Henry VIII's Army (Men-At-Arms Series, 191) Paperback – November 26, 1987

The pictures by Angus McBride are magnificent, as usual. The text is good, but I would have done some reorganization - instead of starting with narrative, then going into the make-up of the army, I would have preferred to read the narrative after knowing about organization, arms, uniforms, etc. This is easy to deal with though - just read the beginning last. The other problem here is not about the book so much, but rather the subject matter - Henry VIII's adventures in France are just not as compelling as other English adventures on the continent, such as the Hundred Years War, and Marlborough's actions. One of the more interesting aspect of the book is the discussion about the transition from Medieval armed forces in heraldic symbols/uniforms, to national uniformly attired armed forces.

This book examines the army of England as it appeared in the first half of the 16th Century, and looks at certain climatic battles like the Battle of the Spurs and the Battle of Flodden, fought in France and Scotland respectively, and both in 1513. During this era the Scots and especially the French were considered England's worst enemies; the author explains that the English were not usually deliberately out to provoke France, but the two nations had common interests on the Continent and so confrontation was inevitable.Although gunpowder weapons were indeed common throughout the Old World by this point in history, for most of this book's period the English soldier was still much more likely to fight with a longbow or bill/halberd. The armament and armor of the cavalry and infantry are discussed in detail after a summary of Henry's wars and the organization of his army. Uniforms and flags are also studied.The illustrator, Angus McBride, maintained a reputation as one of the greatest illustrators for military history, wargaming, and fantasy warfare books from the early 1970's up to his death in 2007. Although one time or another I have probably seen most of his artwork, I have to say this here is some of his best. McBride illustrates the English soldiers, with their Irish and Landsknecht allies, with breathtaking color and detail, and captures them in such lifelike poses and expressions they can remind you of people you know. The uniforms and appearances of the English soldiers make the artwork even more interesting; most of these men wore their hair very long and wore all sorts of colorful, garish, and sometimes plain bizarre uniforms and outfits.As with most Osprey books illustrated by McBride, but even more so than usual, the color plates alone make this book worth every cent. The text, however, would be valuable to the wargamer, historian, or history teacher as well. In short, I could hardly think of a better book to flesh out the appearance of late medieval English troops, or a better introduction to their arms, organization, and most famous battles.

The English armies of the sixteenth century are very little known, this little osprey book is a good start on this topic.

Great supplement to the many biographies of Henry VIII that tend to focus on the political, social, and religious aspects of the reign of this controversial King of England. There is a natural fascination with the story of his six wives and the beginning of the Reformation so that Henry's military campaigns are little known now.

Gift for friend but looked to be good

an excellent entry level book for the subject, the children liked the beautiful illustrations and the explanations are breif but concise