The Carthaginians were undoubtedly the most formidable enemies of the ever-expanding Roman Republic, due to their sophisticated and often well-led military forces. Although the citizens of Carthage itself, a seafaring, mercantile state by tradition, may not have had the same military ethos as the Romans, they compensated by fielding varied multinational armies consisting of subject, allied and mercenary contingents, many of them recruited from the most famous warrior peoples of the Mediterranean. These included the incomparable Numidian light cavalry, the famed slingers of the Balearic islands, fierce Celts and skilled Spanish swordsmen, not forgetting the famous war elephants. During the first of the three conflicts that they fought against the Roman Republic - the famous Punic Wars - the Carthaginians completely reformed their land forces along Hellenistic lines and invited an experienced Spartan officer to command it. During the Second Punic War, they obtained a series of stunning victories over the Romans under the brilliant leadership of their own Hannibal Barca, marauding through Italy for some fifteen years. Gabriele Esposito reconstructs the history, organization and weapons of the Carthaginian military forces across the Punic Wars (264-146 BC). The weapons, armour and tactics of each of the various ethnic components is analyzed and the accessible text is supported by dozens of excellent colour photographs, showing replica equipment in use.

This book provides a complete and detailed analysis of the organization and equipment of the Macedonian army built by Philip II and later employed to world-changing effect by his son, Alexander III (the Great). This work explains how Philip took the traditional forces of Macedon and reformed them into the most modern and sophisticated combined-arms force in the Mediterranean world. Not only the formidable pike phalanx and the hard-charging Companion cavalry, but also the less famous components, such as light and cavalry types, are described in detail. The tactics employed in the great battles that won the largest empire the world had seen are analysed. With numerous colour photos showing replica weapons and equipment in use, this is a vivid, detailed and accessible study of the army that made Alexander great.

This book describes and illustrates the armies of the embattled Ottoman Turkish Empire involved in 19th-century wars during the Empire’s long spiral of decline. During the so called ‘long 19th century’, between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the difficulties faced by the Ottoman Turkish Empire were a recurrent factor in international geopolitics. Against a background of Russian–Ottoman rivalry, France and Britain supported the Empire during the Crimean War (1854–56), but not in the Russo–Turkish War (1877–78). Portraying the uniforms, arms and appearance of Ottoman troops during this period, this book traces the history of the Ottoman Empire throughout this period, when no fewer than ten wars of regional insurgency and foreign expansion against the Empire were fought in territories in south-eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Using rare photos and illustrations from Turkish, Balkan and other sources, author, Gabriele Esposito details the history of the multi-ethnic Ottoman armies periodic attempts to modernize which enabled them to win some victories at a tactical level. But the Empire – ‘the sick man of Europe’ – lacked a coherent strategy or sufficient resources, and failed attempts to crush regional uprisings and to defend borders, saw the steady loss of territories. Due to misgovernment and economic failure, unrest finally boiled over in 1908–09, reducing the sultan’s court to a largely ceremonial role, and installing a military government by the ‘Young Turks’ led by the general Enver Pasha. This book is a vivid description of the organization, operations, uniforms and equipment of one of the most active and varied armies of the ‘long 19th century’ and paints a detailed picture of the Ottoman Empire's struggle to maintain control of its territories.

Describes how newly modernized Japan waged war against China in its first overseas campaign, marking its rapid transition into Asia's leading military power only 30 years after emerging from centuries of feudalism. After the Meiji restoration of the Japanese imperial regime in 1868-77, modernization along Western lines of Japan's industry, communications and land and naval forces advanced with remarkable speed and, by the 1890s, the rejuvenated nation was ready to flex its muscles overseas. The obvious opponent was the huge but medieval Chinese Empire, and the obvious arena for war was Korea, a nearby Chinese protectorate that Japan had long coveted. (A secondary campaign would be fought on Formosa/Taiwan, an autonomous Chinese island protectorate.) In this study, author Gabriele Esposito describes the bloodthirsty course of the Japanese campaign in China, using colour illustrations and photos to showcase the organization, equipment and appearance of the various Chinese forces (China had no true national army), the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, and, for the first time in English, the Korean and Formosan participants. Japan's victory left it confident enough to challenge Imperial Russia and, nine years later, it defeated it at the Battle of Tsushima where two-thirds of the Russian fleet was destroyed by the Japanese Navy. This victory confirmed Japan's place as Asia's leading military power, soon to become a realistic rival to the West.

