| Warfare on the Medieval Reenactment Field |
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| Written by Mephiston | Tuesday, 28 July 2009 12:10 |
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“Victory is the main object of war.” Sun Tzu, “Art of War” Vegitius, a roman author during 390 A.D. tells us that: “Victory in war does not depend entirely upon numbers or mere courage; only skill and discipline will insure it.” (Vegitius; Book I 9). This quote succinctly creates the first cornerstone of victory on the battlefield, as an untrained group of individuals cannot win wars. By 1066 this model of warfare, where the professional warrior actually receives tactical training, is abandoned. From the “Art of War in the Middle Ages,” C.W.C Oman states the nature of medieval warfare: “The feudal organization of society made very person of gentle blood a fighting man, but it cannot be said that it made him a soldier. If he could sit his charger steadily and handle lance and sword with skill, the horseman of the twelfth of thirteenth century was regarded as a model of military efficiency. That discipline or tactical skill may be as important to an army as mere courage he had not conception. Assembled with difficulty, insubordinate, unable to maneuver, ready to melt away form its standard the moment that its short period of service was over, a feudal force presented an assemblage of unsoldier like qualities such as have seldom been known to coexist.” (57-58).This paradigm of feudal combat by which many reenactment organizations strictly adhere to can be proven to be ineffective. To assume warfare to be conducted by knights that concentrate only on individual skill is absurd, for we can see that it takes a disciplined group to effectively fight wars. By taking a look at the Byzantine Empire in juxtaposition with the Franks, a pre-feudal tribe that was the predecessor to the medieval knight, again found in “The Art of War in the Middle Ages” we find a system that creates this effective war fighting group: “The young Frankish noble deemed his military education complete when he could sit a charger firmly and handle lance and shield with skill. The Byzantine patrician, while no less practiced in arms, added theory to empiric knowledge by the study of works of Maurice, of Leo, of Nicephorus Phocas, and of other authors whose books survive in name alone. … The men of the west, though they regarded war as the most important occupation of life, invariably found themselves at a loss when opposed by an enemy with whose tactics they were not acquainted.” (33). Essentially, Oman states that while individual skill is important, so to is learning the skills of tactics and working together as a team. What becomes apparent is that in creating an efficient war-machine, care must be taken in the training and discipline of those that will be conducting the actual fighting. While the trained soldier creates the foundation of an effective medieval style war-fighting unit, it is also the commanders of these groups that also may achieve victory. However, an effective commander is not as necessary as one may presume. When one takes a look at history, we can see again with Oman in regarding the Swiss and Romans: “Rome and Switzerland alike are examples of the fact that a good military organization and a sound system of national tactics are the surest bases for a sustained career of conquest. Provided with these, a vigorous state needs no unbroken series of great commanders. A succession of respectable mediocrities suffices to guide the great engine of war, which works almost automatically and seldom fails to cleave its way to success.” (76). In this, Oman states that commanders are not wholly important to a war-fighting endeavor, that it is the solider that will win the war. However, this does not mean that a commander needs always be mediocre. From the “Art of War” by the Chinese author Sun Tzu we find a quote that helps elaborate on the necessity of good generalship: “For he wins his victories without erring. ‘Without erring’ means that whatever he does insures his victory; he conquers an enemy already defeated.” (Dispositions 12, 87). Further, Sun Tzu states: “Therefore the skilful commander takes up a position in which he cannot be defeated and misses no opportunity to master his enemy.” (Dispositions 13, 87). What is understood then is that while a trained army may snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, it is an able commander that is ensures victory. Not only are the soldier and commander important, but also the equipment that is used. Parallels can be found with medieval reenactment groups and ancient armies. The primary aspects that coincide is the selection of equipment. From the website of the Society of Creative Anachronism a brief description of combat equipment is found: “Medieval combat with its swords, shield, and armor attracts much attention” (SCA, Forward Into the Past par 54). The parallel between medieval and ancient can be found in the description of the Roman soldier’s panoply described by Adrian Goldsworthy in “Roman Warfare”: “These Roman soldiers … give a good indication of legionaries’ uniform in the late third