Military

In the winter of 1812, Napoleon's army retreated from Moscow under appalling conditions, hunted by three separate Russian armies, its chances of survival apparently nil. By late November Napoleon had reached the banks of the River Berezina - the last...

Mail armour (commonly mislabelled 'chainmail') was used for more than two millennia on the battlefield. After its invention in the Iron Age, mail rapidly spread all over Europe and beyond. The Roman army, keen on new military technology, soon adopted...

Japanese Samurai were apex warriors, superlative fighters dedicated to their daimyo, or lord, and living according to the principles of bushido, an honour code that stressed selfless service, martial excellence, valour in battle and implacable...