When called to a battle during
the Middle Ages in Europe, soldiers expected
to be surrounded by death on an up close
and personal level. But fighting a war back then
was way more complicated than you might think. And a grisly demise was
just one of several things combatants had to think about
when the arrows started flying. So today, we're
going to take a look at what it was like to
be on the front lines of a medieval battle. But before we get started,
be sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel. After that, leave
a comment and let us know what other aspects
of medieval life you would like to hear about. OK, time to gather up arms and
march into some weird history. [MUSIC PLAYING] In modern times, we
have baseball season, football season, seasons of
television, and wabbit season. But in medieval times,
they had campaign season, which is when they generally
did all their fighting. Because war typically
occurs outdoors, campaign season took place
when the weather grew decent. While fighting never remained
exclusive to warm summer months, sieges could
last for months and extend well into winter. Medieval lords typically
called their men to battle after they planted the fields
and before the harvest. This timing definitely
had its upsides. Campaigning during spring,
summer, and early fall also meant more food
available for men and horses, less need for firewood,
and fewer terrain problems to contend with as
battle approached. Also, it's perfect
beach weather for when you want to relax after
a grueling battle. There were, however,
some disadvantages. For example, when William the
Conqueror gathered his men to invade England in 1066,
he called them in summer. But they couldn't
move out immediately due to unfavorable winds. The timing meant that the
English troops awaiting William's arrival
had to return home for their harvests, which left
King Harold's lands vulnerable. The medieval soldier
need not go to war alone. Depending on the type of
military battle you engaged in, you could bring your wife,
mother, kids, and other members of your family along. Just pile them into ye old
minivan and hit the road. This practice was especially
prevalent during the Crusades when thousands of people made
their way from western Europe toward Jerusalem. However, the practice
obviously came with some risks. The dangers of taking the family
along were apparent in Peter the Hermit's disastrous
efforts to reach the Holy Land. Shortly after reaching
Constantinople, his band of pilgrims ran
afoul of a group of Turks. According to reports, the
Turks went into the tents and whacked whomever
they found, including the weak, and feeble,
clerics, monks, old women, and nursing children. Maybe just send the family
some postcards next time. Perhaps because of
those risks, many of the wives who
accompanied their husbands on later Crusades
were aristocratic, including Richard
the Lionheart's wife. She joined her husband in
Syria after marrying him in Cyprus in 1191. And she was only there briefly. Honestly, when you've
seen one medieval battle, you've kind of seen them all. [MUSIC PLAYING] Medieval weapons
were made to kill, but not all wounds
turned out to be fatal. Head injuries from
maces, swords, and axes often led to brain
damage and deformity. Though they might result
in bodacious scars as well. Sometimes, you got
to roll those dice. Fatal wounds discovered
on the remains of soldiers who fought at the Battle
of Taunton in 1461 and battles near Stirling
Castle between the 13th and 15th centuries reveal the
myriad ways a medieval soldier might meet his end. The bones show cuts,
blows, and holes throughout the body, all
indicating a painful demise. Medieval texts attest to
this kind of brutality. Enguerrand de
Monstrelet's account of the Battle of
Agincourt in 1451 describes the
aftermath, detailing how the English carried
away their wounded while several of the
French crawled away into an adjoining wood,
or to some villages, as well as they could
where many expired. The war horses in
movies that take place during medieval times
usually depict the animals as gigantic hunks of muscle. But according to
researchers, those horses were probably no bigger
than a current day pony. That's less badass. Or wait, is it more badass? Yes, scientists from
five English universities studied about 2,000
horse bones dating from the fourth
to 17th century CE found at archaeological
sites throughout England, and compared them to bones
from modern day horses. Most of the horses were less
than 4 feet 10 inches tall, which is the maximum
height of a modern pony. That being said, the
researchers emphasized that although the horses
