Feudal Warfare and the Renaissance and the Military Art

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• Feudal Warfare and the Renaissance and the
  Military Art

LtCol Mitchell Spring 2006
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Trace the development of the Franks and the
  Battle of Tours
• Know Charlemagne and the beginning of Feudalism
• Comprehend the Battle of Hastings
• Know the influence of religious and technological
  factors on the Crusades
• Trace the decline of mounted knights, calvary and
  crossbow and the emergence of the longbow, pike
  and gunpowder

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Byzantium
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The Decline of the Empire7th Century

• In the East were the Persians, eager to gain
  control of the trade routes
• Byzantines responded with limited counterforce
• On the Northern Frontier were the Slavs
• Byzatines responded with a strategy of
  annihilation.
• The Slavs were temporarily halted
• A long war with Persia
• Depopulated their most dependable recruiting
  grounds

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Islamic Invaders7th and 8th Centuries

• 11 Moslem invasions in 65 years
• Aftica, Syria and 1/2 of Turkey lost by 800 A.D.
• 717 and 718 Defense of Constantinople against a
  Moslem siege save Christian Europe from Moslem
  invasion

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Arab Conquests
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FRANKS

• GERMAINIC BARBARIAN TRIBES THAT MIGRATED INTO
  GAUL IN THE 5TH 6TH CENTURIES
• INFANTRY AMONG MOST FORMIDABLE ADVESARIES OF
  ROMANS
• RELIED MORE ON HARD FIGHTING THAN TACTICS

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Franks

• Arms
• Wore no body armor
• Used javelins, swords, daggers and the francisca
  (battle axe that was thrown just before contact
  with the enemy)
• Successes on the battlefield were due in large
  part to their size and vitality
• Also the degeneration of the military art among
  their enemies

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The Battle of Tours

• overview

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General details

• Considered part of the Islamic conquests
• Fought Oct. 10, 732 near tours, France
• Combatants
• Frankish army under Charles martel
• Umayyad caliphate under abd er rahman
• Relative strengths
• Franks 15,000 75,000
• Arabs 60,000 400,000
• Result decisive victory for franks. Prevents
  Muslim conquest of western Europe beyond Iberian
  peninsula.

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Battle Details

• Charles led a phalanx of mostly unarmored
  infantry
• Chose location and conditions and waited six days
• Did not want to move out into the open
• Counted on Arabs impatience to fight
• Charles infantry withstood a superior cavalry
• Frankish scouts sent to loot Arab camp from
  behind and draw away a portion of the force.
• Arabs retreated during the night

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Related maps
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Aftermath

• The historical significance of halting Muslim
  expansion into western Europe cannot be
  overstated
• Tours was the first in a string of campaigns that
  won Iberia back for Christianity (to be formally
  completed by Charles grandson, Charlemagne)

Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_tou
rs
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BATTLE OF TOURS

• CAVALRY MOSLEM VS FRANK
• USE OF INFANTRY
• MOSLEM/FRANK TACTICS
• Moslems were more offensive minded attack!
• Charles formed a Phalanx
• Rahman charged with cavalry several times
• Phalanx held
• Eudo Flanked and hit the camp
• Rahman was killed and the Moslems fled
• Charles did not pursue
• RESULT
• MOSLEM EXPANSION THWARTED AND EVENTUAL DYNASTY
  UNDER CHARLEMAGNE

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CHARLES THE GREATCHARLEMAGNE

• Grandson of Charles Martel
• Carolingian dynasty
• KING OF THE FRANKS (768-814 A.D.)
• CHARLEMAGNES CONQUESTS
• Ebro to the Danube
• Ended three centuries of chaos and built up the
  first adequate system of defense in the West
  since the fall of the Rome
• HE ESTABLISHED A LOGISITICAL ORGANIZATON
• Based on supply trains vice foraging and plunder
• Stopped the local unrest of people being
  plundered
• Kept his forces together not dispersed, foraging
• Precluded supply shortages in the army in the
  field

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CHARLES THE GREAT CHARLEMAGNE

• Church trying to limit warfare
• Peace of God Pax Dei
• Protect buildings, clerics, pilgrams, women and
  peasants from the ravages of war
• Religious sanctions, excommunication and
  interdict
• They branded the aggressor the culprit
• Men of wealth could afford armor
• War was placed on an aristocratic footing
• Missile warfare was restricted
• Casualties were reduced
• Battles were sharp weapons tournaments were
  ransom was the prize
• Forbade the use of the crossbow

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CHARLES THE GREAT CHARLEMAGNE

