Medieval Military

The samurai are among the most iconic warriors in history. The fighting elite of feudal Japan, they have played a dominant role in the country's life for over 1,000 years. The Samurai: The History and Legacy of Japan’s Military Elite looks at who the samurai were, how they fought, and the historical wars in which they played a leading part. You will learn about the samurai like never before.

As the dissipating fog gave way to an unnerving sight, the mass of frightening figures clad head to toe in gleaming armor would have been enough to take anyone's breath away. Some of them were mounted on the backs of handsome stallions, while others leaned forward with squared shoulders, ready to attack. In one swift motion, the men unsheathe their swords and raise it over their heads, their weapons winking as the glare of the sunlight bounces off the blade.

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century, and the Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate the West today, but of all the world’s civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. In the past decade especially, there has been a renewed focus on the Mayans, whose advanced calendar led many to speculate the world would end on the same date the Mayan calendar ended in 2012.

A fines del siglo IX los vikingos atacaron París como parte de la gran campaña del Sena que habían iniciado por esos tiempos. Los saqueadores escandinavos, valiéndose de poderosos navíos para realizar sus devastadoras incursiones en territorio francés. Pero los vikingos no se esperaban la respuesta de los francos, quienes ofrecieron su vida en defensa de su ciudad. Sea testigo de la feroz batalla entre el poderío vikingo y el pueblo parisino en esta impresionante crónica histórica.

Un enfrentamiento épico y decisivo desarrollado en el año 1066 entre las tropas del gran Harold II, último rey sajón de Inglaterra, y los invasores vikingo-normandos del futuro Guillermo I de Inglaterra. Las consecuencias de esta batalla se dejarían sentir incluso muchos años después.

Una de los conflictos bélicos más devastadores de los que acontecieron entre Génova y Venecia a finales del siglo XIV. La disputa por el control de la isla de Ténedos en el Mar Egeo provocó el estallido de una contienda que formó parte de una serie de conflictos entre estas dos repúblicas italianas, que competían por el control del comercio mediterráneo durante la Edad Media.

Not many people have influenced the world we live in today in quite the same way as Abraham Lincoln. A visionary, scholar, and gentle soul. Simple qualities we all have within us, but few use these qualities to benefit mankind in quite the same way as Abe did. Centuries after his passing into spirit, we still remember his name, his work, and his legacy and will continue to do so for centuries to come. This short trilogy of verse I feel best capture his essence and the feeling of people who lived with and knew him.

Although many have heard of the Crusades and some of the more famous orders like the Templars, few know about the Livonian Crusade or the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. This organization was one of many Catholic military orders that sprung up during the Middle Ages in response to the papacy’s call for holy war, and the Livonian Crusade is the term used to group together dozens of military actions undertaken by German knights in Eastern Europe. The order would go on to become one of the most influential of religious knighthoods by incorporating into the Teutonic Knights.