Medieval warfare Flashcards
What is a hauberk?
think riders
Chainmail garment worn by cavalry
Size of armies in Britain 1250
5,000-10,000
1250: Ratio of cavalry to infantry
1:2
1250: What percent of the cavalry were upper nobility?
30%
1250: Other than upper nobility who else fought in the cavalry?
Knights and men-at-arms
1250: what were men at arms?
heavily armed mounted troops.
Noble man’s retinue of men-at-arms ranged from 5 to 25 men.
Usually from the gentry
Social structure in England in 1250
The King
Upper + Lower Nobility
The Gentry
The Common People
1250: Where on the social structure were the infantry from
The commoners
1250: Who commanded armies?
The nobility or king
1250: Weapons of the cavalry
lances, thrusting spears, and swords
1250: Weapons of the infantry
swords, daggers, maces, battle axes, pikes, bows, crossbows, and halberds
What are halberds?
Poles with axe heads
What are ‘brown bills’
poles with broadblades and a hook for hauling knights off horses
1250: What armour did cavalrymen use?
hauberks and flat topped metal helmets.
They often wore colourful cloth surcoats (as did the horses sometimes)
1250? What armour did the infantry wear?
Gambesons, or short mail shirts. Leather or metal skull caps
What is a gambeson?
A leather or padded linen jacket
1250: Two main stratergies
Castles and limited warfare
Characteristics of limited warfare
Avoid battles – losing could mean the king was captured or killed
Campaign season – late spring to until autumn, to do with farming and weather making warfare difficult
Communications – limited, hard to pinpoint enemy
Try to manoeuvre the enemy to a hopeless position then negotiate or besiege a castle, or attack territory, destroying or stealing goods
Guerilla warfare
Characteristics of castle warfare
Defensive
If an army attacked an area defended by castles:
the defenders would have bases to launch counter attacks
the attackers would divide forces to besiege each castle
1250: General tactics
Protect flanks. Use hills and other geographical objects to advantage
Cavalry tactics
Mounted charge
Rout and chase
Infantry tactics
Shield wall
Archers
Mêlée
How were the cavalry recruited?
Feudal system
Feudal system
King grants land to tenants in chief. They promise military support.
Tenants in chief grant control of some of their land to sub tenants.
Sub-tenants give military support to their tenants in chief
Knight’s fee
number of knights (usually 5s or 10s) that was promised to a lord.
1250: Length of Knight survice
40 days a year
In 1250, how were most troops recruited?
through the feudal system
1250: how many knights’ fees could be called upon
around 5000
What was happening to the feudal system by 1250?
It was becoming less effective, and being replaced by other forms of recruitment
(think tax)
What was the Assize of Arms? (cavalry)
A form of recruitment. Assessed people’s wealthto see if they should support the king with arms. The wealthier you were, the more support you gave
What was happening to the Assize of Arms by 1250?
It was becoming less effective
What is scutage?
A fee paid to the king instead of going to fight for him. The money was used to hire cavalry
Outline mercenaries
- Led by a captain
- Could be foreign
- Better trained, disciplined, and armed than feudal troops.
- More expensive than feudal troops
Hired by king.
Not guaranteed to be loyal
1250: The Royal Household
- Permanent troops
- Paid to serve the king (£5 a year plus 1 shilling a week on campaign)
- Henry III had c. 500
- Usually mounted
1250: was a there a formal measure of recruitment for infantry
No
1250: Why did infantry join the army?
Through loyalty to the king, adventure, chance to escape poverty, chance of plunder.
1250: Outline the Assise of Arms (infantry)
All men had to be ready to serve the king for 40 days, equiped with weapons, as troops for the infantry.
1250: how were infantry trained?
There was no organised form of training, except according to the Assize of Arms the infantry had to be trained. They did not do much.
Commissioners of Array
officials appointed by the king to organise recruitment of troops under the Assize of Arms
Chivalry
Code of conduct.
General life: politeness and courtesy, especially towards women
In war: bravery, loyalty, respect for the enemy
Were cavalry trained (1250)
The nobles and gentry were trained in military skills, especially horsemanship, and the use of weapons.
However, there was little to no training on fighting in large, desciplined, groups
How were armies provisioned?
Men brought provisions for 40 days
Baggage trains
Supplies sent ahead to supply deopts
Often, demanding supplies from locals. Usually paid in home territory, in enemy, they just stole what was needed
