During the Middle Ages or the Dark ages life was very difficult and societies were struggling to strive with poverty and disease striking every manor. During this time militaries were a huge part of society developing, as Armies would revolve around equipment and structure to operate on a battlefield which is shown in some very important battles during the Medieval ages.
A large part of militaries in the Middle Ages was the equipment that they used In most battles basic foot soldiers would carry either short swords or giant two handed broadswords. Other men would carry pikes which are in a sense very long spears that would normally be around 20 feet long. Because of their pointy tips pikes would commonly be used to "break a cavalry charge" (Murrel 8). This meant that men would either form a wall or a square pointing their pikes outwards while "digging the other end into the ground" (Murrel 8). By doing this when a cavalry charge hit a wall or square, the tips of pikes would stab the horse's stomach tossing knights off their mounts. However, the sight of a wall or square of pikes would usually be enough to convince knights to turn back or sometimes horses would even toss their riders off and run away. In order to protect themselves from meeting their death from a stab of a spear or a swing of a sword, soldiers would have to wear armor, ranging from full steel suits to simple leather helmets. Most often basic soldiers would not be able to wear the very protective armor knights wore, but they would still wear a set of armor similar to a leather helmet, a chainmail shirt, and a wooden shield. While this armor would not protect them from a weapon such as a mace or lance, it would deflect incoming sword strikes and absorb arrows. Sometimes when a battle went on for days usually do to one side being in a castle, a siege would begin. In a siege attackers would use weapons like Ballistas and Trebuchets. Ballistas were giant crossbows that "would be pulled back with a rope and fired at a castle wall" (Murrel 23) while Trebuchets were catapult like weapons that would rely on a swinging arm to launch a large piece of stone at the enemy. A siege would end once the defending side either received reinforcements and was able to repel the aggressors or when the defenders ran out of food and water leaving them no choice but to surrender. Clearly the equipment that militaries in the Middle Ages used impacted the outcomes of battles greatly. In addition to the equipment that they used, military structure was also a rather important aspect that helped armies function on a battlefield. In battle Knights would commonly be the officers leading their men into battle, while basic foot soldiers would protect their Knights as well as try to kill the enemies Knights. Once one army had lost all of it’s Knights the battle would usually …show more content…
One of the first large battles of the medieval ages was the “Battle of Hastings in 1066” (Medieval Battles). At this battle British forces under king Harold the second engaged troops under William the Conqueror. By the end of the day, the British were defeated, in fact king Harold was shot in the eye and killed. “After his victory at the Battle of Hastings, William marched on London and received the city’s submission. On Christmas Day, 1066, he was crowned the first Norman king of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end” (This day in history). What this ultimately meant was that an entire country changed, and that would go on to impact our world today. Another famous battle in the Middle Ages was the battle of Agincourt in 1415 which was a major British victory where a famous strategy used up through the nineteenth century was deployed. What the British army did was that their archers “were protected by a line of pointed stakes” (This day in history) acting as a makeshift pike wall to hold back enemy cavalry. Evidently these battles in the Middle Ages have impacted our lives today in addition to showing how a military back then would
A large part of militaries in the Middle Ages was the equipment that they used In most battles basic foot soldiers would carry either short swords or giant two handed broadswords. Other men would carry pikes which are in a sense very long spears that would normally be around 20 feet long. Because of their pointy tips pikes would commonly be used to "break a cavalry charge" (Murrel 8). This meant that men would either form a wall or a square pointing their pikes outwards while "digging the other end into the ground" (Murrel 8). By doing this when a cavalry charge hit a wall or square, the tips of pikes would stab the horse's stomach tossing knights off their mounts. However, the sight of a wall or square of pikes would usually be enough to convince knights to turn back or sometimes horses would even toss their riders off and run away. In order to protect themselves from meeting their death from a stab of a spear or a swing of a sword, soldiers would have to wear armor, ranging from full steel suits to simple leather helmets. Most often basic soldiers would not be able to wear the very protective armor knights wore, but they would still wear a set of armor similar to a leather helmet, a chainmail shirt, and a wooden shield. While this armor would not protect them from a weapon such as a mace or lance, it would deflect incoming sword strikes and absorb arrows. Sometimes when a battle went on for days usually do to one side being in a castle, a siege would begin. In a siege attackers would use weapons like Ballistas and Trebuchets. Ballistas were giant crossbows that "would be pulled back with a rope and fired at a castle wall" (Murrel 23) while Trebuchets were catapult like weapons that would rely on a swinging arm to launch a large piece of stone at the enemy. A siege would end once the defending side either received reinforcements and was able to repel the aggressors or when the defenders ran out of food and water leaving them no choice but to surrender. Clearly the equipment that militaries in the Middle Ages used impacted the outcomes of battles greatly. In addition to the equipment that they used, military structure was also a rather important aspect that helped armies function on a battlefield. In battle Knights would commonly be the officers leading their men into battle, while basic foot soldiers would protect their Knights as well as try to kill the enemies Knights. Once one army had lost all of it’s Knights the battle would usually …show more content…
One of the first large battles of the medieval ages was the “Battle of Hastings in 1066” (Medieval Battles). At this battle British forces under king Harold the second engaged troops under William the Conqueror. By the end of the day, the British were defeated, in fact king Harold was shot in the eye and killed. “After his victory at the Battle of Hastings, William marched on London and received the city’s submission. On Christmas Day, 1066, he was crowned the first Norman king of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end” (This day in history). What this ultimately meant was that an entire country changed, and that would go on to impact our world today. Another famous battle in the Middle Ages was the battle of Agincourt in 1415 which was a major British victory where a famous strategy used up through the nineteenth century was deployed. What the British army did was that their archers “were protected by a line of pointed stakes” (This day in history) acting as a makeshift pike wall to hold back enemy cavalry. Evidently these battles in the Middle Ages have impacted our lives today in addition to showing how a military back then would