Featured battle : Malplaquet

Part of The War of the Spanish Succession

Date : 11 September 1709

The largest of Marlborough's battles in terms of troops involved. The Allies with 110,000 men attacked the French and Bavarian's of 80,000. The French/Bavarian army was in a strong position in wooded country side on a front which they had spent three days preparing. In a very bloody battle the Allies, particularly the Dutch, took very heavy casualties. About 24,000 Allied soldiers were killed compared with 9,000 French/Bavarians. The French/Bavarians conducted an orderly retreat and saved most of their guns. The result was a technical victory for the Allies in that it removed the French from a strategically important position and opened the way for the seige and capture of Mons and Tournai

Roman Conquests: Britain

Simon Elliot
Here we have a super overview of a complex series of events presented in a most readable manner. The vast majority of the content is confined to the shores of Britain but there is sufficient material to give Britain a context within the wider Roman world. Among the general information is a running commentary on the changes within the Roman military over the period of the occupation of Britannia. The main invasion leading to settlement is of course dealt with in detail. The later attempts to expand to cover the whole of the mainland are also explained. The whole island was never conquered and this directly resulted in the necessary continuing presence of a significant military force. Perhaps the most telling sentence which came out of the author’s research is the fact that 12 per cent of Roman military establishment was in 4 per cent of its geographic area. This book goes a long way to explaining why. The gradual end of Roman occupation is set in the context of the decline of the whole empire brought about in no small part by the infighting of would be Caesars. Many uprisings began in Britain and in the process removed valuable troops to support the leader’s claims on the continent.
There is a very good set of illustrations but the reader is expected to know the geography of Britain and its immediate neighbours as there is not a single map. The timeline and the bibliography are both great supports to the reader wanting to know more in detail. [Simon Elliot's book on Roman Britain's Missing Legion reviewed on this site is a case in point]
This book is a good stand alone read and a valuable jumping off point for those who want more. We highly recommend it.

Pen & Sword Military, 2021