Warriors (History Channel)
Encyclopedia
Warriors is a documentary series that airs on The History Channel
in the United States. The show was hosted by Terry Schappert
, a sergeant in the United States Army Special Forces
. The show focused on historical warrior
cultures, major battles, and military leaders.
s and weapons experts, samples the armor and equipment, and practices with their weaponry, all in order to learn each group's techniques and frame of mind. Each episode usually displayed a reenactment of a major "signature battle" of the warrior culture being presented.
of the Middle Ages
." The host studies the harsh Nordic life, raiding tactics and sailing techniques of the Vikings. The show culminates in the Viking-Saxon showdown at the Battle of Maldon
.
and studies the honor code of the Samurai
, or Bushido
. He also studies the lifestyle, weaponry, tactics, and psyche of the Samurai. He also retraces the steps of the most famous ronin
samurai, Miyamoto Musashi
.
, a German war chief that grew up with the Romans and studies their tactics. Arminius was able to use the Romans tactics against them in one of Rome's greatest defeats: the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
.
. He looks into the tactics of the heavily armored French Knights versus the lightly armored, fast moving expeditionary army of Henry V
and his secret weapon, the English
Longbow
.
and follows the battles tactics of the Spartan
Hoplites. Terry Schappert reenacts the brutal training, studies the mental discipline, and evaluates superior weaponry that gave the Spartans an edge over the much larger Persian army at the Battle of Plataea
.
and obsidian club), and scientific achievements of the Mayans.
attempts to conquer all Mediterranean trade routes, but the tiny island of Malta
stands in its way. This island is also home to the fiercest knights, the Order of St. John, or Knights Hospitaller. 8,000 Knights and native Maltese fended off approx 48,000 Turkish warriors during the Siege of Malta
. After the heroic stand, the capital of Malta is named after the commanding general, Jean de Valette.
to learn about the rise of Zulus. He studies their unique battle tactics and culture. He also reenacts one of Britain's most humiliating loses at the Battle of Isandlwana
.
an Islands. Terry Schappert learns about the bloody hand to hand combat techniques and vicious weaponry (like shark tooth clubs) of the Hawaiian warriors. He also reenacts the tactics that King Kamehameha the Great used in his crushing victory at Battle of Nu'uanu Cliffs
.
. He tries out their weapons, like the Thompson submachine gun
and M1 Garand
, and reenacts their guerrilla tactics.
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
in the United States. The show was hosted by Terry Schappert
Terry Schappert
Terry Schappert is a United States Army Reserve Special Forces medical sergeant and martial artist who hosted the 2008 show Warriors on the History Channel. He left the service before 9/11 and re-entered it as a reservist after the attacks, serving three tours in Iraq. He has also had minor acting...
, a sergeant in the United States Army Special Forces
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
. The show focused on historical warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
cultures, major battles, and military leaders.
Format
Each episode focuses on Schappert immersing himself in a different warrior group. He talks with historianHistorian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s and weapons experts, samples the armor and equipment, and practices with their weaponry, all in order to learn each group's techniques and frame of mind. Each episode usually displayed a reenactment of a major "signature battle" of the warrior culture being presented.
"Viking Terror"
Host Terry Schappert studies the tactics of the "Hell's AngelsHells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
." The host studies the harsh Nordic life, raiding tactics and sailing techniques of the Vikings. The show culminates in the Viking-Saxon showdown at the Battle of Maldon
Battle of Maldon
The Battle of Maldon took place on 10 August 991 near Maldon beside the River Blackwater in Essex, England, during the reign of Aethelred the Unready. Earl Byrhtnoth and his thegns led the English against a Viking invasion. The battle ended in an Anglo-Saxon defeat...
.
"Samurai Showdown"
Terry Schappert travels to JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and studies the honor code of the Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, or Bushido
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
. He also studies the lifestyle, weaponry, tactics, and psyche of the Samurai. He also retraces the steps of the most famous ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
samurai, Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
.
"Barbarian Massacre"
Terry Schappert travels to Germany to learn more about ArminiusArminius
Arminius , also known as Armin or Hermann was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci who defeated a Roman army in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest...
, a German war chief that grew up with the Romans and studies their tactics. Arminius was able to use the Romans tactics against them in one of Rome's greatest defeats: the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place in 9 CE, when an alliance of Germanic tribes led by Arminius of the Cherusci ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions, along with their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus.Despite numerous successful campaigns and raids by the...
.
"Knight Fight"
Host Terry Schappert travels to France to study the Battle at AgincourtBattle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
. He looks into the tactics of the heavily armored French Knights versus the lightly armored, fast moving expeditionary army of Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
and his secret weapon, the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Longbow
Longbow
A longbow is a type of bow that is tall ; this will allow its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw....
.
"Spartan Vengeance"
This episode takes the viewer back to ancient GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and follows the battles tactics of the Spartan
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
Hoplites. Terry Schappert reenacts the brutal training, studies the mental discipline, and evaluates superior weaponry that gave the Spartans an edge over the much larger Persian army at the Battle of Plataea
Battle of Plataea
The Battle of Plataea was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place in 479 BC near the city of Plataea in Boeotia, and was fought between an alliance of the Greek city-states, including Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Megara, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes...
.
"Maya Armageddon"
This episode takes us to the little known world of the Mayan Empire. It delves into the culture, unique weaponry (like the atlatlAtlatl
An atlatl or spear-thrower is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing.It consists of a shaft with a cup or a spur at the end that supports and propels the butt of the dart. The atlatl is held in one hand, gripped near the end farthest from the cup...
and obsidian club), and scientific achievements of the Mayans.
"The Last Crusaders"
The rising Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
attempts to conquer all Mediterranean trade routes, but the tiny island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
stands in its way. This island is also home to the fiercest knights, the Order of St. John, or Knights Hospitaller. 8,000 Knights and native Maltese fended off approx 48,000 Turkish warriors during the Siege of Malta
Siege of Malta (1565)
The Siege of Malta took place in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire invaded the island, then held by the Knights Hospitaller .The Knights, together with between 4-5,000 Maltese men,...
. After the heroic stand, the capital of Malta is named after the commanding general, Jean de Valette.
"Zulu Siege"
Terry Schappert travels to AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to learn about the rise of Zulus. He studies their unique battle tactics and culture. He also reenacts one of Britain's most humiliating loses at the Battle of Isandlwana
Battle of Isandlwana
The Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom...
.
"Islands of Blood"
This episode explores the bloody history of the beautiful HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an Islands. Terry Schappert learns about the bloody hand to hand combat techniques and vicious weaponry (like shark tooth clubs) of the Hawaiian warriors. He also reenacts the tactics that King Kamehameha the Great used in his crushing victory at Battle of Nu'uanu Cliffs
Battle of Nu'uanu
The Battle of Nuuanu , fought in May 1795 on the southern part of the island of Oahu, was a key battle in the final days of King Kamehameha I's wars to unify the Hawaiian Islands...
.
"Special Forces"
Green Beret Terry Schappert discusses the history and culture of the US Special Forces. He also studies one of the first modern special forces units: Alamo ScoutsAlamo scouts
The Alamo Scouts was a reconnaissance unit of the Sixth United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II...
. He tries out their weapons, like the Thompson submachine gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
and M1 Garand
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...
, and reenacts their guerrilla tactics.