Hi all,
This was far too long for the recent AMA, so I've reposted it here, as requested.
My understanding is that knights required assistance to get into their armour, and as such had a number of squires. What did these squires do once battle commenced? Did they stick close to their patron, or were they formed in seperate units?
If close to their patron, what were their chances? Presumably they didn't wear anywhere near as much armour (otherwise they'd need their own squires!). Did these squires have significantly higher mortality rates? Would squires be more likely to be ransomed than killed?
How did knights convince their horses to charge spearmen? I assume the lance was longer than the conventional spear, but even so - I can't imagine a horse would be thrilled at charging a wall of spikes. Was it through conditioning, and if so, what conditioning was done?
How much extra baggage was required to keep a knight battle-ready, compared to a longbowman or peasant footsolder? Were there any campaigns that were negatively affected by excessive baggage trains, which probably would have been successful if they simply hadn't bothered to bring the knights?
Is the popular view of English vs French armies correct in terms of knight contingents? My understanding was that, at Crecy, the number of French knights outnumbered the entire English army, which was majority archers and footmen (Although I'm aware there are some notoriously ridiculous numbers thrown around regarding the army sizes at Crecy), and that France could raise more knights than any other country in the world, which (according to conventional wisdom) would have meant they had the superpower army of the day.
Just how practical were knights during siege warfare, as besiegers? Would their baggage train cripple the resupply of the besieging army? What about for assaults?
Is it a massive shame that we don't fight battles with knights anymore, because it's much more fun to watch than people shooting at each other from 200-300meters?
My understanding is that knights required assistance to get into their armour, and as such had a number of squires. What did these squires do once battle commenced? Did they stick close to their patron, or were they formed in seperate units?
This seems like it's a fairly complicated question. A knight's "auxiliaries" had various roles, and their number, roles and equipment varied. It may only be in knightly orders that there was uniformity. It appears that mostly they did not fight alongside their master. Instead, some would wait with the baggage and pack animals, while others might accompany the knights onto the battlefield before withdrawing to form a rearguard. These would clear the battlefield and deal with prisoners, as well as presumably having a more active combat role if it became necessary.
It's also probably an overgeneralisation to say "knights required assistance to get into their armour" and thus required squires.
In the Order of the Temple sergeants or serving brothers had the right to one mount only unless given permission for more; they did not have esquires ... However, there was scarcely and difference between their actual equipment; the sergeants in place of the haubert, simply had a haubergeon (smaller haubert) lacking manicles [mail gloves], in place of the helmet an iron cap, and mail leggings without foot protectors.
This appears to be at some point in the 13th century. As armour became more complex, the distinction grew between those who could afford the cost of 'modern' armour and the assistance needed to use it, and those who could only afford lighter armour.
How did knights convince their horses to charge spearmen? I assume the lance was longer than the conventional spear, but even so - I can't imagine a horse would be thrilled at charging a wall of spikes. Was it through conditioning, and if so, what conditioning was done?
Warhorses were extremely well trained, and someone may be able to give you lots of interesting detail on this. However they wouldn't charge a solid block of spearmen. To do so would be pretty suicidal for both horse and rider, and horses were not bred for stupidity. Even if the rider's lance was longer than the spears - the momentum of a charge would carry the knight onwards. Assuming neither horse nor rider was skewered, if the horse stopped before hitting the body of men, it and its rider would be in range to be attacked, and if it failed, it would probably stumble and fall.
Successful cavalry charges against spearmen usually came down to the infantry being disorganised. Their nerve might break, seeing these horses thundering towards them, they might be hit in the flank, or they might still be forming up after manoeuvring. This is why the most successful spear & pike formations needed good discipline and training.
(Edit: forgot to say, that quote, and much of the other info is from War in the Middle Ages by Philippe Contamine.)