Continuing with their Fortress series, Osprey presents this edition on Medieval Russian Fortresses. As a background, in 862, the Slav tribes of European Russia invited a number of Scandanavian Princes to rule over them in order to bring peace and stability to the region. On the death of these princes, Prince Oleg seized Kiev and from there united the northern and southern territories. As part of this process, he had a number of fortresses built for power projection and to solidify his borders.

During the rise of feudalism in the 11th Century the extensive border defenses fell into disrepair and local lords only fortified specific sites. The invasion of the Mongol hoards introduced eastern style siege warfare to the area and heavily influenced the fortification style of the area, resulting in some very different designs from those in Europe.

The author makes use of archeological evidence and a lot of first hand accounts in the archives to bring us the story of these fortifications. A great deal of attention is paid to one of the most recognizable structures of Russian fortifications; the Kremlin. The book covers the principles of defense for the area, the design and development of the various sites, and provides specific examples in greater detail. Then there is a section on how these fortresses survived assaults during various wars and how these places look today. All of this is accompanied by the superb illustrations and diagrams of Peter Dennis as well as photos of existing sites; and thankfully, there are quite a few of them.

It all makes for a book that is both interesting and informative. Like all of Osprey's titles, it is one that you can buy with confidence in knowing you are getting the best.

May 2007

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