of personal combat underwent a shift alongside available technology and with the changing social structure of Western Europe. The development of full “cap à pied” plate armour impacted the techniques needed to defeat a knight or man-at-arms. At the same time, the demand for fighting instruction grew beyond the aristocracy and resulted in the production of fechtbücher - fighting treatises, making the practice of combat arts available to the urban-dwelling bourgeois.
Based on surviving examples of arms and armour, works of art, literature, the fighting treatises, and the author’s long experience in-harness, this paper examines the interaction of harness and the practice of personal combat loosely during the period of the Hundred Years’ War. It argues that while we find an initial and efficient l'arte, a principle-based approach to the military use of shock weapons recorded in the early treatises, over time we also see a change dividing the combat art into the needs of war (emphasizing power and leverage) and the practice of personal violence off the battlefield, as in the duel and in street defense, where timing and distance were paramount characteristics.
During the Hundred Years’ War, the techniques of personal combat underwent a shift alongside available technology and with the changing social structure of Western Europe. The development of full “cap à pied” plate armour impacted the techniques needed to defeat a knight or man-at-arms. At the same time, the demand for fighting instruction grew beyond the aristocracy and resulted in the production of fechtbücher - fighting treatises, making the practice of combat arts available to the urban-dwelling bourgeois.
Based on surviving examples of arms and armour, works of art, literature, the fighting treatises, and the author’s long experience in-harness, this paper examines the interaction of harness and the practice of personal combat loosely during the period of the Hundred Years’ War. It argues that while we find an initial and efficient l'arte, a principle-based approach to the military use of shock weapons recorded in the early treatises, over time we also see a change dividing the combat art into the needs of war (emphasizing power and leverage) and the practice of personal violence off the battlefield, as in the duel and in street defense, where timing and distance were paramount characteristics.
Research Interests: History, Military History, Medieval Literature, Medieval History, Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, and 23 moreMedieval Studies, Arms and Armor Studies, War Studies, Martial Arts, Kinesiology, Medieval Europe, Military Revolution, Medieval Art, Warfare and Technology, Manuscripts (Medieval Studies), The Hundred Years War, Medieval Romance, Military, Medieval Warfare, Medieval Military History, Late Medieval History, Swordsmanship, Ancient and medieval arms and armour, Historical European Martial Arts, Western Martial Arts, Medieval Swords, Historical Western Martial History, and Use of Medieval Arms and Armour
Background voice-over and interview for a feature piece on the Historical European Martial Arts in the U.S.
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Discusses Hawai'i Pacific University's NEH grant proposal to capture veteran experience through our digital oral history and visual archive.
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Sept. 10, 2011 interview (3 segments) by Dr. Carlos Juarez. Interview discusses my summer research for both fields, introducing the idea of Historical European Martial Arts and research conducted at the Air Force Historical Research... more
Sept. 10, 2011 interview (3 segments) by Dr. Carlos Juarez. Interview discusses my summer research for both fields, introducing the idea of Historical European Martial Arts and research conducted at the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell AFB, both focusing on culture and war.
Research Interests:
Interest in the martial arts of Europe has, since the late 1990s, focused on surviving fighting treatises that date from the late thirteenth through the seventeenth centuries. Most of this work is focused on the recovery of technique... more
Interest in the martial arts of Europe has, since the late 1990s, focused on surviving fighting treatises that date from the late thirteenth through the seventeenth centuries.
Most of this work is focused on the recovery of technique and the reconstruction of fighting techniques through what amounts to experimental archaeology, sometimes blended with the tools of kinesiology, art history, history, philology, and paleography. Comparatively little has been done to establish the treatises' historical context and importance.
This talk first surveys late medieval martial subcultures, then looks at the Aristotelian foundation for the use of the medieval martial "arts," termed L'arte by Aristotle, and the transformation of art into the "science of defense" during the late fifteenth and into the early sixteenth centuries, highlighting linkage between Aristotle, Scholasticism, and the methods whereby urban-based fighting masters recorded some of their teachings in books, in the process answering part of the contextual question for why the books take on their surviving forms.
Most of this work is focused on the recovery of technique and the reconstruction of fighting techniques through what amounts to experimental archaeology, sometimes blended with the tools of kinesiology, art history, history, philology, and paleography. Comparatively little has been done to establish the treatises' historical context and importance.
