Medieval Period (1250-1500) Flashcards
1
Q
What were size of British armies in this period?
A
5k-10k men
2
Q
What was the common infantry to cavalry ratio in 1250-1500?
A
2:1
3
Q
How many of the cavalry, who were elite, from the upper nobility?
A
30%
4
Q
Name of a man from the cavalry in the lower nobility?
A
Sir Roger Bassett
5
Q
What was a nobelman’s retinue and how many people in each?
A
A group of 5-25 men who led the rest of the cavalry who were men-at-arms
6
Q
Explain how command was decided by social position rather than experience/nobility?
A
King rewards supporters with land (nobles). These nobles give land to gentry who support the king and the king expected gentry and nobles to command troops for him in return (feudal system)
7
Q
Example of cavalry ignoring orders in medieval period?
A
Battle of Lewes (1264) when Prince Edward lost control of cavalry
8
Q
What weapons did cavalrymen have?
A
2 horses to a war, swords and lances
9
Q
What weapons did infantry have?
A
Swords, daggers. Some had ‘brown bills’, pikes and crossbows
10
Q
How far could normal bows fire?
A
100m
11
Q
What protection did cavalrymen have?
A
Hauberks (chainmail) with a coif (hood)
12
Q
What did knights wear?
A
Colourful surcoats and flat-topped helmets
13
Q
What did infantry wear for protection?
A
Gambesons (leather jackets) and metal/leather skull caps
14
Q
What was the political state of England in 1250?
A
Not democratic
15
Q
What affected strategy in medieval period?
A
Social attitudes
16
Q
How was war fought and was it normal?
A
Normal part of society and just limited warfare and castles
17
Q
What was used before the last resort of battles?
A
Outmanouvring the enemy into hopeless positions then negotiating a victory or besieging castles and stealing from enemy territory after
18
Q
How did we see battle as a last resort in medieval period?
A
Llewylln the Last rejected Henry’s control of Wales and decided to raid camps and food before slipping away
19
Q
How was limited warfare forced due to the nature of society?
A
Henry III had limited resources so could only raise a small army, he had limited power as he would have to persuade powerful nobles to fight for him.
20
Q
Why was there a campaigning season?
A
Fighting could only happen from late spring to autumn due to the harvest and poor weather conditions
21
Q
What did communications rely on in medieval period?
A
Spies, messengers and pigeons
22
Q
How were attackers disadvantaged in sieges?
A
Army would have to divide forces to each castle and the defenders would have prepared bases for counterattacks
23
Q
When did we see attackers have disadvantage in sieges?
A
Battle of Lewes (1264) as Simon de Monfort placed his army on Offham hill so royal army had to climb.
24
Q
What were the two cavalry tactics?
A
Routed chase and mounted charge
25
What was the main infantry tactic?
Shield wall uses shields with overlapping pikes, just to withstand enemy attacks.
26
Why weren't archers too significant before longbow?
Only used to weaken enemy
27
What happened if archers and cavalry couldn't breake enemy lines?
Melee
28
How did the feudal system recruit cavalry?
King granted powerful supporters areas of land (king's tenants-in-chief). They promise to provide military support and give some land to sub-tenants if they were willing to give military support to tenants-in-chiefs.
29
What was knight service limited to?
40 days per year
30
Who were the most common feudal troops?
Feudal knights
31
Why were new forms of recruitment needed?
Feudal system breaking by 1250 as king struggled to enforce feudal duties
32
What is the Assize of arms?
The wealthier you are, the more military support you provide
33
When did Henry III use Assize of arms?
1250, stated all men with £15 of land must supply a mounted knight, sword, dagger etc.
34
What did king start to accept rather than military service?
Scutage ('shield money')
35
What was scutage used for?
Mostly to employ mercenaries
36
How much did mercenaries cost?
2 shillings a day for mounted knightd and 1 shilling a day for men-at-arms.
37
What were the advantages of mercenaries?
Better disciplined and armed than feudal troops but more expensive
38
What was the royal household and how much were they paid?
Permanent troops who serve the king, made £5 a year.
39
Why did Henry III rely on informal measures to recruit infantry?
There wasn't any feudal duty for ordinary people to serve as infantry
40
Why did feudal infantry join the army?
To defend country and loyalty, for adventure and to escape poverty.
41
What was plunder?
When enemy defeated, money and goods stolen and divided amongst winning army.
42
What did the Assize of arms begin to demand for infantry?
To be ready to serve king for 40 days with weapons as infantry
43
When did Henry III use Assize of arms to recruit infantry?
During Barons War (1264-67)
44
Who were commisioners of array?
