The Galloglass: Ireland's Axe Wielding Mercenary Class

Get 50% off Blinkist premium and start your 7-day free trial by clicking here: https://blinkist.com/sandrhomanhistory. This offer is valid only until May 29th. The Galloglass were some of the most fearsome mercenaries in history. Truly professional, selected carefully only from the strongest, and equipped with head-splitting axes, these warriors decisively shaped Irish history and warfare between the 13th and 16th century. The Galloglass were an elite warrior infantry, both highly effective in battle and very well suited for protection duty. Starting off as simple mercenaries traveling from the rough coasts of northwestern Scotland, they evolved into a sedentary class of warriors in Ireland. Their family networks provided all of Ireland with deadly warriors who could easily match English knights. In this video we explore how contemporary historiography explains who the Galloglass were, what made them so effective, and finally, how they fought. Patreon (thank you):   / sandrhomanhistory   Paypal (thank you: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/SandR... Twitter:   / sandrhoman   Bibliography Duffy, S. (ed.), The world of the galloglass Kings, warlords and warriors in Ireland and Scotland, 1200–1600, Dublin 2016. Hayes-McCoy, G. A., Scots Mercenary Forces in Ireland, 1565-1603, Dublin 1937. McInerney, L., The Galloglass of Thomond: Gallóglaigh Thuadhmhumhain, in: North Munster Antiquarian Journal, vol. 55, 2015Marsden, J., Galloglas. Hebridean and West Highland Mercenary Warrior Kindreds in Medieval Ireland, Edinburgh 2003. Prendergast, M., SCOTS MERCENARY FORCES IN SIXTEENTH CENTURY IRELAND, in: France, John (ed.), Mercenaries and Paid Men. The Mercenary Identity in the Middle Ages (History of Warfare vol. 47), Leiden/Boston 2008, pp 366f. Price, L., Armed Forces of the Irish Chiefs in the Early 16th Century, in: Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 2:2 (1932). Spenser, E., Ireland Under Elizabeth and James the First, Described by Edmund Spenser.