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Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to 1700 A.D.
The first book to examine the nomads of Asia from a purely military perspective, from the ancient Scythians to the Manchu conquest of China. Across these two thousand years, the horse archer armies of the steppe-considered here as a unified phenomenon, linked by their reliance on mass cavalry tactics and the composite bow-resembled an unstoppable "force of nature" which sedentary people, except in rare instances, were unable to resist.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 9, 2019
An excellent, though dry for non-military history types, review of the history and tactics of the warriors of the Steppe. The book starts with a general description of the nomadic lifestyle as well as looking at the tactics they use. The light cavalry with the emphasis on archery has been the staple of all the nomadic steppes peoples.
The book then goes through the centuries focusing on particular Steppe peoples who have made an impact on history. The Scythians and Sarmatians come first during the era of the 5th century BCE, the Sarmatians coming in 54 BCE lead off the first of the Steppe peoples who used their light cavalry tactics to great result. The Sarmatians would go on to become the basis for the Heavy Cavalry of mounted knights in the West.
Around 387 AD we run into the infamous Huns and their leader, Atilla. With the Huns we also see a synthesis between Roman tactics and the Steppe tactics, since the Huns served as auxiliary forces for certain Roman Emperors. We then move on to the 600's AD to look at the tactics and history of the Avars, Bulgars and Magyars.
The next group is the Seljuks, around 1070 AD on, who conflicted with Western forces during the Crusades. It is an interesting look at the difference between heavy cavalry using shock assault (the Western Knights) versus the light cavalry using archery (The Steppes peoples).
Two chapters are devoted to the Mongols, the most famous of the Steppe raiders, and their campaigns. The tactics of the most successful of the Steppe peoples, the Mongols, are detailed and explained. The chapters cover the consolidation of the tribes under Ghengis, their campaigns in the East and West.
The Mamluks of the 1200's are the next tribe studied. Their campaigns against Crusaders and the Mongols are very interesting.
From the Mamluks we move on to Timur Lenk (aka, Tamerlane, Timur the Lame, etc) of the early 1400's and his campaigns against the Kipchaks, other Sultanates and the invasion of India's Delhi Sultanate.
The last two groups, the Crimean Tartars and the Manchu of China, finish out the story of the Steppe peoples. It is intrsuctive that their tactical style was functional for more than thirty-five centuries. Only the coming of gunpowder would signal the death knell of their tactics.
A nice overview of the tactics and the histories of the famous Steppe warriors of history. If you enjoy history and especially if you like military history-you will enjoy this interesting book.
The book then goes through the centuries focusing on particular Steppe peoples who have made an impact on history. The Scythians and Sarmatians come first during the era of the 5th century BCE, the Sarmatians coming in 54 BCE lead off the first of the Steppe peoples who used their light cavalry tactics to great result. The Sarmatians would go on to become the basis for the Heavy Cavalry of mounted knights in the West.
Around 387 AD we run into the infamous Huns and their leader, Atilla. With the Huns we also see a synthesis between Roman tactics and the Steppe tactics, since the Huns served as auxiliary forces for certain Roman Emperors. We then move on to the 600's AD to look at the tactics and history of the Avars, Bulgars and Magyars.
The next group is the Seljuks, around 1070 AD on, who conflicted with Western forces during the Crusades. It is an interesting look at the difference between heavy cavalry using shock assault (the Western Knights) versus the light cavalry using archery (The Steppes peoples).
Two chapters are devoted to the Mongols, the most famous of the Steppe raiders, and their campaigns. The tactics of the most successful of the Steppe peoples, the Mongols, are detailed and explained. The chapters cover the consolidation of the tribes under Ghengis, their campaigns in the East and West.
The Mamluks of the 1200's are the next tribe studied. Their campaigns against Crusaders and the Mongols are very interesting.
From the Mamluks we move on to Timur Lenk (aka, Tamerlane, Timur the Lame, etc) of the early 1400's and his campaigns against the Kipchaks, other Sultanates and the invasion of India's Delhi Sultanate.
The last two groups, the Crimean Tartars and the Manchu of China, finish out the story of the Steppe peoples. It is intrsuctive that their tactical style was functional for more than thirty-five centuries. Only the coming of gunpowder would signal the death knell of their tactics.
A nice overview of the tactics and the histories of the famous Steppe warriors of history. If you enjoy history and especially if you like military history-you will enjoy this interesting book.