People who visited parts of England to inspect weapons used in infantry assize of arms
45
Why was the Assize of arms not great at getting good infantry?
Stated you had to be skilled at using your weapon yet there was no organised training
46
How were cavalry from nobility and gentry mostly trained in?
Horsemanships and use of lances
47
What was the culture of chivalry from the cavalry in the nobility and gentry?
Knights shouldn't train in large groups, should focus on individual combat, and should compete in tournaments
48
How was provisioning set out for first 40 days of service?
Had to bring own provisioned food etc.
49
How was provisioning supplied?
Baggage trains followed armies and supply depots sometimes went ahead of armies
50
How did armies often resort for provisioning?
Demanding from locals by either paying or steal
51
How were the uses of pikes changed?
Inspired by Scottish Pikemen to use schiltrons
52
Why were schiltrons good for defence?
Cavalry couldn't attack it
53
Why was it hard for schiltrons to attack?
Hard to move as a group
54
When were attacking schiltrons used?
By Scottish at battle of Stirling Bridge (1297)
55
What did the success of schiltrons reveal?
The power of infantry wnd the decline of mounted knights
56
Why did longbows require lots of training?
Made of yew/elm wood which required great strength
57
What was the rate of fire and distance of longbows?
10-15rpm and 200m distance.
58
What do records show about the piercing power of longbows?
A longbow once pierced through all a knight's armour, pinned the horse and the knight together.
59
2 times effective longbow use was seen?
Battle of Falkirk (1298) and Battle of Agincourt (1415)
60
What caused change for longbows to be successful?
Technology
61
Who was an example of people causing change for the longbow?
Edward I as his longbow used caused them to become key parts of English armies for next 150 years.
62
Why did tactics change?
Due to the power of the longbow
63
How did archers keep up with cavalry in new tactics?
Rode on horseback and fought on foot
64
How were archers used to defend with new tactics?
Showered arrows from the flanks, causing the attackers to funnel towards men-at-arms and form a melee
65
When were the new longbow tactics used?
Battle of Agincourt (1415)
66
Why did infantry to cavalry ratio become 3:1 by 1400?
Due to success of longbow
67
How did armour change due to longbows?
1320: metal plates added such as breastplates
1420: suits of armour
68
What did Roger Bacon write in 1267 after experimenting with gunpowder?
Gunpowder had a roar greater than thunder and a flash greater than lightning
69
How did the 1320-1430 cannons have little significance?
Wooden barrels and shot balls of stone
70
When were cannons used for sieges with little impact?
Siege of Calais
71
What did a contemporary writer write to show little power of cannon?
English 'fired off some cannons to frighten' the enemy
72
Why were cannons mainly used in sieges in 1320?
Were heavy and only had 100-yard range
73
Why did cannons improve from 1430-1500?
Due to technology
74
How were cannon barrels developed from stone?
Included iron, copper and brass now
75
How did cannons get greater power, accuracy and range by 1430?
Barrels sometimes were 3x as long as their diameter
76
What were trunions and what did they allow?
Rods at each side of barrel which allowed barrel to be lifted higher or lower, making it more flexible
77
What are example of specialist cannons made?
Light mobile cannons, heavy cannons and mortars
78
What is an example of the impact of the improved cannon?
1000 English cavalry took losses from French cannons in the Battle of Castillon (1453)
79
How did castles change due to the uses of cannons in sieges?
Walls were made thicker and shorter
80
What did all Venetian armies replace crossbows with in 1490?
Arquebuses
81
What is an example of the unreliability of cannons?
James II of Scotland blew himself up with cannon in 1460
82
What were cons of cannons in the medieval period?
Slow to reload, innacurate at far distances and too heavy for battle
83
What were cons of firearms in medieval period?
Slow to load, unreliable due to weather and used little due to dominance of longbow
84
What is an example of the lack of use of firearms in the medieval period?
At Battle of Bosworth (1485), no evidence of a single firearm shot.
85
What declined most in the medieval period?
Cavalry in its traditional use
86
How did cvalry tactics change from 1330?
Cavalry used as an integrated force with other troops
87
How were new cavalry tactics seen in the Hundred Years' War?
Cavalry took on specialist roles such as scouting and chasing fleeing troops
88
Why were only 5% or cavalry nobles for the English campaign in France (1375)?
Knights began to pay scutage rather than fighting
89
What was wrong with mercenaries?
They had own leaders so weakened link between social class and command
90
How do we see that the size of armies was constant in this period?
Battle of Lewes (1264) - Henry III army had 10k
Battle of Agincourt (1415) - Henry V army had 8k
91
What was an example of limited warfare staying the same in this period?
