Product Description Alongside the familiar pitched battles, regular sieges, and large-scale manoeuvres, medieval and early modern wars also involved assassination, abduction, treason and sabotage. These undercover operations were aimed chiefly against key individuals, mostly royalty or the leaders of the opposing army, and against key fortified places, including bridges, mills and dams. However, because of their clandestine nature, these deeds of `derring-do' have not been studied in any detail, a major gap which this book fills. It surveys a wide variety of special operations, from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. It then analyzes in greater depth six select and exciting operations: the betrayal of Antioch in 1098; the attempt to rescue King Baldwin II from the dungeon of Khartpert in 1123; the assassination of Conrad of Montferrat in 1192; the attempt to storm Calais in 1350; the `dirty war' waged by the rulers of France and Burgundy in the 1460s and 1470s; and the demolition of the flour mill of Auriol in 1536. Dr YUVAL NOAH HARARI teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Review The author makes an argument that medieval military historians should look into, and as a bonus they will also read some riveting examples of interesting medieval operations. SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL An entertaining but also learned book, from which it is possible to glean much about medieval military history. BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE This is, however, a wide-ranging study, which sets medieval warfare in a novel perspective. EHRHighly readable.(...)This is a popular book, but a scholarly one and a worthy addition to the well-known series Warfare in History.CRUSADES Recommended. CHOICE A splendid book. (...) Provided me with more food for thought than I have come upon in any book on medieval warfare in the past decade. HOBILAR, Journal of the Lance & Longbow Society, March 2008 About the Author Yuval Noah Harari lectures in the department of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.