The Nature of Medival Warfare

Question 1

What were the composition of armies (c1250-1500)?

Answer 1

Armies consisted of infantry and mounted knights (cavalry).

Question 2

Describe the infantry and mounted knights.

Answer 2

• Infantry : peasents who fought on foot - bottom of social hierarchy and were treated poorly. May have worn skull caps and leather jackets for protection.
• Mounted knights : gentry and nobility who fought on horseback and were superior in status compared to other types of soldier. Armed with swords and lances, and protected with helmets and chainmail.

Question 3

How many soldiers did an army have usually (c1250-c1500)?

Answer 3

Armies had between 5000 and 10000 soldiers. Usually, there were twice as much infantry as mounted knights.

Question 4

Describe the social structure and army command in medival English society (c1250-c1500)?

Answer 4

• The feudal structure and attitudes of English society had a direct impact on how armies were commanded.
• Armies were commanded by those in superior social positions and not by those with combat experience or useful skills, as a result, the quality of leadership varied.

Question 5

Describe the role of the mounted knights on the battlefield?

Answer 5

Mounted knights would weaken the enemy in the first round of attack by using:

• the mounted charge, charging through enemy lines to reach and kill the enemy commander
• the rout and chase, used to scatter enemy infantry and attack them once they were dispersed.

Question 6

Describe the role of the infantry on the battlefield.

Answer 6

Infantry’s task was to hold the enemy attack and then defeat the enemy infantry.

• The shield wall, with overlapping shields, and spears or pikes, held enemy attacks.
• The mêlée was where the infantry engaged in hand-to-hand combat with swords, pikes and daggers.

Question 7

Describe the role of the archers (also infantry) on the battlefield.

Answer 7

Archers were infantry who utilised bows or crossbows. They played a minor role working with the mounted knights to break down the enemy at the beginning of the battle.

Question 8

Describe what the feudal system was. What happened when it started to break down?

Answer 8

• The feudal system organised society into groups based on people’s roles. Land was granted in return for the service to the lord. Those serving their lord in battle provided their own equipment and provisions.
• When the feudal system began to break down it bacame more difficult to encourage people to fight. This resulted in kings paying for mercenaries.

Question 9

What were the advantages of the longbow? When was it introduced?

Answer 9

• Introduced in the 1290s into English armies.
• The advantages of the longbow were that : 15 arrows a minute could be fired (5 times more than the rate of the crossbow);

increased power meant arrows could pierce through a knight’s chainmail;

they had an effective range of 200 metres (twice that of shorter bows and crossbows).

Question 10

What was a schiltron? When were they effectively used?

Answer 10

• Tight formations of infantry gathered together in a circle or sqaure, with pikes facing outwards towards the enemy.
• Used effectively in battles against English infantry in 1297 and English cavalry in 1314.

Question 11

When was the cannon introduced? What did this affect?

Answer 11

By 1450, cannon were becoming a standard seige weapon. This, in turn, affected the design of castles as old styles became increasingly vulnerable to cannon fire.

Question 12

What were the limitations of cannon?

Answer 12

• Heavy and expensive : to transport them involved complicated logistical planning.
• Inaccurate : generally they could only be used against large targets, such as walls.
• Short range : they had to be close to their targets, making them vulnerable to attack.
• Slow to reload.
• Trained personnel needed.

Question 13

What were the advantages and improvements of cannon?

Answer 13

• Useful in destroying city and castle walls shortening seiges.
• Improvements were made in range and aim with new technology, including trunnions (rods to raise the height of the barrel).
• Specialist cannons were developed that could launch cannonballs high over defensive walls or over longer distances.
• Metal was used for cannon barrels and balls, rather than stone, which made cannons more effective and accurate.

Question 14

Why did the introduction of new weapons lead to the decline of the mounted knight in numbers and importance?

Answer 14

• The longbow was more effective in taking down knights, horses and infantry.
• The schiltron was effective at defeating cavalry, increasing the infantry’s importance.
• The cavalry became more integrated, taking on specialist tasks, like patrolling and scouting, and they often dismounted to fight defensive battles.