• A new epoch in the art of war Romantic
• Age of Chivalry
• Christian Knight of chivalry
• For his spread of the Christian faith, two forces
  were needed
• Spiritual already existed
• Secular came about by accident
• Pope Leo III proclaimed him The Consecrated Lord
  of Christendom
• Central event of the Middle Ages

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CHARLES THE GREAT

• Army
• Well equipped with sword, spear and bow
• Each Count was compelled to provide his horsemen
  with shield, lance, sword, dagger and bow

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THE ORIGINS AND RISE OF FEUDALISM

• CHARLEMAGNE REFORMED THE INFANTRY LEVY
• CHARLEMAGNES DEATH
• Empire disintegrated

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FEUDALISM

• Vassalage- a system where land is offered in
  return for protection or service.
• Charlemagne required newly conquered lands to
  provide soldiers to his army dependent on the
  size of the area of the townships.
• Similar to electoral votes, soldiers instead of
  senators.

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VIKING RAIDS

• 799 A.D.
• Vikings
• From the sea
• Looting not occupation
• Hard to catch
• Forced the use of cavalry (Knights) in Europe
• England built a fleet and defeated them at sea
• Infantry was still main arm of the army
• Used terrain very well
• Vikings usually prevailed
• Finally given Normandy and stopped raids
• FORTIFICATION, MAILED CAVALRY BETTER SOLDIERS

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Magyar Raids

• Light Cavalry from the steppes
• Plunder, not conquer
• Speed to avoid battle
• Small bands
• Defense in depth was adapted
• Reduced the yield
• Major defeat by Otto I in 955 ended the raids
  and indirectly. Otto was crowned by Pope John
  XII, beginning the Holy Roman Empire

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Defeating the Raiders

• Much like Fabius in Italy against Hannibal
• Be patient
• Make it less worth for them
• Pick your battles
• Defense and fortifications

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Feudalism 800-1200

• Political system of the middle ages
• In England William couldnt keep people from
  rebelling, couldnt defend all of the land
• Fifes given out for services and loyalty to
  nobles, nobles give out to lesser nobles, lesser
  nobles give right to work land to serfs
• Brought control and stability in an age when
  central government was weak.

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Feudalism 800-1200 (1500)

• Castling arose
• Defeated by cannon
• Went

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Knighthood

• Mercy towards the poor and oppressed.
• Humility
• Honor
• Sacrifice
• Fear of God
• Faithfulness
• Courage
• Utmost graciousness and courtesy to ladies

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A War of Religions
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General Information

• Crusades - were a series of several military
  campaigns usually sanctioned by the papacy that
  took place during the 11th through 13th
  centuries.
• Originally, they were Roman Catholic Holy Wars to
  recapture Jerusalem and the Holy land from the
  Muslims
• Some were directed against other Europeans, such
  as the Fourth Crusade against Constantinople, the
  Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars of
  southern France and the Northern Crusades.

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Time Period

• 1st Crusade - 1096
• 2nd Crusade 1146 to 1149
• 3rd Crusade 1189 to 1192
• 4th Crusade - 1202
• Albigensian Crusade - 1209
• Childrens Crusade - 1212
• 5th Crusade - 1215
• 6th Crusade - 1228
• 7th Crusade - 1243
• 8th Crusade - 1270
• 9th Crusade - 1271

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Background

• Pope Gregory VII propagated these ideas
• Restoration of the Eastern Church to Roman
  obedience
• Acknowledgement of the kings of Christendom as
  liege servants to the church
• Crusade against Islam
• Supply by sea, defense by castles
• Two religions stood face to face

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Background

• Rise of Christianity
• Church becomes most powerful
• Feudalism - refers to a general set of reciprocal
  legal and military obligations among the warrior
  nobility of Europe during the Middle Ages,
  revolving around the three key concepts of lords,
  vassals, and fiefs.
• - Brought a semblance of stability and avoided
  anarchy
• - 1st time since the decay of Rome that Europe
  is powerful enough to take the offensive against
  the Muslim east
• Fall of Byzantine Empire
• - Battle of Manzikert, 1071

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Background

• Rise of Christianity
• Church becomes most powerful
• Feudalism - refers to a general set of reciprocal
  legal and military obligations among the warrior
  nobility of Europe during the Middle Ages,
  revolving around the three key concepts of lords,
  vassals, and fiefs.
• - Brought a semblance of stability and avoided
  anarchy
• - knights
• Fall of Byzantine Empire
• - Battle of Manzikert, 1071

