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Sir John Hawkwood: Chivalry and the Art of War Kindle Edition

by Stephen Cooper (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
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In Florence cathedral hangs a remarkable portrait by Uccello of Sir John Hawkwood, the English soldier of fortune who commanded the Florentine army at the age of 70 and earned a formidable reputation as one of the foremost mercenaries of the late middle ages. His life is an amazing story. He rose from modest beginnings in an Essex village, fought through the French campaigns of Edward III, went to Italy when he was 40 and played a leading role in ceaseless strife of the city-states that dominated that country. His success over so many years in such a brutal and uncertain age was founded on his exceptional skill as a soldier and commander, and it is this side of his career that Stephen Cooper explores in this perceptive and highly readable study.
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  1. Print length
    331 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    October 30, 2008
  6. File size
    5119 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen Cooper is an Oxford graduate, lawyer and civil servant who has previously written on life in eighteenth-century England and on English crime and criminals in the nineteenth century. But his main interest has always been in medieval history, and he has made a close study of the Hundred Years’ War and of mercenary warfare in medieval Italy.
His most recent book is Sir John Hawkwood: Chivalry and the Art of War.

He currently lives in Yorkshire.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009EE19E4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (October 30, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5119 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 331 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
33 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

J. Romane
5.0 out of 5 stars Medieval Italian Warfare
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent account of the career of the English mercenary commander. The approach is thematic rather than narrative. The book describes important practices and problems of the late Italian Middle Ages (1320-94)
4 people found this helpful
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David Bustillos
5.0 out of 5 stars Whats Whats
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2012
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Excellent view into the Era of Freebooting troops in the Italian City States. The Book was amazing in the information presented. Publing job was also fantastic.
3 people found this helpful
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Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and well-researched.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
This was not exactly what I was hoping for, but I'm not going to rate it based on my assumptions. I had hoped for more historical information about Sir. John himself -- more about his personal life, origins and family -- as my family believes we are descended from him. The sad fact is that there just isn't much known, and that is not the author's fault. He covered the known and did not stoop to speculation about the unknown.

Despite my disappointed expectations and not having a keen interest in the military tactics or contract problems of mercenaries, I found myself drawn into the book. Mr. Cooper manged to make a complex and messy subject understandable and interesting. I appreciate that he put the gruesome facts in the context of their times, neither softening them or trying to explain them using today's ethical or political sensitivities. The book is well-written and provided a very strong introduction of the period and politics.

If someone were writing a historical fiction set in this era/place with a military or mercenary plot, this would be an invaluable resource.

I read this a a Kindle book, and found the layout and navigation problem-free. Given the copious footnotes and sources, Kindle (or e-book) might be the best way to read this one.
4 people found this helpful
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Anton Tomsinov
3.0 out of 5 stars A book you can easily pass in favour of Caferro’s bio of Hawkwood
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
Should be just two stars but the third one is for the author’s intention to judge massacres and bloodbaths only by their legitimacy in XIV century. That’s the only true way to understand history, we are fed up with modern sensitiveness and false innocence.
A book you can easily pass in favour of Caferro’s bio of Hawkwood. The structure is a mistake: instead of choosing either chronological or subject design the author tried to do both. As a result, first half of book became a brief overview of Hawkwood’s Italian career written so quick and dry that it would be rejected even at Wikipedia. Second half is divided by topics and delivers a better reading time.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Judge John
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb and very well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating volume about a English soldier who led a troop of mercenaries in medieval Italy. I enjoyed it
[Will that be OK, Steve - see you soon I hope]
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COINWATE
5.0 out of 5 stars JOHN HAWKWOOD, SCOUNDREL OR HERO?
Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
HE WAS A MEDIEVAL KNIGHT TRYING HIS HAND AT SUCCESSFULLY ENLISTING THOUSANDS OF MERCENARY SOLDIERS IN ITALY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CITIES IN NEED FOR DEFENSE, ALWAYS SERVING THE TOWN OFFERING THE HIGHEST REWARD .AN EASY READ WITH PLENTY OF DRAMA.
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fbvet
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellente biographie
Reviewed in France on September 7, 2013
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Voici une biographie originale. Non pas par la forme, mais par le sujet. Qui connait ce personnage? Seuls ceux qui ont pu voir sa représentation artistique. Et pourtant l'auteur nous fait ici découvrir un personnage marquant de la fin du moyen-âge et avec lui, nous voyageons d'Angleterre en France pour la guerre de Cent Ans, puis en Italie. C'est l'occasion de découvrir de façon plus claire ce que c'est qu'un mercenaire à cette époque, ses motivations, ses armes, sa vie quotidienne, ainsi que celle des "grandes compagnies", mot sorti de nos livres d'histoire sans avoir jusque là été bien compréhensible. Voici donc un livre sérieux fait par un écrivain sérieux. A quand une traduction en français?
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Sir John Hawkwood extraordinary ancestor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
A very interesting and scholarly book
Quite detailed and specialised and not a light read
However since Sir John Hawkwood is an ancestor of mine I enjoyed learning about his life
One person found this helpful
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Malcolm Reid
3.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointing!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
I was disappointed with this book. I was looking forward to learning about the life, loves and battles of this fascinating character.
The book was disjointed and didn't follow a chronological order. There was no indepth description of Sir John's life, indeed I learned more about Henry V and the Black Prince.

Still it did give an insight into the political condition of medieval Italy.
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