After the Norman conquest of 1066, the English lands gradually lost their Saxon character and became much more similar to continental Europe than previously; feudalism was brought to the British Isles by the Normans, together with a new model of centralized monarchy, thus changing the administrative and social structures of England forever. After a few decades, however, the new royal family initiated by William the Conqueror disappeared due to the lack of direct heirs and thus the Kingdom of England entered a chaotic phase characterised by civil conflicts, as well as by the search for a new royal house that could assume control over the turbulent English lands. This historical period, known as 'The Anarchy', began in 1135 and ended only in 1154, when the first Plantagenet was crowned as monarch of the English realm. The new royal family would have kept power over its kingdom for more than three centuries, until the outbreak of the War of the Roses. During this long period, the Plantagenet kings fought a series of conflicts, which can be grouped into three main categories: wars fought against the French monarchy in continental Europe, wars fought in the British Isles against the 'Celtic nations' (Wales, Scotland and Ireland) and civil conflicts fought in England against rebel aristocrats. This book pays special attention to the wars fought by England against Wales, Scotland and Ireland; at the same time, it provides a detailed overview of the 'minor' conflicts that saw the Plantagenet monarchs campaigning in France. This book will cover the history, organization and equipment of the English armies that fought the many wars of the early Plantagenet period.

The Italian Risorgimento was the political process that led to the unification of the Italian peninsula into a single kingdom after three bloody wars fought between Piedmont and Austria. It lasted for more than two decades (1848-1870) and was one of the key moments in the history of Europe. In this book, all the Italian military contingents taking part to the campaigns of 1848-1870 will be taken into consideration and thus the armies of the following states will be covered: Piedmont, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Papal States, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Duchy of Modena, and Duchy of Parma. The analysis will not focus only on the regular troops, but also on the armies of the short-lived "Revolutionary States" and on the many volunteer corps that came from abroad in order to fight for the Italian cause. The whole book will be illustrated with a large amount of color plates, showing the uniforms of iconic military units like Piedmontese Bersaglieri and Papal Zouaves.

The period covered in this book saw the Roman Republic face its greatest military challenges. In 264 the Romans were pitted against the might of Carthage in the first of the three Punic Wars, which would push Rome to the brink but end with the destruction of this great rival city. In the following two centuries they would clash repeatedly with the Gauls, this recurrent threat finally overcome by Caesar's campaigns in Gaul. In this period they defeated the Hellenistic Successor states, proud heirs to the military legacy of Alexander the Great, a process completed by the annexation of Egypt in 30 BC. These wars, and others, made the Romans masters of all Western Europe and the whole Mediterranean basin, though failure against the Parthians limited their ambitions in the East. The Roman armies of this era were also employed against each other in the vicious civil wars that marked the end of the Republican period. Gabriele Esposito describes the tactics, organization, weapons and equipment of the Roman forces involved in these wars. He shows how the lessons of defeats and victories against such varied opponents in far-flung theatres, as well as social changes, forced a process of evolution and reforms that transformed Roman armies across this turbulent period. As usual, his clear, accessible text is supported by dozens of colour images of replica weapons and equipment in use.