This talk first surveys late medieval martial subcultures, then looks at the Aristotelian foundation for the use of the medieval martial "arts," termed L'arte by Aristotle, and the transformation of art into the "science of defense" during the late fifteenth and into the early sixteenth centuries, highlighting linkage between Aristotle, Scholasticism, and the methods whereby urban-based fighting masters recorded some of their teachings in books, in the process answering part of the contextual question for why the books take on their surviving forms.
Research Interests:
Making the transition from theory to practice can be daunting. At SSG Honolulu we have been using a set of drills designed to build fundamental fighting skills. Through these "dynamic" entry drills, combatants build confidence in core... more
Making the transition from theory to practice can be daunting. At SSG Honolulu we have been using a set of drills designed to build fundamental fighting skills. Through these "dynamic" entry drills, combatants build confidence in core movements as they face a line of opponents who rapidly and successively enter using Fiore's tre volte (three turns of the sword), exercising the fundamental skills of perception (observation); assessment (orienting); decision, and acting (all components of Boyd's OODA loop). This course will first introduce the concepts of kinesthetic learning rooted in the most current research and John Boyd's model of combat decision-making, then turn to intensive "sword in hand" exercises. Combatants should come to the class ready for sparring-level exercise using poly swords or equivalent (LIGHT composite weapons; assuming least-common-denominator protection by the opponent). This is an intensive set of drills SSG Honolulu uses to build sparring skill, so combatants' should come with water and be prepared for exertion.
The symposium is in the Deer Lick Park multipurpose room, in Douglasville GA. See the main SSG website, http://www.scholasaintgeorge.org for more details.
The notes are available for students at the symposium in hard copy and will be polished for publication.
The symposium is in the Deer Lick Park multipurpose room, in Douglasville GA. See the main SSG website, http://www.scholasaintgeorge.org for more details.
The notes are available for students at the symposium in hard copy and will be polished for publication.
Research Interests:
Lecture course surveying how the medieval tournament changed from its earliest forms through the expensive festivals of the sixteenth century, emphasizing the role renown and how such feats have been structured to exercise martial skills... more
Lecture course surveying how the medieval tournament changed from its earliest forms through the expensive festivals of the sixteenth century, emphasizing the role renown and how such feats have been structured to exercise martial skills in the modern era
Research Interests:
Interview segment highlighting HPU faculty. Discusses my experiences in RC East, Afghanistan, conducting socio-cultural research as a Dept. of Defense Civilian, the difficulties of wrestling with operational and ethical challenges in the... more
Interview segment highlighting HPU faculty. Discusses my experiences in RC East, Afghanistan, conducting socio-cultural research as a Dept. of Defense Civilian, the difficulties of wrestling with operational and ethical challenges in the job, and the outlook for socio-cultural research for the Dept. of Defense in general and the U.S. Army in particular. Short segment at the end on my long study of chivalric culture and medieval swordsmanship. Available via Livestream, 1pm - 1:50pm HST (CST +5).
Research Interests:
Discusses the clash of ideological cultures between the national security and academic social science communities surrounding Project Camelot, and makes connections between similar opposition to the U.S. Army's Human Terrain System,... more
Discusses the clash of ideological cultures between the national security and academic social science communities surrounding Project Camelot, and makes connections between similar opposition to the U.S. Army's Human Terrain System, established as part of the counterinsurgency effort in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Background discussion for HPU's Association for Diplomatic & Military Studies with Pierre Asselin.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
An introductory survey of the situation in Ukraine,
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Talk for the Pacific Aviation Museum. Encapsulates research looking at the internal efforts and external influences on reform in the United States Air Force in the post-Vietnam era. Part of my larger research effort looking at the... more
Talk for the Pacific Aviation Museum. Encapsulates research looking at the internal efforts and external influences on reform in the United States Air Force in the post-Vietnam era. Part of my larger research effort looking at the interaction of influences on service cultures from Vietnam to Operation Enduring Freedom.
Research Interests:
Hawai'i Pacific University round table chaired by Pierre Asselin, with Capt. Carl Schuster (USN, retired); Dr. Russell A. Hart; Dr. Patrick Bratton; Dr. Grace Cheng and Dr. Carlos Juarez. Presented on the socio-cultural makeup of the... more
Hawai'i Pacific University round table chaired by Pierre Asselin, with Capt. Carl Schuster (USN, retired); Dr. Russell A. Hart; Dr. Patrick Bratton; Dr. Grace Cheng and Dr. Carlos Juarez.
