Stuart Ellis-Gorman | Trinity College Dublin (original) (raw)

Books by Stuart Ellis-Gorman

Research paper thumbnail of The Medieval Crossbow: A Weapon Fit to Kill a King

Pen and Sword Books, 2022

Publishers blurb: The crossbow is an iconic weapon of the Middle Ages and, alongside the long... more Publishers blurb:

The crossbow is an iconic weapon of the Middle Ages and, alongside the longbow, one of the most effective ranged weapons of the pre-gunpowder era. Unfortunately, despite its general fame it has been decades since an in-depth history of the medieval crossbow has been published, which is why Stuart Ellis-Gorman’s detailed, accessible, and highly illustrated study is so valuable.

The Medieval Crossbow approaches the history of the crossbow from two directions. The first is a technical study of the design and construction of the medieval crossbow, the many different kinds of crossbows used during the Middle Ages, and finally a consideration of the relationship between crossbows and art.

The second half of the book explores the history of the crossbow, from its origins in ancient China to its decline in sixteenth-century Europe. Along the way it explores the challenges in deciphering the crossbow’s early medieval history as well as its prominence in warfare and sport shooting in the High and Later Middle Ages.

This fascinating book brings together the work of a wide range of accomplished crossbow scholars and incorporates the author’s own original research to create an account of the medieval crossbow that will appeal to anyone looking to gain an insight into one of the most important weapons of the Middle Ages.

Doctoral Thesis by Stuart Ellis-Gorman

Research paper thumbnail of The Technological Development of the Bow and the Crossbow in the Later Middle Ages, (Unpublished PhD Thesis, Trinity College Dublin, 2016).

This thesis has taken an archaeological approach to understanding how the design of bows and cros... more This thesis has taken an archaeological approach to understanding how the design of bows and crossbows developed over the course of the Later Middle Ages. The primary evidence used in this work was surviving medieval weapons. The dimensions of these artefacts were compared with those from similar weapons across and within centuries. This showed both the variety of weapons that existed within a given century, and how these weapons changed over time. For the bow, this thesis was focused on showing how the longbow developed from a relatively weak prehistoric weapon to the powerful bows of the Mary Rose, and emphasised that length was a flawed metric for determining weapon power. In comparison, the crossbow was shown to be a weapon of significant variety – so much so that it does the weapon a disservice to be referred to simplistically with a single name – and one in need of further investigation. To supplement the archaeological analysis, this thesis included: a discussion of the mechanics of archery and their relationship to weapon design, details of the problems with using medieval art as a substitute for archaeological evidence, an overview of crossbow spanning devices, and a comparison of the roles filled by the bow and crossbow in medieval warfare.

Book Reviews by Stuart Ellis-Gorman

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Andy King and Andrew M. Spencer (eds.), Edward I: New Interpretations, History vol. 106 no. 371 (2021). 467-468

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Chris Skidmore, Richard III: England’s Most Controversial King, The Journal of Military History vol 83 no 2, (2019). 559-60.

Journal of Military History , 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Michael Prestwich, A Short History of the Hundred Years War, The Journal of Military History vol 82 no 4, (2018). 1265-66.

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Andrew D. Buck, The Principality of Antioch and Its Frontiers in the Twelfth Century, The Journal of Military History vol 82 no 1, (2018). 227-29.

Conference Presentations by Stuart Ellis-Gorman

Research paper thumbnail of Hex and History: Modelling the Middle Ages in Tabletop Wargaming

Research paper thumbnail of Crossbow Classification: The Need for a More Diverse Understanding of Medieval Europe's Iconic Weapon

A paper given at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds in 2018 at the session "New Perspec... more A paper given at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds in 2018 at the session "New Perspectives on Medieval Combat and Weaponry". It argues, in brief, for the advantages and disadvantages in developing a typology to better classify medieval and early modern crossbows.

Research paper thumbnail of The Medieval Crossbow: A Weapon Fit to Kill a King

Pen and Sword Books, 2022

Publishers blurb: The crossbow is an iconic weapon of the Middle Ages and, alongside the long... more Publishers blurb:

The crossbow is an iconic weapon of the Middle Ages and, alongside the longbow, one of the most effective ranged weapons of the pre-gunpowder era. Unfortunately, despite its general fame it has been decades since an in-depth history of the medieval crossbow has been published, which is why Stuart Ellis-Gorman’s detailed, accessible, and highly illustrated study is so valuable.

The Medieval Crossbow approaches the history of the crossbow from two directions. The first is a technical study of the design and construction of the medieval crossbow, the many different kinds of crossbows used during the Middle Ages, and finally a consideration of the relationship between crossbows and art.

The second half of the book explores the history of the crossbow, from its origins in ancient China to its decline in sixteenth-century Europe. Along the way it explores the challenges in deciphering the crossbow’s early medieval history as well as its prominence in warfare and sport shooting in the High and Later Middle Ages.

This fascinating book brings together the work of a wide range of accomplished crossbow scholars and incorporates the author’s own original research to create an account of the medieval crossbow that will appeal to anyone looking to gain an insight into one of the most important weapons of the Middle Ages.

Research paper thumbnail of The Technological Development of the Bow and the Crossbow in the Later Middle Ages, (Unpublished PhD Thesis, Trinity College Dublin, 2016).

This thesis has taken an archaeological approach to understanding how the design of bows and cros... more This thesis has taken an archaeological approach to understanding how the design of bows and crossbows developed over the course of the Later Middle Ages. The primary evidence used in this work was surviving medieval weapons. The dimensions of these artefacts were compared with those from similar weapons across and within centuries. This showed both the variety of weapons that existed within a given century, and how these weapons changed over time. For the bow, this thesis was focused on showing how the longbow developed from a relatively weak prehistoric weapon to the powerful bows of the Mary Rose, and emphasised that length was a flawed metric for determining weapon power. In comparison, the crossbow was shown to be a weapon of significant variety – so much so that it does the weapon a disservice to be referred to simplistically with a single name – and one in need of further investigation. To supplement the archaeological analysis, this thesis included: a discussion of the mechanics of archery and their relationship to weapon design, details of the problems with using medieval art as a substitute for archaeological evidence, an overview of crossbow spanning devices, and a comparison of the roles filled by the bow and crossbow in medieval warfare.

Research paper thumbnail of Hex and History: Modelling the Middle Ages in Tabletop Wargaming

Research paper thumbnail of Crossbow Classification: The Need for a More Diverse Understanding of Medieval Europe's Iconic Weapon

A paper given at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds in 2018 at the session "New Perspec... more A paper given at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds in 2018 at the session "New Perspectives on Medieval Combat and Weaponry". It argues, in brief, for the advantages and disadvantages in developing a typology to better classify medieval and early modern crossbows.