A complete illustrated study of the varied range of Italian colonial units who served in East and North Africa. Italy only unified as a nation in 1870 and was late, and therefore impatient, in the 'scramble' for Africa. An initial foothold in Eritrea/Somalia, north-east Africa, led to a disastrous defeat in Ethiopia in 1896 at the Battle of Adwa, but Italian Somaliland was later consolidated on the west coast of the Red Sea. During 1911, Italy also invaded Libya, securing the coast, however fighting continued throughout World War I and only ended in the early 1930s. A number of native colonial regiments were raised in both Italian East Africa and Libya (in the latter, even a pioneering paratroop unit), of which most fought sturdily for Italy against the Allies in 1940-43. These units had particularly colourful uniforms and insignia. Another small guard unit also served in the Italian concession at Tientsin, China in 1902-1943. After World War II, a remnant unit served on in Somalia under a UN mandate until 1960. This intriguing volume describes and illustrates the dress and equipment used by these forces and details how they were deployed to maintain a colonial empire for over half a century.

Gabriele Esposito presents an overview of the military history of the Germanic peoples of this period and describes in detail the weapons and tactics they employed on the battlefield. He starts by showing how, from very early on, the Germanic communities were heavily influenced by Celtic culture. He then moves on to describe the major military events, starting with the first major encounter between the Germanic tribes and the Romans: the invasion by the Cimbri and Teutones. Julius Caesar's campaigns against German groups seeking to enter Gaul are described in detail as is the pivotal Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, which effectively halted Roman expansion into Germany and for centuries fixed the Rhine as the border between the Roman and Germanic civilizations. Escalating pressure of Germanic raids and invasions was a major factor in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The author's analysis explains how Germanic warriors were able to crush the Roman military forces on several occasions, gradually transformed the Roman Army itself from the inside and, after the fall of the Empire, created new Romano-Germanic Kingdoms across Europe. The evolution of Germanic weapons, equipment and tactics is examined and brought to life through dozens of colour photos of replica equipment in use.

Before becoming the masters of the Mediterranean world, the Romans had first to conquer the Italian peninsula in a series of harsh conflicts against its other varied and warlike residents. The outcome was no foregone conclusion and it took the Romans half a millennium to secure the whole of Italy. Gabriele Esposito presents the armies that fought these wars, in which the Roman military spirit and their famous legions were forged. He not only follows the evolution of the Roman forces from the Regal Period to the outbreak of the Second Punic War but also the forces of their neighbours, rivals and enemies. The most notable of these, the Etruscans, Samnites and the Italian Greeks are given particular attention but others, such as the Celts and Ligures of the North and the warriors of Sicily and Sardinia, are also considered. Details of the organization, weapons, equipment and tactics of each army are described, while dozens of beautiful colour photos of reenactors show how these warriors looked in the field.

This title explores and illustrates the armies of France, and six countries allied against Louis XIV, in a wide-ranging Continental conflict that ushered in more than a century of European warfare. Formed in 1689, the 'Grand Alliance' or League of Augsburg was a military coalition of the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, Britain, Spain and the Duchy of Savoy, to resist Louis XIV's rich, powerful and expansionist France. The first stage of the nine year conflict that followed also coincided with the so-called 'Glorious Revolution' in Britain (1688-91), when the throne passed to the Dutch Protestant leader, William of Orange, the head of a multi-national Dutch, Danish and English army, which finally expelled James II's Jacobite and French forces from Ireland. The long war on the continent was notable for the first widespread use of regimental uniforms and flintlock muskets with bayonets, plus the sophisticated use of siege warfare under the great French engineer, Vauban. The final Treaties of Ryswyck (1697) brought the war to an end and marked Louis XIV's political zenith, and also the ascendancy of both the Dutch and British as first-rate global powers. This fully illustrated title explores the armies which fought the War of the Grand Alliance, examining their strength, organization, uniforms and weapons, and explaining their campaigns and major battles.

During the first half of the 19th century, the newly-formed countries of South America lived in a state of great political turmoil, since they fought against each other for defining the extension of their national territories. Four of them in particular were involved in a series of large-scale conflicts that shaped the history of South America forever: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. In this book, we will analyze the armies of the latter countries for the period 1825-1870, paying particular attention to the years of the bloody Paraguayan War (1864-1870). For the first time in English and outside South America, a single book will provide many details on four major non-European armies and will provide dozens of uniform plates showing all the incredible variety of the South American armies’ military dress. Regular and irregular contingents will be all covered, together with militia units and volunteer corps in a fantastic “military parade�.

