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When called to battle during the Middle Ages in Europe, soldiers expected to be surrounded by unpleasant, if not downright unspeakable, sights. Much like medieval executioners, medieval soldiers witnessed blood, carnage, and death on an up-close-and-personal level. Accounts of the great medieval battles not only detail soldiers' lives and the conditions they faced, but also reveal the damage they inflicted on their enemies and noncombatants alike.
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When called to a battle during the Middle Ages in Europe
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soldiers expected to be surrounded by death on an up-close-and-personal level. But fighting a war back then was way more complicated
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than you might think. And a grisly demise was just one of several things
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combatants had to think about when the arrows started flying. So today, we're going to take a look
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at what it was like to be on the front lines of a medieval battle. OK, time to gather up arms and march
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into some weird history. In modern times, we have baseball season, football season, seasons of television, and
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wabbit season. But in medieval times, they had campaign season, which is when they generally did all their fighting
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Because war typically occurs outdoors, campaign season took place when the weather grew decent
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While fighting never remained exclusive to warm summer months, seizures could last for
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months and extend well into winter, medieval lords typically called their men to battle
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after they planted the fields and before the harvest. This timing definitely had its upsides
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Campaigning during spring, summer, and early fall also meant more food available for men and horses
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less need for firewood, and fewer terrain problems to contend with as battle approached
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Also, it's perfect beach weather for when you want to relax after a grueling battle
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There were, however, some disadvantages. For example, when William the Conqueror gathered his men
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to invade England in 1066, he called them in summer, but they couldn't move out immediately due to unfavorable winds. The timing meant that the
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English troops awaiting William's arrival had to return home for their harvests
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which left King Harold's lands vulnerable. The medieval soldier need not go to war alone
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Depending on the type of military battle you engaged in, you could bring your wife
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mother, kids, and other members of your family along. Just pile them into ye olde minivan and
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hit the road. This practice was especially prevalent during the Crusades, when thousands
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of people made their way from Western Europe toward Jerusalem. However, the practice obviously
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came with some risks. The dangers of taking the family along were apparent in Peter the
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hermit's disastrous efforts to reach the Holy Land. Shortly after reaching Constantinople
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his band of pilgrims ran afoul of a group of Turks. According to reports, the Turks went
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into the tents and whacked whomever they found, including the weak and feeble, clerics, monks
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old women, and nursing children. Eee, maybe just send the family some postcards next time
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Perhaps because of those risks, many of the wives who accompanied their husbands on later crusades
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were aristocratic, including Richard the Lionheart's wife. She joined her husband in Syria after marrying him
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in Cyprus in 1191, and she was only there briefly. Honestly, when you've seen one medieval battle
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you've kind of seen them all. Medieval weapons were made to kill
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But not all wounds turned out to be fatal. Head injuries from maces, swords, and axes often led to brain damage and deformity
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though they might result in bodacious scars as well. Sometimes you gotta roll those dice
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Fatal wounds discovered on the remains of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Tautin in 1461
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and battles near Sterling Castle between the 13th and 15th centuries reveal the myriad ways a medieval soldier might meet his end The bones show cuts blows and holes throughout the body all indicating a painful demise Medieval texts attest to this kind of brutality
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Anguiron de Monstrelet's account of the Battle of Agincourt in 1451 describes the aftermath, detailing how the English carried away their wounded
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while several of the French crawled away into an adjoining wood or to some villages, as well as they could, where many expired
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The war horses in movies that take place during medieval times usually depict the animals as gigantic hunks of muscle
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But according to researchers, those horses were probably no bigger than a current-day pony
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That's less badass. Or wait, is it more badass? Yes, scientists from five English universities studied about 2,000 horse bones
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dating from the 4th to 17th century CE, found at archaeological sites throughout England
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and compared them to bones from modern-day horses. Most of the horses were less than 4 feet 10 inches tall
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which is the maximum height of a modern pony. That being said, the researchers emphasized
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that although the horses were smaller than expected, the horse breeders clearly put a lot of time
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into making sure the diminutive horses were still pretty darn strong. So it was like riding into battle a really jacked short guy
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like Jean-Claude Van Damme. Formal training didn't really exist during the Middle Ages
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Once troops gathered for a battle, they participated in drills and other exercises
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But generally, they relied on the skills acquired over the course of their lives
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For example, hunting built up skills like horsemanship and weapon usage. By the later Middle Ages, knights could build up and demonstrate their military skills on the tournament circuit
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Tournaments, however, carried their own dangers. Duke Leopold V of Austria, for example, was slain in a jousting accident in 1194
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Not exactly the most glorious way to go. It's kind of like getting a fatal kickball injury
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Greek and Roman soldiers had uniforms, as did the standing armies of the early modern period
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But medieval soldiers generally fought in whatever they owned. That meant armor and other protective gear varied depending on wealth
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especially as knights morphed into a professional fighting class. Presumably, some of the more destitute foot soldiers showed up for battle in soccer sandals and a big dog t-shirt
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Medieval soldiers, especially during the early and high Middle Ages, also supplied their own food
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When Charlemagne gathered his army each year, he gave instructions about what the men should bring with them, kind of like a school supply list
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These items included a shield, lance, sword, dagger, bow, and quivers with arrows
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Soldiers should also bring tools like axes, planes, augers, boards, spades, iron shovels, and other utensils
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Also recommended was three months' worth of food and clothing for a half year
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But that's not to say there weren't any perks. Anyone who's ever played Dungeons & Dragons knows
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the first thing you do after a successful battle is search your fallen enemies for loot
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Similarly, in the medieval era, plundering after a hard-fought medieval battle was part of the experience
