Military strategy
In the Middle Ages, with the exception of Crecy, Bouvines or Azincourt, there were no great battles. The majority of military operations consist of avoiding tidy battle and confrontation in the open countryside. The majority of conflicts are only skirmishes or ambushes (albeit deadly), raids and operations that are relatively short but with relatively long journeys due to the slow progress of the armies. Often, in local conflicts, it was a question of putting your opponent in difficulty by weakening him militarily (loss of men, equipment...) and economically (demand for ransoms, destruction of resources). Thus, it was customary to generate fear and terror, which explains the sacking, looting and other robberies that most often affected poor and innocent populations.
Military tactics
Most often, an army was a combination of horsemen and men on foot, which resulted in a rather complex system that was the work of great tacticians like Charles the Bold for example. It should not be forgotten that at the time, there were no staff maps. The commanders in chief only had knowledge of the field through the use of local spies or guides. The use of maps only appeared during the 15th century for land operations, whereas they had been used since the 13th century for nautical expeditions.
The battle arranged
Refused most of the time, the tidy battle was, however, the highest point of any campaign. There are three types of fighters during battles:
Mounted cavalry: Consists of 3 or 4 rows of riders forming a "battle". The group consisted of small tactical groups called "conrois" grouped around a banner representing a family or a lord. Blocks of riders and spears were then formed as tightly as possible. The horsemen slowly set off to maintain the alignment, then accelerated as they arrived on the enemy. The aim was to disperse the enemy, to form isolated groups that were easy to defeat.
The cavalry dismantled: The tactic was to wait for the opponent's attack. This could last for a long time... It was widely used by the English, the French, as for them, it was little appreciated and used far too late.
Infantry: The infantry corps had three fighting devices: on the front line on a few rows forming a kind of rampant; in a circle very much in use among the Swiss, used by the French at Bouvines; in a block like the battle in the shape of a quadrilateral, to which is added a triangle of men facing the enemy. Such a formation of 10,000 men occupied an area of 60 m by 60 m.
The Seats
Most of the time, faced with the arrival of a massive army, the only solution adopted is to take refuge in a stronghold where they will organize themselves to support the siege. The war of the time was, therefore, nothing more than a succession of loss and rebuilding of strongholds enameled with dazzling knights' charges. If the attack failed, the surviving knights would again retreat behind the walls of the stronghold. This is called the war of war. The armies then engaged in an incredible game of chess, which consisted in seizing the strongholds, because whoever dominated them controlled the whole stronghold.
The castle fort
The castle is the lord's place of residence, the more imposing and equipped with defenses, the more the lord asserts his power and glory. But it is also a military place protecting the property and inhabitants of the fief. The first castles were wooden towers built on hills that were protected by several palisades and ditches. Vulnerable to fire and other throwing weapons, the stone was used under the impulse of the Normans. The first stone dungeons were square, later they were rounded to reduce blind spots. Then, under the impetus of Philippe Auguste in France, the castles became real fortresses. It was then difficult to grab it. The most common method was the siege, encircling the castle to cut it off from resources. Lacking supplies, the besieged eventually surrendered. However, the castle could contain a large amount of resources and the siege could last for years. It was then necessary to proceed to the capture of the castle.
The soldier's armor
Very quickly, it was understood that defending oneself from combat was as important as hitting the enemy. The term "armor" only appeared in the 15th century to designate steel protections, previously referred to as harnois or dubbing. The first armors were made of leather, the Greeks and Romans used bronze. When the empire fell, the armor disappeared, the barbarians wore only a shield and a helmet. In Carolingian times, armor reappeared, pieces of metal (scales, rectangles, rings) were placed on a large fabric, it is the broigne, used by the Carolingians and Normans. In the 12th century, the guy rope (chainmail), a real metal fabric, was adopted. A mesh cap and skin gloves were sometimes used to complete the equipment. Then, in the 13th century, the chainmail was completed with gauntlets and chainmail, and then iron parts were added because the guy was vulnerable to shock weapons (mass, hammer). Then arms, torso, elbows, legs were protected in turn. In the 14th century, there was a transition from chainmail to full plate armor, before being abandoned by the appearance of firearms.
to be continued in the next part