Middle ages Flashcards
what weapons were used in the middle ages
Swords, longbows, staffs, crossbows, cannons
how did the use of longbows change throughout the middle ages
the use of longbows increased due to the ‘longbow law’ put in place in 1363 which stated all able bodied men had to practice archery every sunday
how did the use of swords change throughout the middle ages
the use of swords in infantry decreased substantially due to the increasing use of longbows
how did the number of cavalry change from the beginning to the end of the middle ages
the number of cavalry decreased due to the introduction of longbows which meant they were easier to kill
how were knights recruited at the start of the middle ages
recruited through: general summons and feudal summons
what was a general summon
issued by the king and appealed to all knights to volunteer to fight. no direct payment.
what was a feudal summons
issued by king to all noblemen who had received land directly from the crown. required to fight for 40 days. expected to bring their retinue to fight with them
how were knights recruited by the end of the middle ages
indentures
what was an indenture
contract made with an individual knight with the king. 2 pence per day. king knew who would turn up to fight. king had more control over the types of troops recruited
what methods were used to recruit infantry at the beginning of the middle ages
infantry were recruited by local sheriffs, however these sheriffs would often take bribes from those wanting to avoid military service, so the poorer people would go an fight instead
what method was used to increase reliability of sheriffs recruiting infantry
by 1277 sheriffs were supervised by members of the royal household called commissioners of array
how were infantry recruited in the end of the middle ages
usually had made an agreement with an individual knight to serve in their retinue. COA and sheriffs were still used but mainly for local defence
who led the English at the Battle of Falkirk?
King Edward I
who led the Scottish at the battle of Falkirk?
William Wallace
what 3 reasons were there for Edwards victory at the battle of Falkirk
- Effectiveness of Edwards tactics
- Size and composition of the two armies
- Positions of the two armies at the start of the battle
who led the English at the Battle of Agincourt?
Henry V
what were the 5 stages at Agincourt
Numbers, Positions, English bowmen fire, French cavalry attack, French dismounted knights attack, slaughter of prisoners
what different factors contributed to the impact of war on civilians
- victims of raids
- civilians as soldiers
- taxations
- feeding and sheltering soldiers
how did the experience of civilians change at the end of the middle ages
the invention of the printing press in 1471 meant more people could learn to read, which lead to more people being informed about what was happening. people opinions became more relevant. long term attitudes in society changed
How did King Edwards I tactics help him win the battle of Falkirk
Edward knew he had more soldiers so he charged his cavalry against Scottish cavalry. He also made his longbowmen shoot the schiltrons as they had no armour to protect. This allowed his infantry to charge in as spears were bad in close combat
Explain how the size and composition of the two armies at Falkirk allowed Edward to win
Edward army was much bigger than Wallace’s. Edward had 4 times the cavalry of scottish. Edward had more longbowmen to shoot into the schiltrons
How did positioning of the two armies allow Edward to win at the battle of Falkirk
Wallace has a forest behind them making it hard to retreat. They would have to flee which would result in loss of formation. English had the ability to move around
What were knights of the royal household
The kings private army, there were around 50 and each of them had their own retinue