The legionary soldier of the early Empire period, with his distinctive segmented armour, is one of the images most closely associated by popular imagination with ancient Rome. Such soldiers conquered most of Britain, suffered and avenged the terrible disaster of the Teutoburg Forest and vanquished the fearsome Dacians across the Danube, a feat immortalized on Trajan's Column, as well as fighting many other tribes. In the East they overcame the Great Jewish Revolt and repeatedly contended with mixed success against the powerful Parthians. This was the army that enforced the so-called Pax Romana at the point of a gladius and maintained the greatest empire the world had yet seen. Of course, such troops were also employed to bloody effect in the many civil wars such as those of AD69, the Year of the Four of the Emperors'. Gabriele Esposito describes the tactics, organization and equipment of the Roman army at the height of its powers, considered by many to be the most efficient and powerful fighting force of the ancient world. He gives an overview of the most significant campaigns and considers in detail not only the iconic legionaries but also the various auxiliary units, including cavalry. His clear, accessible text is supported by dozens of colour photos of replica weapons, armour and other kit in use.

The ascent of the Plantagenets to the English throne in 1154 led to the beginning of a new historical phase in the British Isles, which was marked by numerous wars that were fought between the Kingdom of England and the 'Celtic nations' of Wales, Scotland and Ireland. During the rule of the Norman kings, the English armies had not completed the conquest of Wales and had established only some footholds in Ireland; Scotland was still independent and was ready to contest the Plantagenets' possession of northern England. As a result of this situation, the two centuries between the rise of the new dynasty and the beginning of the Hundred Years' War were characterized by a series of wars that ravaged feudal England. Gabriele Esposito covers all these conflicts, following the campaigns of Richard the Lionheart as well as those of his younger brother who was defeated on the continent at the large Battle of Bouvines; the conquest of Wales is analysed in detail, as well as the First Scottish War of Independence that saw William Wallace playing a prominent role. The organization and equipment of all the troop types taken into account is described in full detail and lavishly illustrated with colour images of reenactors, bringing these forces to life.

The Crimean War was the first major European war since the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Britain's only war on that continent in the century between Waterloo and WW1\. When Russia invaded provinces of the Ottoman Empire, the British and French, later joined by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, intervened to limit Russian expansion towards the Black Sea. Each of the armies contained an eclectic mix of units. The regular European regiments still displayed much of the bright colour and finery associated with the Napoleonic era (the British infantry in their scarlet tunics forming the famous �thin red line' at Balaklava for instance), while each also contained a mix of exotic units drawn from across their respective empires. The French fielded Zouaves and Spahis from North and West Africa, not to mention the legendary Foreign Legion; the Ottomans had Tunisians and Egyptians alongside Balkan mountaineers and the infamous Bashi-bazouks; the Russians of course had their Cossacks and the British fielded little-known German, Swiss and Italian mercenaries. Gabriele Esposito details the composition, organization, uniforms and weaponry of each force and illustrates many of them with early black and white photos (this being the first major war for which photography was available), as well as numerous colour artworks.

This volume covers the infantry units of Napoleon's Imperial Army, during the crucial years 1800-1815. When the future Emperor assumed control of France, the infantry of his army was disorganized and poorly equipped; it lacked discipline and was trained in a quite old-fashioned way. Napoleon acted very rapidly to resolve the major problems of his foot troops, by giving them a new structure and by teaching them new tactics. By 1805, the French infantry was without a doubt the best in the world in terms of combat capabilities. The book will cover all the categories of units that were part of Napoleon's infantry: line regiments, light regiments, foreign corps and special corps. It is not always realized that the French infantry of 1800-1815 included large numbers of foreign soldiers and even an Irish Legion; all these little-known corps are taken into consideration, together with several special corps like Corsican light infantry and mountain infantry. Gabriele Esposito provides a complete guide to the French infantry of Napoleon, illustrated with rare contemporary uniform plates that have never been published before.

