Page 29 - Global Project Management Handbook

THE EVOLUTION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT 1-11

now the foundation of the constitution of every English-speaking nation. The Magna
Carta, which means “great charter” in Latin, was drawn up by English barons and church-
men, who forced the tyrannical King John to set his seal on it on June 15, 1215. King
John’s cruelty and greed united the powerful feudal nobles, the churchmen, and the
townspeople against him. While he was waging a disastrous war in France, the leading
nobles met secretly and swore to compel him to respect the rights of his subjects. When
King John returned from the war, they presented him with a series of demands. King
John tried to gather support, but almost all his followers deserted him. At last he met with
the nobles and bishops along the south bank of the Thames in a meadow called
Runnymede and affixed his seal to the Magna Carta.

Empress Catherine the Great of Russia (1729–1796)

Catherine assumed power in Russia in 1762 after a coup d’état in which she led offi-
cers of the Royal Guard. Unlike her husband, she was well loved by the country’s elite
and received good press in Europe thanks to her contacts with many figures of the
French Enlightenment. Catherine’s court was extremely luxurious. She was the first to
move into the newly built Winter Palace. Catherine started a royal art collection,
which later was housed in the world-famous Hermitage. Several additional buildings
(the Small Hermitage and the Old Hermitage) were commissioned for the growing
royal collection of art. The Hermitage Theater was built, and the area around the
palace was put in order and built up with the finest houses and palaces.

MILITARY CAMPAIGNS

Most, if not all, military campaigns have taken on the characteristics of projects. Military
battles and campaigns have objectives and consume resources through planned activities
in most cases. The introduction of new weapons that have been developed in a structured
form typically gives military leaders some advantage over their adversaries by exploiting
a weakness.
These new weapons frequently represent a response to an adversary’s weakness, such

as the introduction of body armor on the battlefield to counter sword, knife, and club
weapons. The opposition countered with weapons that exploited the openings in the
armor, such as under the armpits when a knight would raise a sword to strike. One
response was to provide armor under the armpits. Armor was discarded as an advantage
when weapons such as guns were able to penetrate the material. Interestingly enough, the
modern-day helmet and bulletproof vest have been adopted as a means to stop opposing
gunfire.

The Battle of Grecy (August 26, 1346)
Fought on Saturday, August 26, 1346, the Battle of Grecy, France, was the first of sev-
eral significant battles during which the longbow triumphed over crossbows and
armored knights. The French forces in the battle numbered approximately 30,000;
English forces numbered 12,000, of which 7000 were archers. The battle line was about
2000 yards wide. The English army occupied the top of a gentle ridge near the town.
Each English archer carried two sheaves of arrows into battle. The arrows could be shot