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Victorious soldiers stripped slain combatants of armor, weapons, and anything else valuable
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But they also might ravage a conquered village or city for supplies and booty
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It wasn always a free for all however In the early medieval period lords distributed the spoils of war as they saw fit providing their men with equal portions of the spoils When Charlemagne defeated the Avars in the late 8th century he distributed their enormous
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hoard of looted treasure to the church and his men. Everyone got a chance to wet their medieval beaks
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Siege warfare was a fundamental part of battle in the Middle Ages, but it meant a lot of waiting around
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Regardless of whether you were on the inside or outside of a besieged castle or fortress
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you might be stuck there for weeks or even months. Manning a proper siege involved bringing troops, weapons, and supplies to a target and setting
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up camp. From there, engineers built siege engines, including trebuchets and towers
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By the time Henry III began his attack on Kenilworth Castle in 1266, he had gathered
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60,000 crossbow bolts and built nine siege engines. The siege lasted for six months
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Still, sounds like Hank needed a better siege engine guy. The goal of a siege was not utter destruction
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but rather intimidation, attrition, and surrender, because the attackers wanted to take the land or castle in question
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and minimize the damage. Inside a castle, fortress, or city under attack
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supplies ran low, disease spread, and defenses proved insufficient after repeated onslaughts
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When Kenilworth finally surrendered in 1266, it held only two days' worth of food
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Disseminating information on a medieval battlefield was no small task. Consequently, foot soldiers, who often had little understanding of the battles they engaged in to
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begin with, routinely fell victim to misunderstandings and miscommunications. For example, if a rumor
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started that a commander had perished in battle, it could lead to panic. Take the Battle of Hastings
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in 1066, where false news of William of Normandy's demise prompted his troops to flee. It was only
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after William took off his helmet and cried, look at me, I'm alive. And with the aid of God
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I will gain the victory. That is, troops rejoin the fight. Most bosses never have to prove they
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aren't dead, at least not more than once. Taking prisoners in a medieval battle was actually kind
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of tricky. If you caught too many prisoners, you had to feed and find shelter for them. And who
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wants to do that? Definitely not Henry V. After the English victory at Agincourt in 1415
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Henry ordered the execution of his French captives, although the exact number of prisoners killed remains unclear
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On the other hand, if you captured nobles and other people with wealth or useful skills
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you could ransom them for money or land. Captors expected prisoners to pay for themselves, buying their lives after defeat
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Knights became prime ransom material, with horses and armor that could be taken as bonus booty
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During the Hundred Years' War, capturing opponents for ransom became a market of sorts
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with rules for payment and the increasing possibility of a prisoner exchange
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During the Middle Ages, men of the cloth often took part in battle
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Warrior bishops and priests frequently appeared on the battlefield, not just for religious purposes
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but wielding weapons of their own. For example, William the Conqueror had a half named Odo who time episodes notwithstanding was not the Star Trek character He was however the Bishop of Bayeux and is known to have fought with William at the
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Battle of Hastings in 1066. One of the principal justifications for war during the Middle Ages
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was God's will, highlighting the inseparable nature of religion and statehood during the
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medieval period. For example, when Charles Martel fought against the Muslim force attempting to
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invade Europe in 732, they saw it as a victory for Christendom over the Islamic faith. Similarly
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as Charlemagne extended his empire across Europe during the 8th century, he fought for Christianity
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as well as for his own power. By winning, medieval commanders believed they were demonstrating God's
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support and proving their devotion to the church. However, even among Christians alone, the whole
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will of God thing could get a little muddied. After all, when Christians fought other Christians
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both sides typically claimed the same god stood with them. And the only way to see where God's fidelity truly fell
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was to see who won and lost. Apparently, God is a real fair weather fan
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If you were a soldier marching out onto a medieval battlefield, you needed to keep an eye out for archers
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Because the only thing better than stabbing your enemy is stabbing them from really far away
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Archers used short bows, crossbows, and longbows to unleash a lethal storm of arrows
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that were extremely difficult to avoid. Arrows could penetrate armor, saddles, chainmail, and flesh
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making them particularly menacing as they descended on a battlefield. Longbows proved particularly important in battles
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such as Ashenkor and Cressy during the Hundred Years' War. The extended range and power of a longbow
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as well as the quick reloading time, gave England the advantage in 14th and 15th century warfare
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at least until gunpowder technology changed the game entirely. While rousing speeches are a big part of medieval warfare movies like Braveheart
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the realities of how commanders inspired their troops on a medieval battlefield remains largely unknown
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We do know that when chroniclers told the stories of significant victories
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they often just made up those inspirational orations to accompany their tales
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Maybe commanders should have brought some of those writers with them into battle, like Billy Crystal hosting the Oscars
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Additionally, leaders sometimes farmed out the duty of inspiring the troops. For example, before the Battle of Lincoln in 1141
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King Stephen, who didn't exactly have the most inspiring voice, deferred to one of his nobles, Baldwin, to rally his troops
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Baldwin argued that the king's cause was just, and his troops were plentiful and effective
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The speech may have worked, but the outcome did not favor the king
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who was captured and spent six months as a prisoner. The most famous medieval pep talk, of course
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is the fictional one William Shakespeare penned for King Henry V in his play about the Battle of Agincourt
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in 1451, which had the English monarch telling his troops, if we are marked to die, we are enough to do our country loss
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And if to live, the fewer men, the greater share of honor. Even though he never actually gave this speech
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the real Henry defeated a much larger, better-armed French force in what some have called one
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of the greatest military victories in history. That being said, if you had to have someone put words
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in your mouth, you could do a lot worse than Shakespeare