Kelly DeVries is a professor in the Department of History at Loyola University, Maryland and an honorary historical consultant at the Royal Armouries, UK.Robert Douglas Smith is an independent museum consultant who spent 15 years as Head of Conservation with the Royal Armouries. His published works include Artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy 1363–1477 (2005, with K. DeVries), Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of Their Impact (2007, with K. DeVries), and Rewriting the History of Gunpowder (2010).

• List of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroduction Part I: Arms and Armor Chapter 1: Arms The Spear/LanceThe AxeThe SwordThe DaggerThe Staff-WeaponThe MaceThe War Hammer The SlingThe BowThe Crossbow Chapter 2: Armor Early Medieval ArmorArmor in the Bayeux TapestryTwelfth-Century ArmorShields, Helmets, and Heraldry in the Thirteenth CenturyFourteenth-Century Body ArmorCloth-Covered Armor from the Battlefield of VisbyLater Fourteenth-Century Armor DevelopmentsPlate ArmorLate Medieval Infantry ArmorLate Medieval HelmetsLate Medieval Shields and Barding Chapter 3: The Stirrup, Mounted Shock Combat, Chivalry, and Feudalism White's ThesisCriticism of White's Thesis Part II: Artillery Chapter 4: Non-Gunpowder Artillery Torsion CatapultsTraction TrebuchetsCounterweight TrebuchetsGreek Fire Chapter 5: Gunpowder Artillery Early History of European Gunpower WeaponsSiege, Battlefield, and Naval ApplicationsTypes and Manufacturing of Gunpowder, Gunpowder Weapons, and ProjectilesSocietal Impacts and Administrative Changes Chapter 6: Siege Machines LaddersSiege TowersBattering Rams and Mining Devices Part III: Fortifications Chapter 7: Early Medieval Fortifications Late Roman and BarbarianCarolingianThe Viking Invasions and Reactions Chapter 8: The Motte-and-Bailey Castle The Influence of William the ConquerorConstruction Techniques Chapter 9: Stone Castles The Origin of Stone CastlesEleventh- and Twelfth-Century Stone CastlesCrusader CastlesThe Golden Age of Castle ConstructionEdward I's Castles in Wales Chapter 10: Urban Fortifications and Fortified Residences Fortified ResidencesTown WallsThe Influence of Gunpowder Weapons Part IV: Warships Chapter 11: Early Medieval Warships Late Roman and Early Medieval ShipsViking ShipsWilliam the Conqueror's Fleet Chapter 12: High and Late Medieval Warships Crusader ShipsThirteenth-Century ShipsTechnological Innovations Later Medieval Ships ConclusionBibliographyIndex