I went to a talk on the final minutes of Richard III in Cramond Village Hall this morning. This was an updated version of the talk that Bob Woosnam-Savage, Curator of European Edged Weapons at the Royal Armouries in Leeds had given at the Leicester conference on March 2nd this year.
It's quite remarkable how the king's skeleton keeps providing more information for investigators. Part of this is because we know more about the lifestyle and status of Richard than we do about most of the people that archaeologists are usually able to study, and part because we know about the particular circumstances of his death.
As an example, we know that there's no possibility of Richard having been struck by arrows, but his skull had injuries of a type identified as arrow wounds by the team who worked on the Towton dig. These wounds now look much more likely to have been inflicted by daggers, evidence of close-up and personal fighting.
Also worthy of mention are the roundworms that were found in the area of the king's abdomen, and the proposed study of the plaque on his teeth which might reveal what he had been eating in the weeks or days before his death. Archaeological science is progressing very fast these days!
A couple of other things worthy of mention are that the Bosworth battlefield is yielding a large amount of shot, more than any other European battlefield site yet examined, indicating that there were far more cannon and handgonnes in use in the 15th century than the historical sources mention, and that the account of Richard's death recorded by Jean Molinet fits the information now being given up by the king's skeleton far more closely than any of the other sources and needs to be reassessed in the light of this.
Showing posts with label Military History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military History. Show all posts
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Monday, 2 September 2013
More sole survivors
But what was this solitary rider's name? There is a statue outside the Victoria Halls in Selkirk, erected in 1913 to mark the 400th anniversary of the battle, known as the Fletcher monument (above), following a local tradition that his name was Fletcher. Walter Elliot, that tireless collector of Borders lore, has remarked that there are no contemporary records of a sole survivor of whatever name returning to Selkirk with the banner nor was anyone of that surname mentioned as living in or near the town in the period.
A different tradition records that the sole survivor was the town clerk Sir William Brydon,fletcher by trade, who had led the men of Selkirk at Flodden and who was knighted by James V in 1535 for his actions there. Sadly, this also appears to be untrue. Brydon does appear in contemporary documents and was indeed the town clerk in 1513, but in not mentioned as having a Flodden connection. Some documents do indeed style him "Sir William Brydon", but not as "Sir William Brydon, knight", which means that he was a priest of some sort.
It's not impossible that he fought at Flodden–other priests certainly did, and there is still a sword extant that is said to have belonged to him–but there's no contemporary record of this either. So, perhaps the truths of the sole survivor story are artistic rather than historical.
This is a shame, because otherwise it would be a nice piece of synchronicity. There is another very well-documented case of a sole survivor of a disastrous military expedition, a Scottish surgeon who arrived at Jalalabad on the 13th of January 1842 to report the total destruction of the army commanded by General Elphinstone during the famous Retreat from Kabul, part of the First Afghan War. And the name of this man, commemorated in Lady Butler's Remnants of an Army (below)?
It was William Brydon.
[pictures from Wikipedia Commons]
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Flodden and the Blue Blanket
A fierce migraine has been afflicting me all week, but I managed (just) to find time to visit the exhibition on "Flodden and the Blue Blanket" at the Trades Maiden Hospital in Edinburgh.
The Blue Blanket in question is the standard granted to the Hammermen of Edinburgh under which the Edinburgh Trades would muster in time of war. It wasn't unique–the Edinburgh Merchants had a Blue Blanket too, and so did the merchants and tradesmen of other Scottish burghs. Over time, the Hammermen themselves have had many Blue Blankets, regularly laying up worn colours and replacing them with fresh ones. This Blue Blanket in the Trades Maiden Hospital is believed to be late 17th century, and the oldest surviving example.
No photography was permitted, quite rightly, but I have posted an image of the flag at the to give an idea of its original appearance. Nowadays, there is almost none of that bright azure colour remaining, and the flag is a ghostly white, but it remains an impressive piece of Edinburgh history.
Much of the exhibition concentrates on Flodden, one of Scotland's greatest debacles, in a country famous for its debacles. The Edinburgh Trades contingent fought under their own banner at the battle and were essentially destroyed during it. The flag, now tattered and torn, was somehow rescued from the battlefield by Randolph Murray, captain and sole survivor of the Edinburgh City Band (the town watch), who carried it back to the capital with the news of Scotland's defeat.
Thursday, 8 August 2013
The Steel Bonnets and the Wild Scots
While the Scots army was very infantry heavy it did have a cavalry arm, the famous Border Horse. As the name suggests, this force was drawn from the counties along the English border, where raiding ones neighbours was a way of life. These Border reivers (raiders) provided the armies of their respective countries with a superb force of light cavalry, admittedly one whose loyalties were often suspect and whose propensity to rob anybody (save their own kin) endeared them to no-one. Mounted on small, fast and hardy ponies, these riders were the cavalry screen of the Scots army. A similar force performed the same duties for the English army, drawn from the counties along the Scots border.
