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The Battle of Tours How Charles Got His Hammer... At one time, it looked like the expansion of Islam was an unstoppable force. By 725 A.D., Muslims owned virtually all of the Iberian peninsula and had crossed the Pyrenees, taking key towns in SW France and forming a new province called al-Andalus.And then, politics began to trump religion. With a power struggle going on in Andalus proper, the local leaders in al-Andalus starting making accommodations with their powerful Christian neighbor to the north, Aquitaine. This arrangement upset powerful people on both sides of the religious divide and they responded in basically the same way—they both invaded Aquitaine! More Info »	Hastings: 1066 AD Trial by Bloody Combat! "This year died King Edward, and Harold the earl succeeded to the kingdom, and held it forty weeks and one day. And this year came William and won England." -- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle While exactly where the line is on whether a battle merits the title “Decisive” may be uncertain, there is no doubt that the Battle of Hastings deserves such treatment. Common perception is that a kingdom changed hands after a single day of battle. (The truth is somewhat more complex.) More Info »
Joan of Arc's Victory Render to The Maid! Even in full armor, she still looked very much like a young girl. Among men who had done nothing but war all their lives, she maintained a soldierly bearing... and something else. She led that army to victory, confidently sending the English commander her demand, "Render to the Maid, sent by God, the King of Heaven, all the good towns you have taken and violated in France." History would call her Joan of Arc, with a subtitle "The Maid of Orleans." The French would call her, "St. Joan." The English would call her, "witch." And you can call her the center of an intriguing game. More Info »	The Invincible Armada "God Blew and They Were Scattered." It is hard to imagine what the world would look like today had the Armada succeeded. And yet, looking at the planning and logistics, it is also hard to imagine that the project could ever have succeeded.... More Info »
The Battle of Blenheim “But ‘twas a famous victory!” "The decisive blow struck at Blenheim resounded through every part of Europe. It at once destroyed the vast fabric of power which it had taken Louis XIV, aided by the talents of Turenne and the genius of Vauban, so long to construct." -- Alison More Info »	Poltava’s Dread Day The Great Northern War "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana’s famous quote has often been cited when failed plans are analyzed... when something—like Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union—seems to have had a precedent that people should have "learned from," like Napoleon’s disasters in the same locale. Should Napoleon have "known better" before invading Russia? The Swedes would say, "Yes." When they invaded Russia, they lost an army, a monarch, and their place as one of the leading nations of Europe. More Info »

The Battle of Tours

How Charles Got His Hammer...

At one time, it looked like the expansion of Islam was an unstoppable force.

By 725 A.D., Muslims owned virtually all of the Iberian peninsula and had crossed the Pyrenees, taking key towns in SW France and forming a new province called al-Andalus.And then, politics began to trump religion. With a power struggle going on in Andalus proper, the local leaders in al-Andalus starting making accommodations with their powerful Christian neighbor to the north, Aquitaine.

This arrangement upset powerful people on both sides of the religious divide and they responded in basically the same way—they both invaded Aquitaine!

More Info »

Hastings: 1066 AD

Trial by Bloody Combat!

"This year died King Edward, and Harold the earl succeeded to the kingdom, and held it forty weeks and one day. And this year came William and won England."

-- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

While exactly where the line is on whether a battle merits the title “Decisive” may be uncertain, there is no doubt that the Battle of Hastings deserves such treatment.

Common perception is that a kingdom changed hands after a single day of battle. (The truth is somewhat more complex.)

More Info »

Joan of Arc's Victory

Render to The Maid!

Even in full armor, she still looked very much like a young girl.

Among men who had done nothing but war all their lives, she maintained a soldierly bearing... and something else. She led that army to victory, confidently sending the English commander her demand,

"Render to the Maid, sent by God, the King of Heaven, all the good towns you have taken and violated in France."

History would call her Joan of Arc, with a subtitle "The Maid of Orleans." The French would call her, "St. Joan." The English would call her, "witch." And you can call her the center of an intriguing game.

More Info »

The Invincible Armada

"God Blew and They Were Scattered."

It is hard to imagine what the world would look like today had the Armada succeeded.

And yet, looking at the planning and logistics, it is also hard to imagine that the project could ever have succeeded....

More Info »

The Battle of Blenheim

“But ‘twas a famous victory!”

"The decisive blow struck at Blenheim resounded through every part of Europe. It at once destroyed the vast fabric of power which it had taken Louis XIV, aided by the talents of Turenne and the genius of Vauban, so long to construct."

-- Alison

More Info »

Poltava’s Dread Day

The Great Northern War

"Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."

George Santayana’s famous quote has often been cited when failed plans are analyzed... when something—like Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union—seems to have had a precedent that people should have "learned from," like Napoleon’s disasters in the same locale. Should Napoleon have "known better" before invading Russia?

The Swedes would say, "Yes." When they invaded Russia, they lost an army, a monarch, and their place as one of the leading nations of Europe.

More Info »

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