C1500-c1700: Warfare And English Society In The Early Modern Period Flashcards
- Changes in the army
Between 1500 and 1700 warfare became more profesisional with men being employed full time as soldiers and tained to fight with new weapons and tactics
- New composition of armies
- Still included cavalry, infantry and artillery
- generals still preffered twice as many infantry to cavalry
- more training was needed for new weapons such as muskets and cannons
- artillery slowly increased in size and importance
- Battlefield roles
- Cavalry continued specialist role, was no longer defensive force in battle
- harrassed enemy with pistols and skirmished with enemy cavalry
- mounted charge re-emerged during the english civil wars
- Dragoons (mounted infantry) took on role of mounted archer until 1700
- Infantry became dominant as a result of new weapons amd tactics, divided into
- musketeers gradually replaced archers and pikeman fought in large disciplined squares
- Role of the government
- rulers increasingly used taxes to pay for hiring soliders, use of mercenaries increased.
- soliders owed loyalty to mercenary leader who recruited them as they had to their feudal lord before.
- Standing armies
- permanent force of full-time soliders
- during the civil war parliament set up a standing army for the king
- Strategy and tactics
- pikeman ans msuketeers had to work together to be effective as pikeman were easy targets
- a lot of training was needed to change formations, pikeman went from being in squares to columnns that provided a volley of fire
- Oliver cromwell
- key in setting up new model army
- emphasised ability in soldiers over social hierachy
- Rise of musket
- by 1500, muskets began replacing longbow despite being slow and unwieldly
- armour could be pierced by muskets
- mass production of bullets meant they were available to all soldiers
- Pistols ans dragoons
- by 1540, wheel-lock pistol was developed, suitable for cavalry.
- armour gradually abandoned as it couldn’t defend people againgst bullets
- dragoons armed with arquebuses or smaller muskets were used to threaten enemy flanks
- Flintlock and bayonet
- by 1690s, flintlock mechanism replaced matchlock musket
It was dangerous near gunpowder due to exposed match flame, unreliable in rain as match could go out, also visible at night due to exposed glow - by 1660’s plug bayonet emerged and by 1705 pike had been replaced with socket bayonet
- New technology and cannon
Risimg power of cannon was weakened as
- defensive walls were stronger
- walls were angled so cannons would bounce off
- Comtinuity in recruitment
- all men between 16 and 60 had to serve in local area
- men provided their own weapons
- in 1573 trained bands were set up by local militia and met monthly for training by muster masters
- New model army
- 6600 cavalry raised, well trained and disciplined force that remained under control in battle
- 24 pence a day, but had to provide for themselves
- instrumental in victory, would hold together to charge and finish an attack
-1000 dragoons also raised
- 14400 infantrymen raised, received 8 pence a day
- Impact of warfare on cicilians
Before civil wars
- merchant ships requisitioned for navy for transportation
- requisition of horses disrupted businesses and led to shortages
During civil wars
- requisitioning and plunderimg were common
- both sides collected alot of tax
- 55,000 people made homeless durimg civil wars and castles could be destroyed
- The battle of naseby 1645
-Turning point in the English civil wars
-Parliamentarian had 17000 troops
-Royalists had 12500 troops
- Fairfax and Cromwell
- Fairfax : inspirational general who fought alongside his men in battle and led the infantry in the counterattack at the cente
- Cromwell : believed NMA officers should be the best soldiers and had recruited and trained the best cavalry in war
- King charles and prince Rupert
- they underestimated the enemy
- wanted a speedy victory so enemy couldn’t join with scottish forces
- Rupert wasted his advantage on west as he lacked control over his cavalry
