This one is a little different to my other posts. The title basically explains it; this is a compilation of accounts of Roman legionaries fighting outside of their "usual" manner, which for most of their existence was by charging by throwing pila, and then closing with swords, with shields in hand.
Well, obviously no, but of course, something that is seen as needing to be "the default" as to how you must fight is necessarily seen as being almost required. And common knowledge says one must utilize the shortened sword as "the default" when in armor (and/or facing an armored opponent)! But is that actually true?
We very rarely see infantry in the 16th century with closed helmets; while this is likely not without reason, we do, however, read of them being commended in the military treatises of the time, particularly in the middle of the century.
Shortened lances feature a good amount in the 14th century, so I though it would be nice to compile the references to this practice that I have seen. The most detailed descriptions come from Jean Froissart, who is one of the few (I say few, but he is the only that I have seen) who actually describes their length, but other authors do give us some details that Froissart does not provide.
Anyone who has read Froissart has noted the quite frequent accounts of axes in the hands of men at arms. This is not just limited to Froissart, and many works that cover the second half of the 14th century will note just how common axes are used; and to be frank, this is quite strange. While you will find accounts of axes being used both prior and after this period, when compared to the status, frequency, and their use in this period, a stark difference can plainly be seen; and of these three, I will mostly focus on the last.
This is a companion to my other post. Each battle listed here is a description of swords and sidearms being used en masse, detailed in a manner that I find sufficient (which I confess, is a little arbitrarily); while most accounts of battle describe the sword being used, few describe why or when the sword was being used in the engagement.
There's not a whole lot on the coustillier, both online and in modern sources, especially in English, so I will attempt to shed some light them. I have translated quite a few sources for this, so enjoy!
The Battle of Omdurman is particularly famed for a cavalry charge recorded by Winston Churchill (who was an officer who partook in the said charge). I have seen Churchill's recollection referred to frequently, yet only recently did I sit down to read it. It is quite enlightening, and confirms many of my suspicions. It is quite a famous account, and many of my conclusions are not at all hard to get to, but committing things to writing is good to form one's argument and knowledge, and I have seen opinions espoused that are contradicted by this account, so I will analyze it regardless, specifically to the end of understanding the Medieval and Early Modern cavalry charge better. You may read the full account of the battle here.
It is a common belief that swords were useless in war, or hardly used at all (or only used when the situation was not ideal). And these are not strawmen! I have personally seen all of these things (and more) said! Even the some of the most generous claims are still quite harsh and backhanded ("only good for duels", "great civilian weapon", etc.). But the fact of the matter is, the sword was a weapon of war, carried for centuries, sometimes in areas where they didn't have refined metallurgy either! So how could that be if swords were useless against armor and defeated entirely by reach? I have gathered up quite the collection for this one over the years (which I posted on the internet before, so you may find them out there), so enjoy!
This one will be a short one; I will be discussing infantry close-order tactics of the High Medieval (1000-1300 AD), with emphasis on the relationship with the shield-bearers and the archers (or crossbowmen). There will be some Islamic world sources to compare with the Christian European ones, so buckle up!
