In this brief survey of the chief military campaigns conducted in England, from the time of the Roman Conquest through the Scotch Wars, Belloc reminds the reader that the lay of the land is often the deciding factor in any conflict: "The military history of any country is largely deter- mined by its Topography, that is, by the nature of its soil: where run its ranges of hills: how high, steep, or barren these may be: the situation of its better lands, with their chief towns: the position, depth and rapid- ity of its rivers, etc., etc." -Hilaire Belloc