C1250-1500 Flashcards
What’ Infantry?
Soldiers on foot
Archer
Foot soldiers who
used longbows
Mounted Knight?
Fought on
horseback
Mercenaries
Soldiers paid to fight
Indenture
contract between the King and a
knight, stating how much the knight will be paid
Assize of Arms?
method of recruiting soldiers -
wealthiest had to give more support to King
Feudal Summons
barons who received land
from King were required to fight for 40 days
General Summons
all knights asked to volunteer to fight
Swords?
Expensive,status symbols
Bows?
3 types
Recurve bows,crossbows and longbows
Spears
Cheap
Trebuchets?
Flung rocks good to destroy castle defence
The Crusades
series of religious wars in
12th & 13th centuries
Christian Europeans fought Muslims in
the Holy Land of the Middle East from
1095, both trying to defend Jerusalem
Schiltrons
Groups of men
protected by shields and
long spears, moved together
and effective against soldiers
on horseback
Impact on Civilians?
Invasions had big impact on civilians
Armies terrorised and captured civilians
and destroyed crops, livestock and homes
Knights treated civilians cruelly, often
killing them without reason
Gunpowder & Cannons
Handguns used gunpower to fire stone balls -
were bulky, inaccurate and could injure user
Cannons fired balls of stone - could only be
shot few times a day and prone to burst
King James II of Scotland was killed when his
cannon burst in 1460
Battle of Falkirk 1298
- Edward I and Wallace’s armies
fought on July 22nd - Wallace’s forces were greatly
outnumbered - They were set up in 4 schiltrons and
were protected by cavalry and
archers - However, English defeated cavalry,
archers and then the schiltrons - Wallace survived the battle and
escaped but resigned as guardian of
Scotland
The Battle of Agincourt 1415
- Henry V’s forces arrived in Normandy seeking
to expand English territory - French had an army outnumbering the English
5 to 1 - Henry positioned his army on a field
surrounded by woods and stationed his
soldiers with longbows - French cavalry advanced, but had to cross a
muddy field which slowed them down and
made them easier to attack - The battle was short- some believe only 30
minutes - It is estimated the English lost 400 lives, and
the French 6,000
