warfare

• Weapons 1250-1500


  Swords - thinner and sharper in late 14th century to get through plate armour

  Lances

  Spears

  Longbows - used from 1290, mainly around Falkirk

  Crossbows

  Cannons - from 1320 in sieges, 100 yard range, slow to reload and not mobile
• Army composition 1250-1500


  Knights - mounted 1250, increasingly dismounted by mid-14th century

  Cavalry - no longer acted alone, integrated with infantry from 1330

  Infantry - major proportion of the army (1250; infantry to cavalry ratio 2:1, 3:1 by 1400 because of more longbow men placed on flanks)

  Knights of Royal Household - approx. 500 Knights in 1250 but 4000 by 1300
• Recruitment and training 1250-1500


  Knights from social elites - feudal summons, voluntary service and indentures (contracts) by 1400

  Infantry - initially via Commissioners of Array (local sheriffs) but later, indentures (especially for longbow men), also through Assize of Arms

  
  

  No official training but law passed to practice archery from 1363 for all men aged 16-65 every Sunday

  Elite chivalric culture - tournaments and jousts
• Civilian experience 1250-1500


  Could be compelled to serve in armies

  Food requisitioned (purveyance)

  Victims of plundering (looting)

  Provided shelter for troops (billeting)

  Paid taxes to fund wars

  Received little if any news about wars
• Weapons 1500-1700


  Guns replacing longbows and crossbows 1510s - 1595

  Musket - Matchlock introduced in 1550, Flintlock slowly introduced from 1610)

  Artillery - cannons used more from 1630s

  Pistols

  Pikes - 33% of infantry weaponry in 1640s, defunct by 1705

  Plug bayonet - 1647, first issued to troops in 1663 (pike now defunct)

  Swords

  Body armour - reduced to 'back and breast' by 1645 to increase mobility
• Army composition 1500-1700


  Cavalry - 33% of army, increasingly armed with pistols but also swords

  Dragoons - small proportion of the army, converted to cavalry by 1700

  Infantry - major proportion of army, by 1640s 66% of infantry were armed with guns

  Dutch Countermarch developed from 1590s (musketeers in squares)

  Artillery (few, growing in number)

  Permanent army from 1660
• Recruitment and training 1500-1700

  By 1700, soldiers were professional and full-time

  Cavalry - from social elites

  Infantry - Commissions of Array and conscription in Civil Wars

  New Model Army from 1645 - permanent army after 1660, made up of professional paid soldiers

  
  

  Increased emphasis on drill training (particularly infantry)

  Self Denying Ordinance 1645 - forced MPs to give up any military commission they had
• Civilian experience 1500-1700


  Could be compelled to serve in armies

  Food requisitioned

  Provided shelter to troops - garrisoned

  Taxes directly imposed to fund wars

  Victims of raid and pillage, especially during Civil Wars

  3.6% of population casualties during Civil War

  Received some news about wars through propaganda (printing press invented)
• Weapons 1700-1900


  Industrial Revolution 1700-1850 - enabled iron industry to grow and steel could be mass produced

  Little change 1700-1815

  Accelerated change 1850 onwards

  Muskets and bayonets - Brown Bess 1720-1850 and flintlock

  Rifles since c.1850 (Enfield)

  Pistols

  Artillery (Bessemer process from 1850s, cast from solid steel 1860s)

  Swords

  Machine guns - from 1884
• Army composition 1700-1900


  Cavalry - 20% of army in 1700 and 15% by 1850. Charge of the Light Brigade demonstrated its limitations

  Infantry - major proportion of the army (75% in 1700, 80% by 1850. Riflemen by 1850)

  Artillery (an increasing number)

  Army grows - 1849 = 115,000. 1899 = 250,000

  British Army 'Infantry Square' used to great effect in 1815
• Recruitment and training 1700-1900

  Cavalry - from social elites

  1757 Militia Act - overhauls Assize of Arms, protects from invasion and could boost army in war

  Infantry - professional paid soldiers but low pay

  
  

  Drill training important for infantry

  Cardwell Reforms - 1868-1871, end bounty money, branding for punishment of troops, flogging during peacetime and purchase system for officers
• Civilian experience 1700-1900


  Few/no wars on British soil

  Provided shelter and food to troops, but less so as barracks were built

  Taxes increased to fund wars - early 1800s e.g. income tax

  Received news (and photographs) of foreign wars because of improvements in communications - electric telegraph, newspapers (but high illiteracy rate)
• Weapons 1900-present


  Rifles

  Machine guns - key in WW1

  Artillery - behind infantry (some could achieve range of 10km by 1900, 80km by 1914)

  Aircraft - since WW1, jets since late 1940s

  Chemical weapons (gas)

  Tanks (since 1916 but widespread by 1939)

  Nuclear weapons (since 1945)

  Precision Guided Missiles

  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones)
• Army composition 1900-present


  Infantry - major proportion of the army (65% in 1914 but just 25% in 2003)

  Cavalry - 10% of army in 1914 but ended by 1918, superseded by tank units (10% by 2003)

