ABSTRACT
This chapter begins, as the traditional military historians do, with the battle of Adrianople. The most recent analysis of the course of events is by T. S. Bums, a historian of the Ostrogoths. He points out that when Valens led his men against the 'Gretungi', they were defending a wagon-laager in the classic steppe manner. There is a strong argument to be made that it was not the 'Art of War' that changed in the sixteenth century there was no "Military Revolution', rather the advent of printing spread military ideas, as in so many other fields, so as to give an impression of novelty. A recent study of the background to the First Crusade in southern France is entitled Knightly Piety, but the author prefers the words 'arms-bearers' throughout when talking about the military classes' involvement in the novel activity of armed pilgrimage.
