Military Honour and the Conduct of War

This study presents the first examination of the influence of ideas of honour on the causes, conduct and ending of wars from Ancient Greece to the present day. Paul Robinson begins with a theoretical examination of the concept of honour, to clearly explain the many contradictions and tensions inherent within honour systems. He then shows how honour has often contradictory and paradoxical effects on the conduct of war and illustrates this through seven case studies: Classical Greece, Ancient Rome, mediaeval Chivalry, Elizabethan England, the American Civil War, the British Empire, and the Western world after World War II (including the Vietnam War and the current conflict in Iraq). Key topics covered include:honour and virtuehonour and the causes of warhonour as a motivation for fightinghonours and rewardsdeath and honourhonour and the conduct of warhonour and the enemyhonour and the ending of warswomen and honourThis book reveals that the often contradictory behaviour of soldiers during war is a product of the contradictions inherent in the concept of honour.This book will be of great interest to all students of military ethics, military history, politics, international relations, anthropology, sociology, philosophy and the history of ideas.