were smaller than expected, the horse breeders
clearly put a lot of time into making sure the diminutive
horses were still pretty darn strong. So it was like
riding into battle a really jacked short guy,
like Jean-Claude Van Damme. [MUSIC PLAYING] Formal training didn't really
exist during the Middle Ages. Once troops gathered
for a battle, they participated in
drills and other exercises. But generally, they relied
on the skills acquired over the course of their lives. For example, hunting built
up skills like horsemanship and weapon usage. By the later Middle
Ages, knights could build up and demonstrate
their military skills on the tournament circuit. Tournaments, however,
carried their own dangers. Duke Leopold V of
Austria, for example, was slain in a jousting
accident in 1194, not exactly the most glorious way to go. It's kind of like getting
a fatal kickball injury. [MUSIC PLAYING] Greek and Roman
soldiers had uniforms, as did the standing armies
of the early modern period. But medieval soldiers generally
fought in whatever they own. That meant armor and
other protective gear varied depending on
wealth, especially as knights morphed into a
professional fighting class. Presumably, some of the
more destitute foot soldiers showed up for battle in soccer
sandals and a big dog t-shirt. Medieval soldiers,
especially during the early and high Middle Ages,
also supplied their own food. When Charlemagne gathered
his army each year, he gave instructions about what
the men should bring with them, kind of like a
school supply list. These items included a shield,
lance, sword, dagger, bow, and quivers with arrows. Soldiers should also bring
tools like axes, planes, augers, boards, spades, iron
shovels, and other utensils. Also recommended
was three months worth of food and
clothing for a half year. But that's not to say
there weren't any perks. Anyone who's ever played
"Dungeons and Dragons" knows the first thing you do
after a successful battle is search your fallen
enemies for loot. Similarly, in the medieval
era, plundering after a hard fought medieval battle was
part of the experience. Victorious soldiers
stripped slain combatants of armor weapons and
anything else valuable. But they also might ravage
a conquered village or city for supplies and booty. It wasn't always a
free for all, however. In the early medieval
period, lords distributed the spoils
of war as they saw fit, providing their men with
equal portions of the spoils. When Charlemagne
defeated the Avars in the late eighth
century, he distributed their enormous hoard
of looted treasure to the church and his men. Everyone got a chance to
wet their medieval beaks. [MUSIC PLAYING] Siege warfare was
a fundamental part of battle in the Middle Ages. But it meant a lot
of waiting around. Regardless of whether you
were on the inside or outside of a besieged
castle or fortress, you might be stuck there
for weeks, or even months. Manning a proper siege involved
bringing troops, weapons, and supplies to a target,
and setting up camp. From there, engineers built
siege engines, including trebuchets and towers. By the time Henry III began
his attack on Kenilworth Castle in 1266, he had gathered
60,000 crossbow bolts and built nine siege engines. The siege lasted for six months. Still, sounds like Hank needed
a better siege engine guy. The goal of a siege was not
utter destruction, but rather intimidation, attrition, and
surrender because the attackers wanted to take the land
or castle in question and minimize the damage. Inside a castle, fortress,
or city under attack, supplies ran low,
disease spread, and defenses proved insufficient
after repeated onslaughts. When Kenilworth finally
surrendered in 1266, it held only two
days' worth of food. [MUSIC PLAYING] Disseminating information
on a medieval battlefield was no small task. Consequently, foot soldiers, who
often had little understanding of the battles they
engaged in to begin with, routinely fell victim
to misunderstandings and miscommunications. For example, if a rumor
started that a commander had perished in battle, it
could lead to panic. Take the Battle of
Hastings in 1066 where false news of William
of Normandy's demise prompted his troops to flee. It was only after William
took off his helmet and cried, look at me, I'm alive,
and with the aid of God, I will gain the victory, that
his troops rejoined the fight. Most bosses never have to prove
they aren't dead, at least not more than once. [MUSIC PLAYING] Taking prisoners in
a medieval battle was actually kind of tricky. If you caught too
many prisoners, you had to feed and
find shelter for them. And who wants to do that? Definitely not Henry V.
