Essay on Medieval Battle Tactics

In response to the use of castles and fortresses, siege weapons were created. Siege weapons ranged from short range weapons such as the battering ram to longer range ones like the trebuchet or the ballista. The battering ram was usually a big shed with an armored roof and wheels to protect the men inside operating a thick beam with an iron head hung from the roof that was swung into enemy walls to bring them down. The siege tower, a wheeled tower filled with men that would be used to get over the walls, also saw its use during this time. The trebuchet was used for longer range, the missiles launched by the trebuchet ranged from using dead bodies of animals or people to spread disease, a primitive example of biological warfare, to using large boulders to take down fortress walls. In response

In siege warfare the attacked have no where to go and will not be able to escape with this particular technique of warfare (Lords and Ladies, 2015, para. 1&3). In siege warfare the attacker always had the upper hand as they could withdraw anytime and always had control of the situation. Knights were only allowed to fight for a limited time-usually 40 days but it can be up to 90 depending on the circumstances (para. 10) so both sides had limited resources and could only battle until those run out or it is won as they would run out of solders. Siege warfare increased the efficiency of battle and made it easy for the

of the Medieval knight. As being two essential elements of the Medieval period, it is seen that

Kelly DeVries and Robert Douglas Smith. Medieval Military Technology, Second Edition. Toronto. University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 2012. XVIII + 356 pp. Illustrations, bibliographical references, Index. ISBN 978-1-4426-0497-1.

The 100 Years’ War was given a misleading name, as this conflict between England and France was not a war that lasted one hundred years, it was rather a series of related clashes that lasted just over a century. However, the fact that this conflict lasted more that one hundred years meant that many new tactics and weaponry came into play that changed the concepts of warfare forever. During this one hundred years, tactics changed from the system of feudal armies dominated by heavy Calvary, to the first attempt at some sort of ‘standing army’. The evolution in the types of tactics and weapons that nations used caused the battlefields of Europe to be covered in blood, as the more advanced the weapons, became, the more casualties amounted. The 100 Years’ War was the first time that strategy was used in order to command troops on the battlefield, and it was during this time that the fabrication of early martial handbooks also came into the battle. One of the more famous authors of one of these books was “the great Swabian practitioner and teacher, Johannes Liechtenauer” . Unfortunately, there are no French texts concerning martial handbooks that predate 1570, meaning that in order to look at tactics, sources from surrounding nations at the time have to suffice. Another thing that evolved extremely rapidly during the 100 years’ war, was the escalation of the types of weapons used during conflicts. Inasmuch there were 100 years of outright fighting, each side had a chance to

Castles were extremely important during 1066 – 1500 and they changed overtime to get more protection. A castle is a fortification that was used in the middle ages to protect territory against an invasion. They were important during these times because many kings and lords wanted to show off how wealthy they are and they used them as bases, controlling their land and people from a higher point.

In the Medieval times a sword was a knight’s most important weapons. The fact was found on this website: http://medievalweaponsrds.weebly.com/fun-facts.html. In Medieval times, the armor would vary with leather, chain mail, and plate armor, all coming as technology advanced and blacksmith’s skill increased. Over the Medieval period, weapons were advancing and the elegant rapier began to be obsolete as the musket became popular. A battle was brewing during these times with Queen Elizabeth just trying to survive the war and King Phillip trying to take over England. The advancement of armor, that was made different throughout the Middle Ages, and having a variety of weapons gave England an advantage against the Spanish in Battle.

The Battle of Agincourt is known as one of the greatest because of the circumstances surrounding it. Arguably, it is among the most distinguished battle wins of the English because nobody expected them to defeat the French. The reason was that the French army had four times more troops than it did, and everyone expected it to lose because of this. However, there are a number of factors that were at play that surpassed the numbers the French had and necessitated the English win. Such factors had to do with the strategies that were employed by the English, the conditions at the battlefield, and, most importantly, the leadership in place.

There were a number of conditions that would lead to the emergence of “feudal warfare” in the early Middle Ages and there would be an equal number that would lead to its decline in the later middle ages as well yet to find the meaning of “feudal warfare” one has to look first at where this notion came from, and that was Feudalism.

There are many ways that kingdoms defended themselves with things like moats, bridges, walls. (Morris & Exploring-Castles, n.d.). Luckily for the attackers there are ways to get pass defences such as battering rams for heavy doors. Also mining was used to go under a defensive wall. If you thought that chemical warfare was a new thing then you are wrong. In medieval times if a castle had wooden structures you were in grave danger of having it set on fire. Biological warfare was also used in medieval times. Diseases were a very dangerous way

Knights, were from the medieval era. At age twelve or thirteen a boy born in to nobility would become a squire. They became assistants to knights, they would look after the knight's armor and weapons. They would be able to follow the knight in to battle and learn the use of the weapons. When the knights were in tournaments, the squire was the only person allowed to help him. Once the squire was old and skilled enough, he would become a knight himself.

The medieval time period had violent weaponry, and great inventions. Medieval weaponry is divided into two classes, cold weapons and firearms. Medieval armor protected any soldier and horse participating in a war. Medieval inventions led to rise of production and population.

In the past years, the job of a medieval knight was to fight battles for his lord. They used weapons like daggers, or longswords, and many more. Knights were also referred to as warriors and they are commonly expected to guard a castle. There are a couple of jobs from America today that best relates to the job of a medieval knight. For example, one job that best relates to a medieval knight is a soldier working in the military.

The word chivalry is often associated with knights of the medieval ages. This term was used during the 11th and 12th century. The code of chivalry is a code of conduct that reflected bravery and service to others. This code of conduct was expected of the medieval knights. In his book, La Chevalerie, Leon Gautier wrote the ten commandments of chivalry which were the following: 1. Believe the Church’s teachings and observe all the Church’s directions, 2. Defend the Church, 3. Respect and defend the weak, 4. Love your

Because castles were used for residential and administrative purposes along with warfare, they had important buildings and people to defend. There were often multiple baileys encompassing the various buildings, but the outer bailey was the most important. While rather simple compared to later castles, its structure was sufficient for defending against the weapons at the