RESEARCH - Medieval England - Post 12: Kinghts, Armour, Weaponry & Wars of the Roses

Think of the Middle Ages, and you may well imagine grand displays of knights jousting in tournaments. However, it rather depends on which section of this long era you look at. 

Hm, this gets a bit complicated. And I'm going to state I'm not a weapons expert. This post aims to cover the basics.

So, knights first appeared around the 8th century, according to popular opinion. However, the Code of Chivalry, although maybe around in rudimentary forms even in Ancient Britain, was developed in the 11th-12th centuries. This was the code brought in to bring a sense of order to, let's face it, what had become thugs. To temper the fierce warrior with acts of valour - to bring a balance to the force, if you will 😉

With this aim, they were taught things such as poetry; composing and performing. He was also instructed in good manners, including those whilst at table. 

Chivalry is derived from the French word 'chavalier', and basically means 'one who rides and fights on a horse'. 

Point of interest; between 1358-1488, there were 68 women appointed knights in England's Order of the Garter.

I discussed previously, how feudalism was in decline. The severely reduced population needed farmers to grow food. But our lands also needed to be defended. Mercenaries were recruited in greater numbers - bought/hired soldiers as opposed to dedicated knights, brought up by nobles. Yes, these mercenaries were viewed as having dodgy allegiances, and could not be entirely relied upon. 

When Henry VII returned to England to fight the Battle of Bosworth, he landed with 5,000 - 8,000 men. It's estimated that 1,800 of these were French mercenaries and formed the core of his army. Others were exiles. He then gathered recruits from the Welsh/English borders, including deserters from Richard III's army. 

Add to all this, the sheer cost of knights. 

The price of the armour alone was high. 

One account says you could get really "cheap", probably ill-fitting armour for up to (the equivalent of) $30,000 (£22k). But, in the 15th century, a full suit of plate armour was more in the region of $500,00 - $3.5million. So, let's say, about £1million!! 

HOWEVER, I'm going to add some confusion here. A knight's full armour is often quoted at around £16 in medieval money, which works out to be approx. £11,000. The Milanese, ready-made set may be around £8 (£5,500 in today's money).

I don't know why there are such wide variances in these estimations. The £11k region sounds much more realistic, given their status and income, though.

So, knights were very wealthy. And their fathers were probably knights too.

Apparently, Richard III's armour

The cost of training was also high. It took many years. Let's look at the stages:

{  Page = aged 7-10 up until 13 (horses, hunting, mock weapons)

{  Squire = 14 to 18-21 (assistant to knight, weapons and armour, education, chivalry)

{  Dubbing = 18-21 (made a knight)

{  Service = from then on (guard for baron, fight in wars, tournaments)

If you want full details on the training of knights, go to this website here.

Weapons

The sword is probably the most associated weapon of the knight. There was the long sword, about 60cm long, for slashing. 

The second option was a falchion, a single-edged sword which came to a point. It was light and shorter but with the power of an axe, ideal for close combat. Powerful blows could be dealt as well as effective slashing. However, the longer sword would deal the most powerful blows.

A dagger would also be worn, their last resort choice.

All that posturing at jousting tournaments wasn't just to get laid! The lance was used from horseback in battle too. 

Plate armour posed a problem - it was tough to get through (hence the cost!). So, weapons advanced to counteract that. The pollaxe/poleaxe was used for this purpose, whilst on foot. 

Spiked, flail weapons could be used whilst on foot too, but they were difficult to aim effectively with.

The mace was also a close combat option. A club-type, blunt weapon with a flange or knob on the end to pierce armour. 

Then we have the other soldiers.

The longbow rose to prominence in the 13th century. About this time, laws were introduced in England, requiring every person to practice archery. Basically, the king wanted to be able to call upon anyone to go shoot his enemies. To be fair, it worked, as Henry V arguably won the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 on the strength of his bowmen.

It was cheaper to use archers. But the men-at-arms and knights were very useful in protecting those archers. Incidentally, some archers were also wealthy and wore good armour. 

Wars of the Roses (Key Battles)

{  The Battle of St Albans (22 May 1455) 

       - a Yorkist victory, and Richard, Duke of York was declared Protector (later overturned)

{  The Battle of Northampton (10 July 1460)

       - another Yorkist victory, and Henry VI was captured. The queen fled to Wales.

{  The Battle of Wakefield (30 December 1460)

    - a Lancastrian victory. Richard, Duke of York killed. Succeeded by Edward, his son.

{  The Battle of Towton (29 March 1461)

    - the Earl of Warwick led the Yorkists to victory; King Henry, Queen Margaret and the Prince of Wales flee to Scotland.

{  The Battle of Tewkesbury (4 May 1471)

    - the Yorkists are victorious. Prince of Wales killed and the queen captured.

{  The Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485)

    - King Richard III killed. Henry VII crowned

{  The Battle of Stoke Field (16 June 1487)

    - Yorkist commanders killed. Tudor reign stabilised.

Above, I've listed the key battles of the Cousins War (Wars of the Roses). It's interesting as the battles were relatively few and far between. But much happened in between too. There were princes placed into custody and subsequently went missing. Kings & queens were captured, moanrchs fled, others came back to fight. Oh, such turmoil!

I'm a lover, not a fighter! 

Um, so there were ceremonies which were incredibly similar to marriage, where two men may commit themselves to one another. In theory, this was to ensure a bonding of brotherhood, particularly those about to go off and fight. But, come on, this was gay marriage! 

I've not got a specific post on sex, so I'll just drop in here... yes sodomy was highly punishable; you'd end up killed if anyone found out and snitched. However, just looking at the plethora of images within manuscripts and paintings from the time, there was plenty of male/male loving happening. I suspect female/female too, but it was the men doing the painting, so... (*shrugs*).

Let's leave that there. 

Really, I just wanted to point out the the numbers of knights were dwindling. 

Always in love and light,

TL

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My book, Love in the Roses is available for pre-order (click here).

To protect her family, she must marry the enemy!

The fictitious tale of a knight’s daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.

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