  Artillery

  Logistics increasingly important

  Growth of specialist troop units - just 5% in 1914 but 55% by 2003)

  After 1900, wars of movement, attrition, total warfare and guerrilla warfare
• Recruitment and training 1900-present

  Conscription - WW1 and 2, National Service 1948 to 1960

  Professional, paid volunteer troops for most of period

  Army size grew during WWs - 1918 = 3.5m, 1938 = 197,000, 1945 = 3.3m, 2003 = 100,000

  
  

  Specialised training increasingly important
• Civilian experience 1900-present


  Conscripts - WWs and National Service 1948-1960

  Victims of aerial bombings on WWs

  Women in factories and other essential war work during WWs

  Propaganda and censorship - during WWs but in more recent conflict, increased media coverage and less censorship due to improvements in communication

  Conscientious objectors - 7000 in WW1 and 6000 in WW2 sent to prison

  Civilian deaths - 15% of casualties in WW1, 65% in WW2

  Fear of nuclear war (Cold War)

  Fear of terrorism
• what was the composition of the army (1250-1500)?

  armies were made up of infantry and the mounted knight (cavalry).
• what was the role of mounted knights? (1250-1500)


  -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.
• what was the role of the infantry? (1250-1500)

  -hold the enemy attack and then defeat the enemy infantry.

  -the shield wall held enemy attacks.

  -the melee was where infantry engaged in hand-to-hand fighting with swords, pikes and daggers.
• what role did lords play on the battlefield? (125--1500)

  Commanders.
• what role did noblemen and gentry play on the battlefield (1250-1500)

  Knights.
• what role did the peasants play on the battlefield? (1250-1500)

  Infantry.
• what happened when the feudal system broke own? (1250-1500)

  It became harder to persuade people to fight, so kinds paid for soldiers to fight - these men were called mercenaries.
• what were archers? (1250-1500)

  Infantry who used bows or crossbows. They worked with mounted knights to break down the enemy at the beginning of a battle.
• what were the features of a longbow? (1250-1500)


  -Could fire 15 arrows a minute.

  -They had increased power to pierce through chainmail.

  -They had an effective range of 200 metres.
• what were schiltrons? (1250-1500)


  A tight formation of infantry gathered together in a square or circle with pikes facing outwards towards the enemy.
• what were some limitations of the cannon? (1250-1500)

  -Heavy and expensive.

  -Inaccurate, could only be used against large targets such as walls.

  -Short range.

  -Unreliable, could set on fire or blow up.

  -Slow to reload.

  -Trained personnel needed.
• what were the advantages and improvements to cannon? (1250-1500)

  -Useful in destroying city and castle walls.

  -Improvements were made in range and aim.

  -Specialist cannons were developed to go over high defensive walls.

  -Metal was used for barrels and balls to make them for accurate and effective.
• why was there a decline in mounted knights? (1250-1500)

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

  -Schiltron was effective at defeating cavalry.

  -Cavalry became more integrated, taking on specialist tasks.
• What were the changes in recruitment of knights? (1250-1500)

  -The Assize of Arms = a tax on wealth, all men with land had to provide a number of fully equipped knights.

  -Mercenaries and scutage = replaced feudal service and the Assize. you could pay scutage rather than serving in battles.

  -The Royal Household = permanent troops paid by the king to guard him.
• what were the changes in recruitment of infantry? (1250-1500)


  -The Statute of Winchester = men between 16 and 60 had to muster once a year and be equipped for 40 days of service.

  -Commissioners of Array = assed recruits and weapons across the country.

  -Feudal levy and Assize of Arms began to fall away in favour of infantry being paid for service.
• what were the changes in provisioning? (1250-1500)

  -Requisitioning = crown forced merchants to sell goods to provide ships in order to supply their baggage trains.

  -Weapon stores.

  -supply depots.

  -pillaging = a common last resort in enemy territory.
• what was the continuity of training? (1250-1500)

  -Assize of arms called for infantry recruits to be skilled with their weapons.

  -Mounted knights learned military skills and competed in tournaments, but there was no training to fight in a group.

  -Nobility were the military class and kings relied on nobles and close relatives to command their armies.
• what were the feudal duties - recruitment? (1250-1500)

  -Civilians were forced to fight by the king.

  -Civilians increasingly chose to pay money instead of going to war (scutage).

  -Fighting meant time away from family.

  -Recruits were expected to provide their own equipment and provisions for 40 days.
• what were the benefits of warfare on civilians? (1250-15000

  -Pay was better in the army.

  -Industry was boosted due to the demand for supplies and weapons.
• what was plunder? (1250-1500)


  Stealing supplies from communities for the army and it starved the enemy.
• What was requisitioning? (1250-1500)

  forces brought food and fodder from civilians, they were meant to be paid fairly but they often wasn't.
• what was the impact on civilians as a result of requisitioning? (1250-1500)


  -They had less food and supplies for their own use.

  -They were out of pocket to the crown.
• When was the Battle of Falkirk? (1250-1500)


  1298
• Who was the Battle of Falkirk between? (1298)

  Scottish and English.