It is generally assumed that the military reforms which propelled Russia into the modern world were due solely to the genius of Peter the Great. In fact, his reforms were built upon changes that had taken place during the previous 200 years, since the creation in 1550 of Russia's first full-time military force (the streltsi) by Ivan IV the Terrible. This account traces Russia's armies from that beginning, through the creation of paid regular regiments from1630, up to the reign of Peter the Great. It is illustrated with rare early drawings, photos of surviving artifacts, and dazzling colour reconstructions of exotic military costumes.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Armies of Ivan the Terrible:
I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of this book, but its content is presented in a concise and readable fashion, and it is well-endowed with excellent plates by Angus McBride. This title seems to be another humorous case of David Nicolle's habit of naming books covering a several century span after one man (as he did with Attila, Arthur, Saladin, and El Cid).
lack of coherence and originality:
This book-let should be cited as a exmaple of how not to write works on historical subjects. The subject matter should be covered in 2-3 books Osprey-style, and still the material would have to be constrained to fit them. The Polish-Lithuanian title from Osprey consisted of 2 books yet it covers a bit less time frame - 1569-1696AD, and Russian armies did undergo more changes etc. Was this shortness of material caused by lack of knowledge on part of the authors?
The title alone is so... deceiving. Was... more info
About Time:
It's about time someone took the time to write and illustrate this amazing era in Russian history. The team of David Nicolle and Angus McBride never dissapoint. The addition of Russian author V. Shpakovsky is also welcomed...and gives a real insight into the era. Very few can challenge Mr. Nicolle on Islamic History and equally few can challenge Mr. McBride on Historical Illustration. I am happy to own an actual plate from this book...and my best friend has one as well. They are all beautifully rendered.more info
Great potential, mediocre outcome:
I preordered this book with the greatest excitement. I had been wondering if Osprey would ever cover 16th and 17th C. Muscovy. Being a writer myself, I would have proposed this book had I not been locked in the NW USA with mediocre Russian language skills and no access to original sources, battlefields, and equipment. Unfortunatley Shpakovsky and Nicolle, who between them had everything I did not, did not write anything in this book that I didn't already have in English-language secondary sources. (I'll... more info
