Medieval Warfare magazine in 2021

We have a lot to look forward to in this new year, as hopefully the pandemic begins to recede and we can all get back to a more normal life. Here at Medieval Warfare magazine, our plans for 2021 are firming up, and we’ve got some really interesting issues ahead for you.

This will be the eleventh year for our magazine, and we have covered quite many topics. Still, the Middle Ages provided a lot of history, and it allows us to tell you a lot of different stories. Our first issue (XI:1) will focus on medieval technology and will have our first ever debate. Kelly DeVries and David Zimmerman will each be writing on technological determinism in warfare as seen in the Middle Ages, or as Kelly puts it: ‘Catapults are not Atomic Bombs'. Steven Walton will also be writing for this issue, telling us about the stirrup thesis, an idea that spurred a lot of thinking about warfare and the impact of technology.

Our second issue of 2021 will be about Holy Wars. While often this means crusades and jihad, we have a feature article from Alfred J. Andrea where he will be looking at holy wars fought in Ethiopia, China and South America. Look also for pieces on Sicily and the First Crusade.

The other issues for 2021 are not quite set in stone yet, but the plan is to have themes about:

• The Battle of Largs, fought between Scotland and Norway in 1263
• Le Jouvencel - a 15th-century war manual and history that masquerades as a work of fiction
• Vlad III, aka Vlad the Impaler aka Vlad Dracula! Look for that around Halloween
• The sieges of the Hundred Years’ War

We’re going to have a lot of diverse articles outside of these themes as well, as we already have pieces ready on topics such as the Vandals against Byzantium, Japanese castles, and the Mamluks in Cyprus. The year ahead should be a lot of fun, and I hope you will join us by subscribing to Medieval Warfare.