English armies carried out chevauchees in Hundred Years' War (raids on horseback) to stop French growing crops
92
What is an example of capturing castles staying the same in this period?
Henry V captured French castles in Harfleur in 1400s.
93
How did command stay the same in this period and example?
Leading nobles and close relatives still used as commanders e.g Edward I used Earl of Surrey as senior commander in Battle of Falkirk
94
How was recruitment of cavalry achieved in 1250?
Feudal duties of nobles and knights, assize of arms and mercenaries
95
How was recruitment of infantry achieved in 1250?
Loyalty of common people and assize of arms
96
How long was feudal troops still used to recruit for?
Until 1350
97
What methods of recruitment increased after 1250?
Assize of arms and paid troops (became main source)
98
When was the last use of feudal troops?
1327
99
What were the disadvantages of feudal troops?
. Until 1330, kings could only call up 5k mounted feudal troops
. Only had to fight in England and for 40 days
. Quality unreliable as based on social status
. Discipline unreliable
. Feudal infantry only part time and had poor quakity weapons
100
How did attitudes in society cause changes in recruitment?
As feudal system broke down, tenants were less willing to agree with demand for feudal duties
101
How was the Assize of arms extended in an effort to come up with a recruitment scheme?
Statute of Winchester (1285) - commisoners of array were appointed for each town and country, who would annually muster all local 16-20 year old men in an array of arms
102
What were requirements in Statute of Winchester?
Men had to bring at least a bow, arrows, sword and a dagger
Wealthier men had to bring armour, shield, lance etc.
men had to serve 40 days and were paid if served longer
103
Why were there questions raised on whether people fully complied with Assize of arms?
In 1296, 713 men summoned to serve Edward I in France and only 76 sailed
104
Why did Kings begin to rely on paid troops more?
Compelling people to fight by feudal duties or Assize of Arms wasn't improving army
105
How did Royal Household change by 1300?
Numbers increased as paid troops increased. Edward I had 4000 mounted cavalry in his RH
106
What was impressive about Edward III's army?
First army to fully consist paid troops
107
How is the sustained role of nobility seen in English army?
Even late in period, commanders and troops sometimes still same people who served king in feudal system
108
What did new recruitment systems lead to?
Better training
109
How did feudal troops change?
Only summoned for war
110
How did role of knights continue?
Still only practiced combat alone at tournaments
111
How did annual array of arms change?
Included a practice of using inspected weapons
112
What did the Statute of Winchester include for training?
Archery targets had to be set up in every town
113
Why were paid troops the favoured campaigning option by the 1400s?
Better trained, experienced at fighting in groups
114
What did regular musters help do for training?
Make it more organised and get good value for money
115
Why did provisioning become more important in the medieval period?
There were more wars so more horses were needed
Much more weapons: Battle of Crecy (1346) - English archers shot half a mil arrows in one day
116
What was the form of requisitioning called purveyance?
When food and fodder for army was requisitoned by the crown
117
Why did food provisioning often not work?
Foraging in countryside and plundering became common
118
How did the Royal Armoury weapon store allow archers to not have to supply own arrows by 1360?
It stored 11k bows and half a million arrows
119
Why were baggage trains often a target?
Horses pulled baggae trains and needed food to be fed. If the trains were destroyed, army and horses would starve
120
Why were baggage trains annoying for the army?
Only moved 25-30km a day, slow af
121
What was the bad impact of warfare mostly due to?
Cost of warfare, recruitment for wars and impact of fighting
122
Why was cost of wars expensive?
England constantly at war in this period
123
Why did cost of warfare have a bad impact on civilians?
Ways kings raised money and supplies usually used civilians
124
When was increased taxation shown to cause unrest?
Peasants Revolt (1381)
125
How was tax income not actually so bad?
Even by end of Hundred Years' War, tax only around 1% annual income for most people.
126
Why were civilians annoyed about requisitioning?
When crown requisitioned food, often didn't pay a fair price
127
Give words from a 1340 poem that shows unrest of civilians around purveyance?
'You who eat off silver and pay in wood, how much better to pay in silver and eat off wood.'
128
When were manu ships seens to be seized as not enough could be requisitoned?
Crecy campaign (1346) - crown had no ships so 700 private ships seized.
129
How did civilians show they didn't like being forced to fight?
Increasing number chose to pay scutage, some civilians who were called to arms deserted immediately.
130
Example of civilians showing resentment towards recruitment system?
1355, when archers from Gloucester were told to join king's army in Scotland, they refused