April 1, 2016
noticed several factual errors in the chapter on Scythians. one glaring error is that he stated Scythians kept the bow and arrows in separate cases when they were in fact known for keeping them together in a single case.
This author is not a historian, he is a lawyer!
he also seems quite disrespectful of the nomads. he refers to them as primitive, barbaric and uncivilized.
I stopped reading when I encountered this opinion: "it is difficult to image Sarmatians using women in actual combat" (this is in reference to archeological graves which contained Sarmatian women in full armour). if it's too difficult for you to imagine when the evidence is indisputable how can we trust anything you write?
This author is not a historian, he is a lawyer!
he also seems quite disrespectful of the nomads. he refers to them as primitive, barbaric and uncivilized.
I stopped reading when I encountered this opinion: "it is difficult to image Sarmatians using women in actual combat" (this is in reference to archeological graves which contained Sarmatian women in full armour). if it's too difficult for you to imagine when the evidence is indisputable how can we trust anything you write?
August 3, 2019
Excellent read and easy to understand for those that know nothing of Central Asia or nomadic cultures. I like how he gave a larger view and built on the “pinball affect” that nomadic people played on world history overall.
April 24, 2012
Warriors of the Steppe is dry, but informative, following in the proud tradition of history books. That said, it tells a reasonably comprehensive of the history of nomadic steppe peoples, which is not easy when you have 1200 years to cover.
The standards are all here, from the rapid expansion of the Mongols to the vicious fleeting rule of Tamerlane. You get treatises on known steppe tactics, and how recurve bows were made and why they resulted in success on the battlefield.
The best parts are when Hildinger discusses why steppe cultures were so powerful. He discusses the cultural traits that led to success on the battlefield, and the the reasons that the cultures were driven to expand. He also outlines a convincing pattern for how and why the empires inevitably either shifted away from nomadic culture or fell apart quickly.
Not a must-read, but good if you like the topic.
The standards are all here, from the rapid expansion of the Mongols to the vicious fleeting rule of Tamerlane. You get treatises on known steppe tactics, and how recurve bows were made and why they resulted in success on the battlefield.
The best parts are when Hildinger discusses why steppe cultures were so powerful. He discusses the cultural traits that led to success on the battlefield, and the the reasons that the cultures were driven to expand. He also outlines a convincing pattern for how and why the empires inevitably either shifted away from nomadic culture or fell apart quickly.
Not a must-read, but good if you like the topic.
September 13, 2008
If you know nothing about steppe cultures and are interested primarily in military matters, this isn't a bad read. the author has some good discussions of the weaponry of the steppe people and their startegy/tactics. In particular, he makes substantive, technical comments on their use of the bow and the horse. However, the dude is a Europhile all the way. He seems much more at home describing the crusaders, Romans, etc. than their steppe foes. His use of sources in Latin and French is impressive, but also indicate his preference for the Euro side of the equation. Some of his writing is also a bit akward.
September 1, 2012
A very solid, easily read book on the nature of nomadic horse tribes of the last few millenia. The Huns, Mongols, Manchus, and others share many core traits that enabled them to raid and conquer vast areas until the development of relatively modern gunpowder weapons. Most students of history will find this book educational and somewhat entertaining.
August 6, 2009
Clear and succinct - a pleasure to read.
July 24, 2019
A very well done, if somewhat cursory, look into the history of the martial steppe peoples.
Despite the subtitle, the book is less a military history of Central Asia, though that is touched upon, than it is a treatise on the Steppe way of warfare.
Hildinger does a fine job in displaying the differences in form and function of nomadic as opposed to sedentary (nomadic and sedentary being the civilizational types) warfare.
Hildinger does his best to at least highlight all of the major Steppe peoples which interacted with the great sedentary civilizations of Europe, Russia, the Middle East, India, and China. Typically he will take one or at most two key battles to highlight the way of war of each individual tribal and or ethnic grouping.
Personally, I found his approach mostly sound, though it did tend to bounce around a tad, and some chapters, such as the one on the Crimean Tatars, had a tendency to meander. The book is strongest when discussing the ways in which the more successful sedentary peoples, namely the Romans (Western and Eastern) and the Arabs, responded to and countered the nomadic way of war, namely by adopting at least portions of the steppe warriors doctrine. This enabled them to endure, and in many cases triumph, against the far more mobile and agile forces of various steppe warlords and Khans.
