Chapter Four. The Epitome Of Military Science

This chapter focuses on the medieval treatment of a popular Roman source of military advice, the Epitoma Rei Militaris by Flavius Vegetius Renatus. The first part of the chapter looks at who Vegetius was and why he wrote what he did. It then examines some of the many medieval copies of the work that were made and gauge their popularity. It looks specifically at the way the work was paraphrased and adapted in Christine de Pizans Book of Fais darmes et de chevalerie, before looking at John Trevisas 1408 English translation made for Thomas, Lord Berkeley, and then the treatment of the various themes in the Poem of Knighthood, which translated the Epitome into verse form. The chapter concludes that although much of Vegetius writings remained relevant to medieval warfare, there was a subtle diff erence in attitudes between those of Roman times and those of the middle Ages.Keywords: Epitoma Rei Militaris; Flavius Vegetius Renatus; Lord Berkeley; medieval warfare; military science

Art · Epitome · Literature · Political science · Popularity · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · History · Law