David Nicolle was born in 1944. He worked in the BBC Arabic service for a number of years, before gaining a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He has written many books and articles on medieval warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. David lives in Leicestershire, UK. Viacheslac Shpakovsky was born in 1954. He teaches in the History Department of Penza University in Penza, Russia. He has written a number of articles on various aspects of Russian and military history for both academic journals and popular magazines in Russia. Angus McBride was one of the world's most respected historical illustrators, who contributed to more than 90 Osprey titles over three decades. Born in 1931, he worked in advertising agencies from 1947, and after national service, emigrated to South Africa where he lived for several years before relocating to Ireland. Angus sadly passed away in 2007.