This book provides a complete and detailed analysis of the organization and equipment employed by the armies of the Hellenistic States. After Alexander the Great's death in 323 BC, his immense Macedonian empire was divided between his ambitious generals, who in turn formed their own monarchies across Eastern Europe, Asia and North Africa. This work will follow the development of the Hellenistic military forces from the army bequeathed by Alexander the Great to the complex military machines that succumbed one by one in the wars against the expanding Romans. As decades and centuries progressed, Hellenistic warfare became always more sophisticated: the 'diadochi' (Alexander's successors) could field armies with thousands of men, chariots, elephants and siege machines; these came from all the territories of the former Macedonian Empire. The book will also show how Hellenistic forces were strongly influenced by Roman models during the last years of independence of their kingdoms. The states analysed are: Macedon, Seleucid Empire, Ptolemaic Egypt, Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Armenia, Pergamon, Pontus, Cappadocia, Galatia, Bosporan Kingdom, Epirus, Sicily, Achaean League and Aetolian League.

King Philip's War was the result of over 50 years' tension between the native inhabitants of New England and its colonial settlers as the two parties competed for land and resources. A coalition of Native American tribes fought against a force of over 1,000 men raised by the New England Confederation of Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven and Massachusetts Bay, alongside their Indian allies the Mohegans and Mohawks. The resultant fighting in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and later Maine and New Hampshire, resulted in the destruction of 12 towns, the death of between 600-800 colonists and 3,000 Indians, making it the deadliest war in the history of American colonization Although war resulted in victory for the colonists, the scale of death and destruction led to significant economic hardship. This new study reveals the full story of this influential conflict as it raged across New England. Packed with maps, battle scenes, and bird's-eye-views, this is a comprehensive guide to the war which determined the future of colonial America.

In the early 1900s, the decaying Ottoman Turkish Empire had lost some of its Balkan territories, but still nominally ruled all of North Africa between British Egypt in the east and French Algeria in the west. Libya had fertile coastal territory, and was the last North African (almost, the last African) region not yet conquered by a European colonialist power. Italy was a young country, ambitious for colonies, but had been defeated in Ethiopia in the 1890s. The Italian government of Giovanni Giolitti was keen to overwrite the memory of that failure, and to gain a strategic grip over the central Mediterranean by seizing Libya, just across the narrows from Sicily. The Italian expeditionary force that landed in October 1911 easily defeated the Ottoman division based in the coastal cities, incurring few losses. However, the Libyan inland tribes reacted furiously to the Italian conquest, and their insurgency cost the Italians thousands of casualties, locking them into the coastal enclaves during a winter stalemate which diminished Italian public enthusiasm for the war. To retrieve Italian prestige the government launched a naval campaign in the Dardanelles and the Dodecanese - the last Turkish held archipelago in the Aegean - in April-May 1912, and landed troops to capture Rhodes. The army finally pushed inland in Libya in July- October (using systematic air reconnaissance, for the first time), and after brutal fighting the war ended in a treaty that brought Italy all it wanted, although though the Libyan tribes would not finally be quelled until after World War I. Containing accurate full-colour artwork and unrivalled detail, Armies of the Italian-Turkish War offers a vivid insight into the troops involved in this pivotal campaign, including the tribal insurgents and the navies of both sides.

The period covered in this book is one of the most famed and glorious for the British Army and the infantry were its backbone. Gabriele Esposito examines how the foot regiments were reformed and evolved to absorb the lessons of defeat in America and setbacks elsewhere to become the efficient and dependable bedrock of victory in the Napoleonic Wars. He details the uniforms, equipment and weapons of the infantry, along with their organization and tactics. Chapters are devoted to the Guards, the line regiments of foot, the Light Infantry and Rifles as well as Highland and Lowland Scots regiments. The author considers not only those units serving with Wellington in the Peninsular War and Waterloo Campaign, but all British infantry units, including those in Canada, the West Indies, India and elsewhere, not forgetting even the home defence Fencibles. Foreign units serving with the British army, most notably the King's German Legion, are also included. The work is lavishly illustrated with colour artwork.

