Experience Of Warfare + Change And Continuity 1250-1500 Flashcards
The Feudal system
Was used to provide troops:
-cavalry tended to be from the upperclasses of society
-infantry often from lower levels of society and would go to war to escape poverty (they’d be fed) and for adventure
The Assize of Arms (a way recruitment of cavalry changed)
-Assessed peoples’s wealth to see if they should support the king with arms; wealthier people should give more military support
-1250, Henry III used an Assize of arms stating that all men with land worth £15 had to supply him with a mounted knight with a horse, hauberk, iron helmet, sword and dagger.
Scutage (or ‘shield money’) (a way recruitment of cavalry changed)
-by 1250 it was harder for Kings to force people to honour feudal duties or accept Assize of arms due to changing attitudes towards the feudal system.
-kings would accept routinely payments instead of military service. The money would pay for mercenaries
Mercenaries (a way recruitment of cavalry changed)
Hired on a temporary basis from captains (experienced soldiers) who’d supply units if 10-100 men for cash. Mercenaries were often foreign.
Royal household (a way recruitment of cavalry changed)
Employed on a permanent basis by the king and were his personal guard
Estimated that Henry III had about 500 troops in his royal household
Training
-For infantry, little or no training but most were expected to be skilled with weapons
-For cavalry, they were normally from nobility and gentry where most young men would be trained in military matters and horsemanship
Provisions
Men brought their own supplies at first
Baggage trains later paid for by the king
Armies often resorted to demanding supplies from locals or stealing from enemy baggage trains (after defeating them in battle) or pillaging
(Continuity) size of armies
… rarely changed
-1264, Battle of Lewes, Henry III had about 10,000 men
-1415, Battle of Agincourt, Henry V had about 8,000 men
-1485, Battle of Bosworth, Richard III had about 12,000 men
(Continuity) Limited warfare
For example, the Hundred Years’ war, English carried out dozens of Chevauchees (horse back raids by armies of 2-3000 men) intended to terrorise local populations, prevent them from growing crops and prevents prevent the French from raising taxes.
(Continuity) Capturing/Building Castles and Fortified towns
-1200s, Edward II built castles in wales to protect his land there
-1400s, Henry V captured French castles
(Change in medieval warfare) Schiltron
Circles or squares of up to 2000 men with pikes. Used mainly for defence but sometimes for attack (e.g. battle of Bannockburn). Increased power of the infantry and reduced strength of the mounted knight.
(Change in medieval warfare) The Use of the Long Bow
Were used from about 1200 in wales but began to be used in England from about 1290.
Were about two meters long and made of thick lengths of yew or elm wood
(Change in medieval warfare) advantages of the longbow
Could shoot 10-15 arrows per minute while crowsbows could only do 2-3
Was effective up to 200 meters, twice the range of shorter bows
There were arrows more than a meter long which could pierce armour
(Change in medieval warfare) Changes causes by the longbow
They became the dominant force on the battle field and led to tactical changes such as:
-being very effective offensively
-archers riding horses could move as fast as the cavalry
-change in formation- knights would dismount and fight alongside the infantry with archers at the flanks
(Change in medieval warfare) composition in the army
More infantry and fewer cavalry (ration 2:1 in 1250 but 3:1 by 1400)
Cavalry dominance reduced by schiltrons and archers
(Change in medieval warfare) Armour
Use of longbows meant plate armour began to replace mail from about 1300, and suits of armour used from 1420. Even so, this gave limited protection against the longbow
(Change in medieval warfare) Difficulties with the longbow
They required lots of training to use. In 1250, few people had the strength or training to be able to fire a longbow, so they’d fight with a spear, sword or farmtool.
1363, King Edward III made a law stating that every able-bodied man in England should practice shooting a longbow every sunday.
(Change in medieval warfare) Why did the longbow effect warfare so much?
Having so many trained lomgbow-men in the English army allowed English Kings to win battles, even when greatly outnumbered. (Battle of Agincourt 1415)
(Change in medieval warfare) gunpowder
First arrived in Europe from China in the 13th century, became a standard siege weapon by 1450
(Change in medieval warfare) limitations of cannons
Heavy and expensive and transporting them was complicated
They were inaccurate and best used against large targets like walls
Short range, being close to targets made them vulnerable to attack
Likely to fail or blow up
Trained personnel needed
(Change in medieval warfare) advantages of cannons
Useful in destroying walls, shortening sieges
Trunnions were rods invented to raise the height of the barrel, improving accuracy
Specialist cannons for launching cannonballs over walls or long distances
Metals used rather than stone for barrels and balls, making cannons more effective and accurate
(Change in medieval warfare) Why did demand for supplies change?
England was involved in many wars
More infantry men to feed
More horses to be fed
More ammunition
Gunpowder weapons needed specific ammunition
((Change in medieval warfare) supplying armies) requisitioning
The crown forced merchants to sell goods (purveyance) and provide ships in order to supply their baggage
((Change in medieval warfare) supplying armies) weapon stores
Such as the Royal Armoury were built up
((Change in medieval warfare) supplying armies) supply depots
Set up ahead of the army and supplied by road or sea
((Change in medieval warfare) supplying armies) pillaging
Stealing from locals, especially in enemy territory
(Change in medieval warfare) recruiting infantry: The Statute of Winchester
(1285) extended the Assize of Arms. All fit men between 16 and 60 were instructed to muster once a year ready and equipped for 40 days’ service
(Change in medieval warfare) recruitment of infantry: Comissioners of Array
Assessed recruits and their weapons across the country
(Change in medieval warfare) recruitment of infantry: pay
After 1337, the Feudal Levy and Assize of Arms began to fall away in favour of infanty being paid for their service.
(Continuity) training
No permanent armies, no barracks, so no organised training
-Assize of Arms called for infantry to be skilled but they often weren’t
-mounted knights learned military skills and competed in tournaments, but there was no training for fighting as a group
-nobility were the military class and kings relied on leading nobles and close relatives to command their armies
