by Monique Barb -

In the earliest Middle Ages it was the obligation of every noble to respond to the call to battle with his own equipment, archers, and infantry. This decentralized system was necessary due to the social order of the time, but could lead to motley forces with variable training, equipment and abilities. The more resources the noble had access to, the better his troops would typically be.

As central governments grew in power, a return to the citizen armies of the classical period also began, as central levies of the peasantry began to be the central recruiting tool. England was one of the most centralized states in the Middle Ages, and the armies that fought the Hundred Years' War were mostly paid professionals. In theory, every Englishman had an obligation to serve fo r forty days. Forty days was not long enough for a campaign, especially one on the continent. Thus the scutage was introduced, whereby most Englishmen paid to escape their service and this money was used to create a permanent army. However, almost all high medieval armies in Europe were composed of a great deal of paid core troops, and there was a large mercenary market in Europe from at least the early 12th century.

The weapons and armour of the armies of the early Middle Ages were really only developments of the methods of warfare which had been used by the ancient civilisations. Catapults, battering rams, archers, cavalry, spears, swords, daggers and shields played their part in most medieval campaigns.

But in the fourteenth century a new and terrible invention revolutionised warfare. This was the invention of gunpowder.

Gunpowder enabled artillery to be used. Cannon could fire stone or iron cannonballs with such velocity' that town walls and castle fortifications could no longer withstand prolonged assault. Moreover, as soon as gunsmiths were able to improve these weapons so that miniature cannon or muskets could be fired and aimed from the shoulder, then the days of the bow and arrow, spear and lance were numbered.

Nowadays army commanders often use computers to work-out strategy and tactics in what are called War Games. A War Game is simply a method of working out on a board or on paper how a war, battle or campaign might work out in practice. The oldest war game is probably the game of chess or the game played by children with toy soldiers.

We invite you to discuss this subject on our History Forum.

England History : Medieval Warfare written by Monique Barb for FamousWhy.com
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Tags: england history, medieval, warfare, battle, equipment, infantry, archers, armour

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Category: Education  - ( Education Archive)

Date Added: 15 October '07

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