The Thracians are mentioned as early as in the epic poems by Homer and were fundamental in the evolution of the Greek military systems across the ages. They fought in the Persian Wars, were part of Alexander the Great's army, were used as mercenaries in many Hellenistic armies and resisted Roman conquest for a long time. In addition, they used some iconic weapons and had a distincitve panoply. The Dacians were a mix of different cultures and were extremely influenced by some steppe peoples like the Sarmatians. They had a lot in common with the Thracians but had a different history. They formed one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms of Antiquity, a sort of super-power that dominated over the Balkans. Their wars against Trajan and the Roman Army were absolutely epic, the last campaigns of conquest in the history of the Western Roman Empire. The book contains a rich collection of photos specifically made for it by some excellent groups of reenactors.

The restoration of the Meiji Imperial dynasty in 1868, after 250 years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, decisively opened Japan to the outside world and the monarchy embraced modernization, including the creation of a new Westernized army. However, this modernization process was resisted by the traditional Samurai feudal nobility, leading to a series of battles. The first clash between the two cultures came swiftly. During the Boshin War of 1868 -69, a French military adviser, Jules Brunet, changed sides to join the insurgents. They won several engagements before the final crushing of the rebel Ezo Republic. After this point, the Imperial Army continued to modernize along French lines, and social changes began to impoverish Samurai noblemen, who lost their social and political role and their associated privileges. During 1876, the powerful Satsuma Domain, around Kagoshima in south-west Kyushu, became a focus for discontent. Its leader Saigo Takamori effectively ignored the central government, and in January 1877, increasing unrest broke out into open rebellion. The Imperial forces were now much stronger, and the Navy could land troops and bombard Kagoshima. The bitter Satsuma siege and attempted capture of Kumamoto Castle finally failed in April, and the Samurai made a last stand at Shiroyama on 24 September, choosing to go down fighting. This marked the final defeat and displacement of the Samurai class. This fully illustrated title explores the fall of the Samurai in detail, examining the arms, tactics, key figures of both sides, and charting the increasing Westernization of the Imperial forces.

The French Army of Napoleon could count on a brilliant mounted arm, consisting of three main types of cavalry: heavy, medium and light. The first, consisting of carabiniers and cuirassiers, was tasked with conducting frontal charges; the second, consisting of dragoons and lancers, could perform a variety of different duties; the third, consisting of hussars and mounted chasseurs, was tasked with scouting and skirmishing. The various regiments were all dressed in flamboyant uniforms and distinctive equipment. Perhaps more than any other troops they encapsulated the dash and glamour of Napoleonic warfare. Napoleon started his military career as an artillery officer and thus always paid great attention to the quality of his army's artillery, which consisted of both foot and horse units. Several of Bonaparte's greatest victories were achieved thanks to the superiority of his artillery, which was with undoubtedly the best in Europe during the period 1799-1815\. In addition to cavalry and artillery, the author also covers the minor technical corps' of Napoleon's army, such as the engineers and supply train. All are beautifully illustrated by the many colour plates in this book, and their organization, equipment and tactics described.

The Italian Renaissance marked a period of political and military turmoil. Many regional wars were fought between the states ruled by Milan, Venice, Genoa, Florence, the Papacy, Siena and Naples. For more than 50 years starting in 1494, major foreign powers also exploited these divisions to invade Italy; both France and Spain made temporary alliances with city states to further their ambitions, and early in the 16th century the Emperor Charles V sent armies from his German realms to support the Spanish. These wars coincided with the growth of disciplined infantry - carrying not only polearms and crossbows but also hand guns - which proved capable of challenging the previously dominant armoured knights. The widespread use of mercenaries ushered in the early development of the 'pike and shot' era that succeeded the 'High Middle Ages'. During this period costumes, armour and weapons varied greatly due to their national origins and to the evolution of tactics and technology. This masterfully illustrated study offers a fascinating insight into the many armies which fought in Italy during this turbulent period, explaining not only their arms and equipment, but also their structure and successes and failures on the battlefield.