Medieval warfare

Question 1

What is a hauberk?

think riders

Answer 1

Chainmail garment worn by cavalry

Question 2

Size of armies in Britain 1250

Answer 2

5,000-10,000

Question 3

1250: Ratio of cavalry to infantry

Answer 3

1:2

Question 4

1250: What percent of the cavalry were upper nobility?

Answer 4

30%

Question 5

1250: Other than upper nobility who else fought in the cavalry?

Answer 5

Knights and men-at-arms

Question 6

1250: what were men at arms?

Answer 6

heavily armed mounted troops.
Noble man’s retinue of men-at-arms ranged from 5 to 25 men.
Usually from the gentry

Question 7

Social structure in England in 1250

Answer 7

The King
Upper + Lower Nobility
The Gentry
The Common People

Question 8

1250: Where on the social structure were the infantry from

Answer 8

The commoners

Question 9

1250: Who commanded armies?

Answer 9

The nobility or king

Question 10

1250: Weapons of the cavalry

Answer 10

lances, thrusting spears, and swords

Question 11

1250: Weapons of the infantry

Answer 11

swords, daggers, maces, battle axes, pikes, bows, crossbows, and halberds

Question 12

What are halberds?

Answer 12

Poles with axe heads

Question 13

What are ‘brown bills’

Answer 13

poles with broadblades and a hook for hauling knights off horses

Question 14

1250: What armour did cavalrymen use?

Answer 14

hauberks and flat topped metal helmets.
They often wore colourful cloth surcoats (as did the horses sometimes)

Question 15

1250? What armour did the infantry wear?

Answer 15

Gambesons, or short mail shirts. Leather or metal skull caps

Question 16

What is a gambeson?

Answer 16

A leather or padded linen jacket

Question 17

1250: Two main stratergies

Answer 17

Castles and limited warfare

Question 18

Characteristics of limited warfare

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Characteristics of castle warfare

Answer 19

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

Question 20

1250: General tactics

Answer 20

Protect flanks. Use hills and other geographical objects to advantage

Question 21

Cavalry tactics

Answer 21

Mounted charge
Rout and chase

Question 22

Infantry tactics

Answer 22

Shield wall
Archers
Mêlée

Question 23

How were the cavalry recruited?

Answer 23

Feudal system

Question 24

Feudal system

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Knight’s fee

Answer 25

number of knights (usually 5s or 10s) that was promised to a lord.

Question 26

1250: Length of Knight survice

Answer 26

40 days a year

Question 27

In 1250, how were most troops recruited?

Answer 27

through the feudal system

Question 28

1250: how many knights’ fees could be called upon

Answer 28

around 5000

Question 29

What was happening to the feudal system by 1250?

Answer 29

It was becoming less effective, and being replaced by other forms of recruitment

Question 30

(think tax)

What was the Assize of Arms? (cavalry)

Answer 30

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

Question 31

What was happening to the Assize of Arms by 1250?

Answer 31

It was becoming less effective

Question 32

What is scutage?

Answer 32

A fee paid to the king instead of going to fight for him. The money was used to hire cavalry

Question 33

Outline mercenaries

Answer 33

• 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

Question 34

1250: The Royal Household

Answer 34

• Permanent troops
• Paid to serve the king (£5 a year plus 1 shilling a week on campaign)
• Henry III had c. 500
• Usually mounted

Question 35

1250: was a there a formal measure of recruitment for infantry

Answer 35

No

Question 36

1250: Why did infantry join the army?

Answer 36

Through loyalty to the king, adventure, chance to escape poverty, chance of plunder.

Question 37

1250: Outline the Assise of Arms (infantry)

Answer 37

All men had to be ready to serve the king for 40 days, equiped with weapons, as troops for the infantry.

Question 38

1250: how were infantry trained?

Answer 38

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.

Question 39

Commissioners of Array

Answer 39

officials appointed by the king to organise recruitment of troops under the Assize of Arms

Question 40

Chivalry

Answer 40

Code of conduct.
General life: politeness and courtesy, especially towards women
In war: bravery, loyalty, respect for the enemy

Question 41

Were cavalry trained (1250)

Answer 41

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

Question 42

How were armies provisioned?

Answer 42

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