Warfare: 1250-1500

• Composition of Armies


  - Made up of Cavalry and infantry

  - Ratio 2:1

  - Armies usually between 5-10 thousand
• Infantry


  Peasants who fought on foot, they were at the bottom of the social hierarchy and were treated poorly compared to other soldiers
• Role of infantry


  - Task was to hold the enemy attack and defeat their infantry, usually wore skull caps and leather jackets for protection, had swords, daggers etc
• Infantry tactics


  Shield wall - overlapping shields, and spears or pikes to hold enemy attacks

  Melee - hand to hand combat with swords, pikes daggers
• Cavalry


  Mounted knights who were gentry and nobility who fought on horseback, superior in status to other soldiers. Armed with swords and lances, protected with helmets and chainmail
• Role of cavalry


  Were the most powerful force on the battlefield, they weakened the enemy in the first round of attack
• Cavalry tactics


  Mounted charge - Charging through enemy lines to reach and kill the enemy commander

  Rout and chase - Used to scatter enemy infantry and attack them once dispersed
• Feudal Levy


  Knights owed 40 days knight service and tenants owed their lords a set number of knights based on the amount of land they owned
• Archers


  Infantry who used bows and arrows, they played a minor role working with the cavalry to break down the enemy at the beginning of the battle
• The Feudal system


  Organised society into groups based on people roles, this had a direct impact in the way armies were commanded, they were commanded by those in superior social positions
• Castles


  Extremely well fortified positions, when stationed they could be held for weeks even months, forced attackers to divide their forces
• Limited warfare


  A war with limited use of resources, wars usually won by forcing the opposition to withdraw with minimal direct confrontation
• Characteristics of Limited warfare

  - Resources limited, only small armies raised

  - Limited power

  - Battles were avoided, losing a battle could result in the Kings death or capture

  - Season, there were only a few months a year where battle could take place
• The Longbow


  Introduced in the 1290's into English armies and became a key part of armies for the next 150 years
• Benefits of Longbows


  - Could fire 15 arrows a minute, 5 times more than the crossbow

  - Their increased power meant it could pierce through chainmail

  - Had an effective range of 200 metres, twice the distance of shorter bows and crossbows
• Disadvantages of longbows


  They required great strength and long training to master
• Pikes and Schiltrons


  The Scots under William Wallace used schiltrons, tight formations of infantry gathered together in a circle or square with pikes facing out towards the enemy. - effective
• Gunpowder and The development of the cannon

  In the 13th century, the formula for gunpowder arrived in Europe from China, it was used to fire cannons and by 1450 became a standard siege weapon
• Limitations of cannons


  - Heavy and expensive, to transport them involved complicated logistical planning

  - Inaccurate, generally 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

  - Unreliable, they were likely to blow up or fail to fire

  - Slow to reload

  - Required trained personnel
• Advantages and improvements of cannons

  - Useful in destroying city and castle walls, shortening sieges

  - Improvements were made in range and aim with new technology, including trunnions (rods to raise the height of the barrel

  - Specialist cannon were developed that could launch cannonballs high over defensive walls or longer distances

  - Metal was used for cannon barrels and balls, rather than stone, which made cannons more effective and accurate
• The Mounted Knight


  The Mounted Knight started to decline due to the introduction of new weapons

  - The longbow was more effective in taking down knights, horses and infantry

  - The Schiltron was effective at defeating cavalry, increasing the importance of infantry

  - The cavalry became more integrated, taking on specialist tasks, like patrolling and scouting, often dismounting to fight defensive battles
• Mercenaries


  Soldiers who were payed for by the King, they were used as they could no longer rely on nobility for their military power
• Change in the recruitment of knights

  In 1250, cavalry were recruited through the feudal levy but these dues became harder to enforce and so extra forms of recruitment emerged

  - The Assize of Arms

  - Mercenaries and scutage

  - The Royal Household
• The Assize of arms


  Was a tax on wealth, requiring all men with land to provide a number of fully equipped knights, the wealthier people were, the more military support they had to give
• Mercenaries and scutage


  Mercenaries increasingly replaced the feudal service and the Assize as they were better trained. Subjects paid scutage instead of performing military service, allowing the king to hire mercenaries
• Change in the recruitment of Infantry

  There was no feudal duty to serve as infantry, instead, the incentives were duty, escape, adventure or plunder

  - The Statute of Winchester 1285

  - Commissioners of Array

  - Payment
• The Statute of Winchester 1285


  Extended the Assize of Arms, all fit men between 16 and 60 were instructed to muster once a year ready and equipped for 40 days service
• Commissioners Array


  Assessed recruits and their weapons across their country
• Payment (Infantry)


  After 1337, the feudal levy and Assize of Arms began to fall away in favour of infantry being paid for their service
• Provisioning and eqipment


  In this period, demand for food and weapons for the army increased because

  - England was involved in many wars

  - There were more infantrymen to feed

  - More horses need to be fed

  - More ammunition needed (Bullets, arrows, cannon balls)

  - Gunpowder weapons needed specific ammunition and were hard to transport
• Changes in Provisioning


  Combatants provided their own provisions and equipment for 40 days, but new solutions were needed to meet the increased demand

  - Requisitioning

  - Weapon stores

  - Supply depots

  - Pillaging
• Requisitioning


  The Crown forced merchants to sell goods (purveyance) and provide ships in order to supply their baggage trains (made up of wagons and pack animals, stretched for miles behind an army)
• Weapon stores


  Weapon stores such as the Royal armoury were built up
• Supply depots


  Were set up ahead of the army and supplied by road or sea
• Pillaging


  Plundering, looting, destroying property in enemy territory, was a common was resort
• Continuity: Training


  There were no permanent armies and no barracks, so no organised training for warfare

  - The Assize of Arms called for infantry recruits to be skilled with their weapons but this was often not the case

  - Cavalry learned military skills and competed in tournaments but there was no training to fight as a group

  - The nobility were the military class and kings relied on leading nobles and close relatives to command their armies
• Impact on civilians


  - Taxation

  - Recruitment

  - Requisitioning
• Taxation (Impact on civilians)


  The increase in tax was a burden for civilians but was not such a great burden compared to being recruited or having their belongings plundered by armies
• Recruitment (Impact on civilians)

  - Civilians were forced to fight by the King making desertion and refusal common

  - Civilians increasingly chose to pay money instead to avoid going to war (Scutage)

  - Fighting meant time away from family and home, as well as great risk of death or injury

  - Recruits were expected to provide their own equipment and provisions for 40 days
• Requisitioning (Impact on civilians)


  Civilians were meant to be paid a fair price but often weren't or were given IOUs (Promises to pay at a later date)

  - They were left with less food and supplies for their own use

  - They gave nearly all their money to the crown