Military Equipment of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings

anglo-saxons first vikings the iconic match-up that defines the early middle ages of today's modern england their intertwined history stretches over the course of the 8th to 11th centuries as both sides struggled for control of britannia today we will examine the military equipment available to warriors on both sides of the conflict first it will be important to note that both the anglo-saxons and vikings actually shared very similar weapons and armor due to their close proximity constant interaction and cultural connections the main difference being in what ways this equipment was utilized on the battlefield as a result of each side's method of military organization and operation generally speaking both sides used a roughly two-tiered system where the army corps was composed of professional household guard troops while the rest of the force was made up of less well-trained and equipped levy or militia for the anglo-saxons these were the hearth guard and the feared well for the vikings it was the heared and the older bonders between the elite forces there would be little difference in the high level training and equipment available to them amongst the lower tiers the viking odle vonders might hold a slight advantage compared to the anglo-saxon feared this was a result of the fact that the viking troops were the ones operating on the offensive away from home which tends to self-select for better armed experienced and disciplined forces compared to the anglo-saxon militias which were called up in a reactionary manner from the general population to defend their lands with that being said let us now dive into the available equipment weapons included spears axes swords seeks's javelins bows and slings by far the most common was the spear reliable and easy to produce they consisted of an iron spearhead mounted on an approximately two meter long wooden shaft the point followed either the broad-bladed celtic style or the short barb style of the late imperial legions the heavy variant can be used both over and underhand in combat while the lighter variant might even be thrown like a roman pilum axes were also fairly common they required relatively little iron and were easy to produce by societies which were already closely working with timber axes were generally one-handed and could be used as front-line weapons or as tools whilst on the campaign the most basic designs may have been similar to those used by civilians while more expensive versions were adapted for combat these were generally designed for quick blows targeting an opponent rather than long wind-up swings at a tree the bearded axe for instance featured an extended lower bite which could be used as a hook to pull at an enemy's weapon or shield another popular design was the dane axe which featured a long forward swept blade for superior shearing some battle axes would become quite elaborate and were favored by elite troops huskarls for instance were famed for the two-handed broad-bladed axes they wielded towards the end of the viking age compared to spears and axes swords were far rarer and frequently held tremendous status the design most popular throughout northern europe had abroad approximately 97 meter long two-edged blade with a guard grip and pommel such weapons were suited to slashing and cutting rather than the stabbing of the famed roman gladius cheaper versions were created using old methods whereby iron pieces were beaten into sheets and then hammered together as layered strips higher quality swords used newer pattern welding techniques where various grades of metal were intertwined and forged into a blade additional decorating crafting would go into the guard and pommel designs as is evidenced by the discovery of many impressive grave goods sixes were smaller single edged swords typically reserved as secondary weapons or tools ranged weapons such as bows and slings are tested to in art and literature but do not play a major role in warfare they were surely deployed as weapons while skirmishing or as support in a main engagement but were never fielded and organized into large enough units to have a significant impact on the battlefield rather they were primarily pieces of hunting equipment which a soldier might carry along on campaign as a means to obtain food in terms of defensive equipment the most important element was the shield these were typically circular in shape with diameters ranging from around 0.3 to 0.6 meters smaller versions were more maneuverable and could be used in skirmishing while the larger versions were standard in the main battle line kite-shaped shields would also make an appearance later on in the 11th century generally speaking the shields were constructed from planks of wood which were glued together and covered in leather an iron boss was placed over a central hole with a cross grip attached on the soldier's side lastly bronze or iron fittings were installed on the edges protected by a shield the torso was usually lightly covered individuals might wear a cloak fastened by a metal brooch or don a knee-length tunic gathered around the waist by a belt the legs and arms were either bare or covered by some fabric those who could afford to would likely have packed on more layers the first step up would be to throw on a padded linen or wool jacket on top of this one might add actual metal this could be in the form of lamellar armor whereby small iron plates were linked together into adjacent or overlapping rose another option would be to adopt a partial or full male shirt this was created by linking hundreds of metal rings and was extremely expensive as the period progressed it appears that male became more and more common and covered increasing amounts of the warrior's body other exposed parts of the body could be protected as well the most logical next investment would be to protect one's head again the cheapest option would be only to provide a defense against the elements this would have been some sort of simple hat such as the common anglo-saxon phrygian cap the most expensive option would be the helmet a common design was the spanglehelm variant this conical shaped helmet consisted of metal strips that form the framework of the design with several curved steel or bronze plates riveted into place a nose guard was often included as well as hinged cheek pieces and a metal aventail to protect the next some versions even included eye guards that gave it a spectacled appearance as we have stated the type and amount of equipment used by each soldier was determined by the depth of an individual's purse the poor made do with only the essentials while the rich were fully equipped while this is a common trend throughout history it should be noted that the average monopoly of these armies was rather poor when compared to that of the larger powers of their age and especially when compared to those of classical antiquity simply put combat and society had changed gone were the days of massive pitched battles between tens of thousands of men from large organized empires in their place with a low level in fluid engagements between war bands numbering in their hundreds fielded by petty kings and warchiefs there will be much more to cover when it comes to discussing the armies and campaigns of this time period but for now i hope that this look into the military equipment of the anglo-saxons and vikings has been enlightening i'd like to thank our supporters on patreon and the many talented researchers writers and artists who made this video possible please consider contributing to fun future content if you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating past be sure to like and subscribe for more history and check out our description for ways to support the channel thanks for watching

Channel: Invicta

Views: 744,904

Keywords: viking history documentary, viking history channel, viking season 5, total war thrones of britannia, total war thrones of britannia gameplay, battle of hastings, anglo saxon history, anglo saxon music, vikings theme song, military history visualized viking, ragnar lothbrok, vikings history channel, vikings history, banner saga, banner saga 3, banner saga 3 review, anglo saxons vs vikings, viking sea kings, viking battle music, the great heathen army, ragnarok

Id: eFZTqAQX2dg

Length: 7min 18sec (438 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 19 2018