Presented on the socio-cultural makeup of the Syrian population and on the composition of the resistance forces as of September, 2013, in the midst of debate by the Obama administration over retaliating in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime.
Presented on the socio-cultural makeup of the Syrian population and on the composition of the resistance forces as of September, 2013, in the midst of debate by the Obama administration over retaliating in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime.
Research Interests:
Provided framework and context concerning the effects of 9-11 and the aftermath on Hawaii and Hawaiians. Panel included Gen. David Bramlett, USN Capt. Carl Schuster, Maj. Gen. Rick Olson and his wife Vicki.
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Summarizes research conducted in eastern Afghanistan during the 2011-12, where foundational social networks were found to be based in Mujahidin networks from the 1979-1989 conflict with the Soviet Union. Paper in preparation for... more
Summarizes research conducted in eastern Afghanistan during the 2011-12, where foundational social networks were found to be based in Mujahidin networks from the 1979-1989 conflict with the Soviet Union. Paper in preparation for submission.
Interest piece with a short biographical and teaching approach focus.
A practical discussion of the craftsmen working on reproduction medieval armour in Ukraine, ratings of armour samples seen by members of the 501(c).3 Schola Saint George, a school of historical European martial arts. Updated 21 Feb., 2017.
Research Interests:
Establishing martial context for the surviving fighting treatises has proven difficult. Do they represent wholly civilian use of arms, or are they reflections of battlefield practice? To what extent are they connected to other chivalric... more
Establishing martial context for the surviving fighting treatises has proven difficult. Do they represent wholly civilian use of arms, or are they reflections of battlefield practice? To what extent are they connected to other chivalric literature? For the early treatises—those dating from roughly the period of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453)—comparative methods making use of chronicles, account or court records have yielded unsatisfying results owing to the lack of fighting detail. But if used with caution, such literature can help to correlate or challenge evidence found in the fighting treatises with respect to arms and armour, weapon-use, and training, in addition to the more commonly accepted use for the study of the changing chivalric ethos. Guy of Warwick, a popular romance whose Middle English translation was copied many times during the fifteenth century, provides a window on the fighting itself at the eve of the war, in c. 1330. By comparing the poem's contents with several near contemporary surviving fighting texts, such as the Harleian 3542 and Fiore dei Liberi's Fior di Battaglia, the author concludes that Guy of Warwick was a chivalric teaching text focusing on the development of character and will, rather than technique, and proposes that the three surviving and nearly impenetrable Middle English instructional fighting poems are drawn from a non-chivalric martial tradition. " He schulde wexe wyse at the laste, Hyt ts holdyn grete maystery To hold wysdome and leue folye. … Then seyde Gye : 'Y schall þe say, Syth that ye me so feyre pray. Gye of Warwyk men clepe me : I am knowyn in many a cuntre.' " —Guy of Warwick Guy of Warwick survives as a popular chivalric romance dating from the early thirteenth century, copied, translated and updated numerous times by the end of the fifteenth.2 Like many romances, it offers the careful student of medieval warfare a small trove of historical evidence tucked within the literary vehicle. As with the rest of the genre, it has been of interest mainly to literary scholars, who have largely eschewed the technical and combat details contained within, though the tale has long been praised as a
Research Interests:
Establishing martial context for the surviving fighting treatises has proven difficult. Do they represent wholly civilian use of arms, or are they reflections of battlefield practice? To what extent are they connected to other chivalric... more
Establishing martial context for the surviving fighting treatises has proven difficult. Do they represent wholly civilian use of arms, or are they reflections of battlefield practice? To what extent are they connected to other chivalric literature? For the early treatises—those dating from roughly the period of the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)—comparative methods making use of chronicles, account or court records have yielded unsatisfying results owing to the lack of fighting detail. But if used with caution, such literature can help to correlate or challenge evidence found in the fighting treatises with respect to arms and armour, weapon-use, and training, in addition to the more commonly accepted use for the study of the changing chivalric ethos. Guy of Warwick, a popular romance whose Middle English translation was copied many times during the fifteenth century, provides a window on the fighting itself at the eve of the war, in c. 1330. By comparing the poem’s contents with several near contemporary surviving fighting texts, such as the Harleian 3542 and Fiore dei Liberi’s Fior di Battaglia, the author concludes that Guy of Warwick was a chivalric teaching text focusing on the development of character and will, rather than technique, and proposes that the three surviving and nearly impenetrable Middle English instructional fighting poems are drawn from a non-chivalric martial tradition.