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Background

• The Reconquista in Spain, which occupied Spanish
  knights and some mercenaries from elsewhere in
  Europe in the fight against the Islamic Moors.
• The Normans were fighting for control of Sicily.
• Pisa, Genoa and Aragon fighting Islamic
  strongholds in Mallorca and Sardinia
• Muslims regain holy land of Palestine in the 7th
  century
• Fatimid caliph of Cairo, al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah,
  had the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
  destroyed in 1009.
• - many stories began circulating in the West
  about the cruelty of Muslims toward Christian
  pilgrims, which helped rally the crusaders later
  in the century

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The 1st Crusade

• Byzantine emperor Alexius I called for help with
  defending his empire against the Seljuk Turks, in
  1095
• Pope Urban II called upon all Christians to join
  a war against the Turks
• - a war which would count as full penance.
• Crusader armies marched to Jerusalem, sacking
  several cities on their way.
• Nicaea in May 1097
• In 1099, they took Jerusalem and massacred the
  population.
• As a result of the First Crusade, several small
  Crusader states were created, notably the Kingdom
  of Jerusalem.

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The 1st Crusade
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The 2nd Crusade

• Second Crusade St Bernard of Clairvaux preached
  it and Conrad III of Germany and Louis VII of
  France executed it.
• - fall of the County of Edessa
• - first of the crusades to be led by European
  kings
• United with Baldwin III and lay siege to Damascus
  (failed in 1148) leads to third crusade
• Second Crusade was a failure
• Ignorance of strategy and siegecraft
• Jealousies and quarellings
• Four topographic regions in Syria and Palestine
• Three lines of communications
• Franks failed to control the most important

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The Crusades

• 1100s great infighting in the Moslem world
• Saladin wanted to reunited Islam
• First step 1171 he abolished the Fatimid
  caliphate and brought Egypt under the caliph of
  Baghdad
• Franks were concerned that they would lose
  everything and rightfully so
• Sept 17 1176 beginning of the end to the Franks
  in Islam. Byzantines were defeated by the
  Syrians near Myriocephalum
• 1183 Saladin was at the height of his power

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The Crusades

• Reynald of Chatillon raided Mecca and Medina
• Muslem world was consolidated against the Franks
• 1186 Saladin proclaimed a Fihad
• Culiminated in the Battle of Hattin in 1187
• ON the Horn of Hattin the greatest army that the
  kingdom had ever assembled was annihilated. The
  Holy Cross was lost. And the victor was the lord
  of the whole Moslem world
• Crusades never recovered

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The 3rd Crusade

• Jerusalem recaptured by Saladin (Sultan of Egypt)
  in 1187.
• Third Crusade - was an attempt by European
  leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin.
• Called by Pope Gregory VIII and led by Europe's
  most important leaders
• - Philip II of France (left after capturing
  Acre)
• - Richard I of England
• - Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
  (Drowned,creating instability between English
  and French)
• Inability of the Crusaders to thrive in the
  locale due to inadequate food and water resulted
  in an empty victory
• Richard left the following year after
  establishing a truce with Saladin (captured and
  held for kings ransom by Austrians

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The 3rd Crusade

• Crusaders never conquered the land
• Only occupied parts of it
• Crusaders armor was superior
• The rise of Saladin
• Great Character of the middle ages
• Fanatically anti-Christian
• Cautious Strategest rather than a tactician
• Careful of his men, generous and kindly
• Incredible administrator
• Possessed great chivalry

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The Crusades

• The third Crusade was a disaster 1189-1192
• Richard the Lionhearted
• 4th Crusade turned on itself and conquered
  Constantinople
• Crusaders for the next century united Europe
• France and England became powers
• Spain and Portugal rose
• 7 Crusades in all

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Military Advantages

• IN EUROPE THE ARMORED RIDER WAS SUPREME
• THE BAPTISM OF THE SLAVS AND MAGYARS HAD OPENED
  UP A LAND ROUTE TO JERUSALEM
• SEA POWER FAVORED THE CRUSADERS
• A POTENTIAL ALLY IN EAST ROMAN EMPIRE
• CONSTANTINOPLE PROVIDED A BASE BOTH FOR LAND AND
  WATER OPS

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Historical Costs

• By the 14th century the old concept of
  Christendom was fragmented
• Development of centralized bureaucracies (the
  foundation of the modern nation-state)
• -Decline of Feudalism
• European castles became massive stone structures,
  as they were in the east, rather than smaller
  wooden buildings as they had typically been in
  the past.