and second centuries BC.... Both wear mail armour, slightly different bronze helmets and carry long, oval shields” (43). At first glance, these two separate panoplies, SCA and Roman, seem identical. While there are no significant differences in the employment of armor or sword there is a significant difference in the selection of shield. From the SCA website a description is given of the two most common styles of shield used: “There two basic types of shield; round and ‘heater’” (SCA, Wanna Fight? – Getting Started par 29). The described ‘heater’ shield is defined in George Cameron Stone’s “A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and use of Arms and Armor in all countries and in all times”: “In the 11th and 12th centuries the shields usually had straight, or slightly curved tops, and two curved sides meeting in a point at the bottom. This type of shield is usually called ‘heater-shaped’” (555). The variants of these two styles of shield and their effectiveness can be found with “Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight” by Edge and Paddock in the chapter The Eleventh Century – Adventurers to Aristocrats: “Round shields persisted in use … They were not ideal for cavalry and had drawbacks even in infantry use – Magnus Barefoot, king of Norway 1093-1103, no doubt called his sword ‘Leg Biter’ for that very reason - whereas the round-topped kite-shaped shields of the eleventh century, carried by foot soldier or horseman, provided protection for the whole body including the legs.” (23-24).Of these two shields, the superior shield is apparent in the ‘heater’. However, if we take a look at the Roman Republican and Imperial shield, the Scutum, the superior shield for medieval reenactment is found. Jones stats in “The Art of War in the Western World,” The Roman Art of War that: “For defense, they placed heavy reliance on a large convex shield, two and a half feet wide and four feet high. This wooden shield could turn aside the more formidable blows of stones, pikes and heavy missiles in general. Its upper and lower rims are strengthened by an iron edging which protects it from descending blows and from injury when resting on the ground. Since the Romans engaged in many sieges, faced the long pikes or spears of the Greeks, and fought the Celts who wielded a two-handed cutting sword, they eventually devised a shield effective against all opponents” (26-27). This style of shield was perfected for its defensive capabilities that should be used instead of either of the medieval style shields. In effect, the armor and sword of the medieval era is just as appropriate as the equipment of the ancient roman soldier. However, as we have found, the use of the Scutum, a shield designed for superior infantry use should be the choice of any reenactment commander. Where we find superiority in equipment, training and leadership in the Ancient model of warfare, then too the tactics of the ancients must be used to effectively combine these three aspects. A wonderful example survives with the writings of Tacitus in “Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola” in 98 CE: “The Britons with equal steadiness and skill used their huge swords and small shields to avoid or to parry the missiles of our soldiers… till Agricola encouraged three Batavian and two Tungrian cohorts to bring matters to the decision of close fighting with swords. Such tactics were familiar to these veteran soldiers, but were embarrassing to an enemy armed with small bucklers and unwieldy weapons. … No sooner did the Batavians begin to close with the enemy, to strike them with their shields, to disfigure their faces, and overthrowing the force on the plain … About 10,000 of the enemy were slain; on our side there fell 360 men.” (pars 36-37).The superiority of Roman warfare is seen not only with just this paragraph alone. History shows us many more battles where the Roman soldier easily defeats under trained and poorly equipped opponents. History also shows us the ineptitude of the medieval warrior as well as was described prior in the development of the individual. The knight had no concept of tactics and assumed that their individual skill would win the day. And if they did not, then would just melt away. The medieval feudal system, by which many medieval reenactors commit to, is a flawed format by which to successful win victory on the battlefield. The armored horse warrior that dominated the Middle Ages and created a paradigm shift of the way wars were conducted in that era, from the infantry to the cavalry, is not available for reenactment purposes. To use this model of warfare and expect victory is a futile endeavor. Instead, to attain victory, one must look back to ancient sources, to find the victors of thousands of wars and determine what it was earned them victory. It is with the Romans and their many years of domination of the western world that provides those answers. From the soldier and their commanders and the study of individual skills and tactics to the selection of equipment that will nearly insure victory time after time. Find the Books cited in this article on Amazon. Related Articles
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