A look at the history of battle in popular culture
This week, we're going to talk about armor effectiveness, comparing the value of body-armor before gunpowder with what gets portrayed in fiction and broader pop culture. What does it take to defeat armor? What weapons were effective at defeating armor - and what kinds of armor were they effective against? I should note that I … Continue reading Collections: Punching Through Some Armor Myths
This is the sixth and final part of a six part series taking a military historian's look at the Siege of Gondor in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Return of the King. You can find the other parts linked here (I, II, III, IV and V). This time, we are going to look at how the … Continue reading Collections: The Siege of Gondor: Part VI: Black Sails and Gleaming Banners
The following is the third part of a three part series where we look at the question "how medieval is Game of Thrones?" and - if not the Middle Ages - what period of European history does Game of Thrones most draw from? This part will look at the political (and to a degree) economic … Continue reading New Acquisitions: How It Wasn’t: Game of Thrones and the Middle Ages, Part III
This is the fifth part of a six part series taking a military historian's look at the Siege of Gondor in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Return of the King. Parts I, II, III and IV can be found here, here, here and here. Last time, we looked at cavalry mechanics with the Ride of the … Continue reading Collections: The Siege of Gondor, Part V: Just Flailing About Flails
This is the second post in a three-part series where we look at the question "how accurate is Game of Thrones to the European Middle Ages" - and if not the Middle Ages, what periods of history does it most resemble? This post will look at this question with respect to cultural norms (especially norms … Continue reading New Acquisitions: How It Wasn’t: Game of Thrones and the Middle Ages, Part II
This is the fourth part of a six part series taking a military historian's look at the Siege of Gondor in Peter Jackon's adaptation of Return of the King. Part I, II and III can be found here, here and here. Last time, we looked at Mordor's siege tactics in attempting to breach the city. … Continue reading Collections: The Siege of Gondor, Part IV: The Cavalry Arrives
The following post is the first part of a three part series where we look at the question "how medieval is Game of Thrones?" and - if not the European Middle Ages - what period of history does it most draw from? In each part, we will draw on a different historical framework: first military, … Continue reading New Acquisitions: How It Wasn’t: Game of Thrones and the Middle Ages, Part I