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Lessons Learned

• Chief lesson was the advantage of a combined arms
• Realized need for infantry support
• - Bowmen used to counter Saracen missiles
• - Offer shelter for cavalry to after a charge
• Building of new castles similar to ones built in
  the east

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Battle of Crecy, 26 August 1346

• French forces numbered approximately 36,000.
• English forces numbered approximately 12,000 of
  which 7,000 were archers.
• The battle line was approximately 2,000 yards
  wide
• The English army, occupying the top of a gentle
  ridge near the town, consisted of three groups of
  men-at-arms and spearmen, with archers placed on
  their sides. The archers formed ranks resembling
  an outward V.

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Charles VIII and the end feudal war

• King of France (148398 )
• Decided to conquer Naples (1495)
• More of parade
• Cautious tactics commical
• Italian states and HRE leagued against him
• Battle of Fornovo
• After the battle Italian Marquis came to ransom
  friends and relatives shocked they were all dead
• Modern artillery vs. Infantry
• Nation state vs. limited interest city states

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SWISS INFANTRY

• THE PHALANX
• THEY USED LONG PIKES (18-21 FT)
• USED THE HALBERD
• HIGHLY TRAINED AND DISCIPLINED
• SOUGHT AFTER AS MERCENARIES

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16th Century Weapons

• Naval Weapons
• Ship of the line under Henry VIII
• Increased length to beam to improve
  maneuverability and handling
• Portholes allowed heavy guns to be maintained
  below the center of gravity of the ship
• Ships built for combat
• Harness gun recoil to permit quick reloading
• Broadside technique
• Permanent Fighting Instructions
• Formalized tactics

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16th Century Weapons

• Naval Weapons
• Ship smashing Guns
• Breach loaded
• Muzzle loaded
• Cannon heavy iron (50 lbs) at medium range
• Culverin light iron (17 lbs) at long range
• Demi-cannon 32 lb shot
• Demi-culverin 9lb shot
• Saker 5 lb shot
• Minion 4 lb shot

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The impact of Gunpowder and Firearms

• THE DISCOVERER OF GUNPOWDER IS UNKNOWN
• 14TH CENTURY
• THE EARLIEST FIREARMS WERE INNACURATE, SHORT OF
  RANGE, SLOW TO FIRE, HEAVY, AWKWARD, AND
  DANGEROUS
• THE COST

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Gun Powder and Firearms

• Gunpowder first appeared written about before
  1249
• First written documentation was in 1304
• pot-de-fer dart-throwing vase
• Siege of Metz in 1324
• Edward III in Scotland in 1327
• 1339 firearm called the ribauldequin
• Primitive iron tubes fired simultaneously (12)
• Edward III against France
• Firearms developed rapidly in the 14th century
• Cannons were used at Calais by Edward III

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Gun Powder and Firearms

• 1391 iron shot introduced
• 25 inch bombards were used
• Hand-guns in 1364
• Small cannon on small stock fired by a single man
• 10 lbs and was fired by applying a match to a
  touch-hole
• Lead bullets

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Gun Powder and Firearms

• Match-lock
• Cock that held the match and a trigger that would
  bring it down to a pan with a primer
• German invention hakenbusche
• Spanish arquebus
• England cavilar
• First infantry firearm

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Gun Powder and Firearms

• Valor gave way to mechanical art
• Social class did not matter if you had the
  superior weapon
• All men are now alike on the battle field
• Gave life to the Renaissance
• Shattered medieval order physically and morally
• War was a means to a political end
• Power was the deciding factor
• Foot soldier was the strong arm of the military
  again
• War can be won by industry than actual clash of
  arms

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16th Century Weapons

• Spanish introduced the musket with a range of 300
  yards
• Heavier
• Complex operation
• 2-3 shots per minute
• Accepted because it was
• More accurate
• Great range
• Knock down power
• Arquebus was still used by skirmishers

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16th Century Weapons

• To date firearms required two hands
• Match plus weapon
• Cavalry at a disadvantage
• Wheellock 1515 allowed the cavalry to use one
  hand
• Cavalry carried three weapons
• Two in holsters and one in the right boot
• Fire all three, drop the last and draw sword or
  retire to reload (needed both hands)

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16th Century Weapons

• Wheellock for muskets and arquebuses was having
  mechanical problems
• Spring weakened after time
• Rough handling ruined the wheel
• Matchlock remained the prevailing weapon for
  another century

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THE CAVALRYMANS EFFORT TO DEFEND

• CHAIN MAIL WAS REPLACED BY PLATE ARMOR
• THE WEIGHT OF A KNIGHTS ARMOR INCREASED
• THE ARMOR PROTECTION OF HORSES INCREASED
• BY THE END OF THE 14TH CENTURY
• MOBILITY