After the English victory at Agincourt in 1415,
Henry ordered the execution of his French captives, although
the exact number of prisoners killed remains unclear. On the other hand,
if you captured nobles and other people with
wealth or useful skills, you could ransom them
for money or land. Captors expected prisoners
to pay for themselves, buying their lives after defeat. Knights became prime
ransom material, with horses and armor that
could be taken as bonus booty. During the Hundred Years' War,
capturing opponents for ransom became a market of sorts
with rules for payment and the increasing possibility
of a prisoner exchange. [MUSIC PLAYING] During the Middle
Ages, men of the cloth often took part in battle. Warrior bishops and
priests frequently appeared on the battlefield,
not just for religious purposes, but wielding weapons
of their own. For example, William
the Conqueror had a half brother named Odo,
who time traveling episodes notwithstanding, was not
the Star Trek character. He was, however,
the Bishop of Bayeux and is known to have fought
with William at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. One of the principal
justifications for war during the Middle
Ages was God's will, highlighting the
inseparable nature of religion and statehood
during the medieval period. For example, when Charles Martel
fought against the Muslim force attempting to invade
Europe in 732, they saw it as a
victory for Christendom over the Islamic faith. Similarly, as Charlemagne
extended his empire across Europe during
the eighth century, he fought for Christianity
as well as for his own power. By winning, medieval
commanders believe they were demonstrating
God's support and proving their
devotion to the church. However, even among
Christians alone, the whole will of God thing
could get a little muddied. After all, when Christians
fought other Christians, both sides typically claimed
the same God stood with them. And the only way to see where
God's fidelity truly fell was to see who won and lost. Apparently, God is a
real fair weather fan. [MUSIC PLAYING] If you were a
soldier marching out onto a medieval battlefield,
you needed to keep an eye out for archers because the only
thing better than stabbing your enemy is stabbing
them from really far away. Archers used short bows,
crossbows, and long bows to unleash a lethal storm of
arrows that were extremely difficult to avoid. Arrows could penetrate armor,
saddles, chainmail, and flesh, making them
particularly menacing as they descended
on a battlefield. Long bows proved particularly
important in battles such as Agincourt and Cressey
during the Hundred Years' War. The extended range and
power of a long bow, as well as the quick
reloading time, gave England the advantage in
14th and 15th century warfare, at least until gunpowder
technology changed the game entirely. [MUSIC PLAYING] While rousing speeches are a
big part of medieval warfare movies, like Braveheart,
the realities of how commanders
inspire their troops on a medieval battlefield
remains largely unknown. We do know that when
chroniclers told the stories of
significant victories, they often just made up
those inspirational orations to accompany their tales. Maybe commanders
should have brought some of those writers
with them into battle, like Billy Crystal
hosting the Oscars. Additionally, leaders
sometimes farmed out the duty of inspiring the troops. For example, before the
Battle of Lincoln in 1141, King Stephen, who didn't exactly
have the most inspiring voice, deferred to one of his nobles,
Baldwin, to rally his troops. Baldwin argued that the
king's cause was just, and his troops were
plentiful and effective. The speech may have worked. But the outcome did
not favor the king, who was captured and spent
six months as a prisoner. The most famous medieval
pep talk, of course, is the fictional one
William Shakespeare penned for King Henry V in his play
about the Battle of Agincourt in 1451, which had the English
monarch telling his troops, "if we are marked to die, we are
enough to do our country loss. And if to live, the fewer men,
the greater share of honor." Even though he never
actually gave this speech, the real Henry
defeated a much larger better armed French
force in what some have called
one of the greatest military victories in history. And that being said, if
you had to have someone put words in your mouth,
you could do a lot worse than Shakespeare. So what do you think? Could you have made it
as a medieval soldier? Let us in the comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History.
