The de Re Militari of Vegetius: The Reception, Transmission and Legacy of a Roman Text in the Middle Ages

Product Description


Vegetius' late Roman text became a well known and highly respected 'classic' in the Middle Ages, transformed by its readers into the authority on the waging of war. Christopher Allmand analyses the medieval afterlife of the De Re Militari, tracing the growing interest in the text from the Carolingian world to the late Middle Ages, suggesting how the written word may have influenced the development of military practice in that period. While emphasising that success depended on a commander's ability to outwit the enemy with a carefully selected, well trained and disciplined army, the De Re Militari inspired other unexpected developments, such as that of the 'national' army, and helped create a context in which the role of the soldier assumed greater social and political importance. Allmand explores the significance of the text and the changes it brought for those who accepted the implications of its central messages.


Review


"Essential." -Choice

"The full story of Vegetius in the medieval era has not been told. Christopher Allmand...has perhaps capped his career with what is likely to be the definitive study of Vegetius in the Middle Ages for the foreseeable future." -Everett L. Wheeler, Reviews in History


Book Description


Vegetius' late Roman text became a best-selling military 'classic' in the Middle Ages, and this fascinating study explores its reception and transmission. Although always read principally as a work offering practical military advice, the text was also transformed into an authority on war and inspired unexpected developments in the medieval world.


About the Author


Christopher Allmand is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Liverpool. He has published widely on the history of war and medieval society, including The Hundred Years War: England and France at War c.1300-c.1450 (Cambridge University Press, 1988) and The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume 7: c.1415-c.1500 (as editor, Cambridge University Press, 1998).