Other times, like with the Khwarezm Persians, the Russians, or the Chinese, the nomadic way of warfare dominated, and all three of these cultures faced periods of rule via steppe warlords.
In the end, however, it was the massed use of firearms, and artillery, combined with cavalry which defeated, forever, the nomadic/steppe way of warfare. As the Romans had demonstrated, and as musket armed infantry would remind the steppe peoples, was that highly disciplined infantry, can, at least eventually, triumph over a mounted foe if the infantry is well equipped, and disciplined enough to maintain tactical cohesion, and not be overawed by their foes.
And in this, not only a way of war, but a way of life, began to vanish from the world.
Despite the fact this work has a tendency to meander, it is a very good look at Steppe warfare and some of the more notable peoples who once dominated the world.
Despite the subtitle, the book is less a military history of Central Asia, though that is touched upon, than it is a treatise on the Steppe way of warfare.
Hildinger does a fine job in displaying the differences in form and function of nomadic as opposed to sedentary (nomadic and sedentary being the civilizational types) warfare.
Hildinger does his best to at least highlight all of the major Steppe peoples which interacted with the great sedentary civilizations of Europe, Russia, the Middle East, India, and China. Typically he will take one or at most two key battles to highlight the way of war of each individual tribal and or ethnic grouping.
Personally, I found his approach mostly sound, though it did tend to bounce around a tad, and some chapters, such as the one on the Crimean Tatars, had a tendency to meander. The book is strongest when discussing the ways in which the more successful sedentary peoples, namely the Romans (Western and Eastern) and the Arabs, responded to and countered the nomadic way of war, namely by adopting at least portions of the steppe warriors doctrine. This enabled them to endure, and in many cases triumph, against the far more mobile and agile forces of various steppe warlords and Khans.
Other times, like with the Khwarezm Persians, the Russians, or the Chinese, the nomadic way of warfare dominated, and all three of these cultures faced periods of rule via steppe warlords.
In the end, however, it was the massed use of firearms, and artillery, combined with cavalry which defeated, forever, the nomadic/steppe way of warfare. As the Romans had demonstrated, and as musket armed infantry would remind the steppe peoples, was that highly disciplined infantry, can, at least eventually, triumph over a mounted foe if the infantry is well equipped, and disciplined enough to maintain tactical cohesion, and not be overawed by their foes.
And in this, not only a way of war, but a way of life, began to vanish from the world.
Despite the fact this work has a tendency to meander, it is a very good look at Steppe warfare and some of the more notable peoples who once dominated the world.
November 8, 2022
If you’re fascinated with military history, or with the way one group of people can have major affect on world history you will enjoy this. It was great getting some insight into the various nomadic Steppe cultures, and how they have influenced our world.
February 15, 2025
Brilliant
August 29, 2012
I enjoyed reading this book about the world of the Central Asian and Mongolian steppe warriors, and their campaigns into Russia, China, Europe and the Mid-East. It's well-written and not too technical, and certainly conjures up the life of these nomadic peoples, who would occasionally join together to launch attacks on other nomadic groups or settled peoples. The Mongols or related nomadic groups at different times were raiding into areas as far afield as India, Poland and France. This book goes into their planning and strategy in conducting their operations, how they and their ponies could survive on their long trans-continental marches, as well as information about their armor and the techniques they used to construct their main weapon, the bow and arrow. The steppe warriors eventually "played themselves out" and fell apart as internal divisions fragmented their power, and were finally stopped by the advent of gunpowder and more accurate rifles. Yet, for more than 2,500 years, the steppe warriors, at various times, were the bane of the entire Eurasian landmass, as well as the Mid-East and India.
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July 27, 2011Dense, but I loved every part of it. He takes data from several sources and shows you how the warriors of the steppe remained the same through all history and how much havok this caused. They perfected their life according to their landscape and with that attacked Europe, China, Russia and the Middle east. Their strategies are discussed thoroughly and much attention to giants like Chinggis Khan and Tamerlane.
August 2, 2008
I thought the book was good at showing striking similarities that all steppe cultures have shared. I found it particularly interesting to read about the internal weaknesses or other political developments within both the "victim" states and the steppe people's states that influenced the outcome of the confrontation.
August 11, 2011
Neat, a little too broad in scope, and but they don't cite there sources.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews