Medieval - TheHistoryFiles.com

HABSBURG MILITARY MEDIOCRITY – H-WAR

Why was the Habsburg army slower and less brilliant than its European rivals between 1649 and 1918? I am certainly no expert on this topic, having read only very generally on Austrian history, but in the interest of providing a basis of discussion, I’ll posit the following general ideas: 1) The Habsburgs were almost […]

Cog, Medieval

COGS IN CONTEMPORARY ART

A remarkably realistic depiction of a sea fight between two cogs, dated to c. 1300-1320 by details of the armour and the ships’ construction. The picture emphasizes the importance of shock combat as the ultimate arbiter of boarding fights, although the two archers, identifiable as English longbowmen by the size of their bows and their […]

Medieval, Weapons

Longbow Armour Penetration

Whether the longbow could penetrate armour or not remains controversial. Attempts to work this out, even by scientific testing, have been complicated by the issue of the draw-weight. Other factors include range, the condition of the bowstrings, the type of arrow in use, and the type of armour worn by the target. Since estimates of […]

Medieval, Weapons

Late Armor

This late 15th-century suit of Italian plate armor covers the entire body. During the late 15th century and the early 16th century the art of the armorer reached its peak. Model by Peter Wroe of Richard Beauchamp’s armour, which is in the Milanese style of about 1450. Body protection for soldiers in the 14th century […]

Medieval, British, France

Henrys V/VI and the War with France

King Henry V’s, pictured top right at Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Formigny (15 April 1450), a decisive victory for the French. Henry V inherited a realm that was sufficiently peaceful, loyal, and united for him to campaign extensively in France (from 1415) and to spend half of the next seven years abroad. With […]

History, Medieval

Feudalism and Military History

Military historians have usually taken a more restricted view of feudalism. For them, it is the system of raising troops in which a lord grants a fief-typically a piece of land-to a vassal (Latin vassus). In return, the vassal gave the lord a defined and limited term of military service, usually forty days a year […]

British, Medieval

English Civil War (1215-1217)

A 13th-century depiction of the Second Battle of Lincoln, which occurred at Lincoln Castle on 20 May 1217; the illustration shows the death of Thomas du Perche, the Comte de la Perche. Barons force King John to sign Magna Carta. King John was neither loved nor respected by the majority of his countrymen during his […]

British, Medieval

Anglo-Saxon and Norman Tactics

England: Political divisions in 1066 Some of the best evidence of the different military tactics employed by English and Norman armies in 1066 comes from the Bayeux Tapestry. At Hastings, central to the English army’s strategy, as it had been for centuries by then, was the shield wall. Designed to absorb the shock of enemy […]

Medieval, Weapons

Medieval Sword

Oakeshott’s Typology of the Medieval Sword – A Summary The medieval weapon par excellence. Iron made a significant difference, producing a thinner and more flexible weapon. The Roman sword was short and stout, primarily for thrusting. Its development probably came via the Greeks and Etruscans. Iron swords were found at La Tene on Lake Neuchatel. […]

History, Medieval

Merovingian Dynasty (450–751)

Ruling family of Frankish Gaul from the mid-fifth to the mid-eighth century, when it was replaced by Pippin the Short and the Carolingian dynasty. Creators of the most effective and longest lasting successor state to emerge in the post-Roman world, the Merovingians rose to prominence under their greatest king, Clovis (r. 481–511), who first forged […]