Just Wars and Moral Victories

Surprise, Deception and the Normative Framework of European War in the Later Middle Ages

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While recognising the sophistication of the practice of medieval warfare, many people still have problems reconciling the widespread use of surprise and deception with the code of chivalric warfare. Was chivalry really just a meaningless veneer? If true, perhaps more perplexing are the many cases where surprise or deception were not employed and advantages were therefore sacrificed. This work argues that understanding these apparent inconsistencies requires an appreciation of the moral and legal context of medieval strategic thought. Through taking this approach, chivalric warfare can be seen for what it was - a very real framework or system of rules that allowed a result or decision to be reached which could be accepted by both sides.

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David Whetham Ph.D. (2005) University of London, lectures on the ethical and legal dimensions of warfare in the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London, based at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the UK Defence Academy.
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Metaphysical and Moral Context
Chapter Three: The Role of War as a Legal Instrument in the Middle Ages.
Chapter Four: The Epitome of Military Science
Chapter Five: The Works of Geoffroy de Charny
Chapter Six: Froissart: The Management of Chivalric Expectation
Chapter Seven: Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
All those interested in the history of warfare, the development of strategic thought in Europe, the nature of victory and the legal and ethical context of later medieval warfare.
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