The main weapon of these cavalrymen was a spear, 8 feet in length that served as a short lance. Many would also carry a longbow, or a light crossbow, called a latch. All would also carry a sword and dagger as backup weapons. For protection they were outfitted much the same as the infantry with a targe, a helmet (the steel bonnet) and armour appropriate to their wealth and status.
The Border Horse provided around 5% of the army's strength–compared to the 70% or so who fought as pike or spearmen. Another 15% or so came from the Gaelic-speaking Highlands, clansmen following their chiefs to war in time-honoured fashion.
These highlanders fought as infantry, but not in pike blocks or schiltrons as the lowlanders did.
"From mid-leg to the foot they go uncovered; their dress is, for an over-garment, a loose plaid and a shirt, saffron dyed. They are armed with a bow and arrows, a broadsword and a small halbert. They always carry in their belt a stout dagger, single-edged but of the sharpest. In time of war they cover the whole of their body with a coat of mail, made of iron rings and in it they fight. The common folk amongst the Wild Scots go out into battle with the whole body clad in a linen garment sewed together in patchwork, well daubed with wax or with pitch, and with an overcoat of deerskin."
John Major, History of Greater Britain, both England and Scotland, 1521
Some eschewed even this protection and stripped for combat, perhaps tying the shirt up around their waist for modesty. Note that the plaid mentioned here is not a kilt, but instead a cloak or mantle.
The mail coat would be fairly long, reaching down to the knees and worn over a padded aketon, the cotun. Relatively few warriors could afford mail, and merely wore the padded coat. Most would also have some kind of helmet, many would carry a targe and some would even wear raw-hide brogues.
Again, they armed themselves with what they could afford, and as well as the items John Major noted, they might carry spears (but not pikes) or axes, both large and small.
The main weapon of these cavalrymen was a spear, 8 feet in length that served as a short lance. Many would also carry a longbow, or a light crossbow, called a latch. All would also carry a sword and dagger as backup weapons. For protection they were outfitted much the same as the infantry with a targe, a helmet (the steel bonnet) and armour appropriate to their wealth and status.
The Border Horse provided around 5% of the army's strength–compared to the 70% or so who fought as pike or spearmen. Another 15% or so came from the Gaelic-speaking Highlands, clansmen following their chiefs to war in time-honoured fashion.
These highlanders fought as infantry, but not in pike blocks or schiltrons as the lowlanders did.
"From mid-leg to the foot they go uncovered; their dress is, for an over-garment, a loose plaid and a shirt, saffron dyed. They are armed with a bow and arrows, a broadsword and a small halbert. They always carry in their belt a stout dagger, single-edged but of the sharpest. In time of war they cover the whole of their body with a coat of mail, made of iron rings and in it they fight. The common folk amongst the Wild Scots go out into battle with the whole body clad in a linen garment sewed together in patchwork, well daubed with wax or with pitch, and with an overcoat of deerskin."
John Major, History of Greater Britain, both England and Scotland, 1521
Some eschewed even this protection and stripped for combat, perhaps tying the shirt up around their waist for modesty. Note that the plaid mentioned here is not a kilt, but instead a cloak or mantle.
The mail coat would be fairly long, reaching down to the knees and worn over a padded aketon, the cotun. Relatively few warriors could afford mail, and merely wore the padded coat. Most would also have some kind of helmet, many would carry a targe and some would even wear raw-hide brogues.
Again, they armed themselves with what they could afford, and as well as the items John Major noted, they might carry spears (but not pikes) or axes, both large and small.
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
The wappinschaw
In medieval Scotland, there was no professional army to speak of. Instead, in time of war, the king would summon the communis exercitus, the Scots common army. This was a levy of those able-bodied men between 16 and 60 who were considered wealthy enough to afford arms. They were required to keep and bear arms according to their wealth and rank, to attend regular musters–wappinschaws–to ensure that their arms and armour were fit for service and to serve the king as unpaid soldiers for forty days. There would be fines for those who failed to show up, for those whose equipment didn't pass muster, or those who turned up with borrowed equipment. As an extra inducement to attend, free beer might be provided for the levies.
Traditionally, the core of the Scots common army was the long spear, 8 to 12 feet in length, deployed en masse in a phalanx-like formation called a schiltron (though the name clearly means something like 'shield-troop', for most of the middle ages spearmen went shieldless). In 1471, an ineffective law was passed to replace the long spear with the longer Swiss pike (as much as 18 feet in length). Not until the reign of James IV did the pike truly become standard equipment, and then only thanks to a massive military aid programme funded by the French in the run-up to Flodden.
Some weapons other than spears and pikes were acceptable at the wappinschaw. These varied a little over time, but would include the missile weapons that were always in quite short supply in the Scots army (longbow, crossbow, hand culverin and arquebus), various polearms (halberd, Leith axe, Jeddart stave, the mysterious brogit staff and others), and the two-handed sword. Generally, soldiers would also have a sword or dagger of some kind as a secondary weapon.
From the 1450s on, all but the missile troops were required to be equipped with the targe, a small round shield, though we know that at Flodden the men at the very front of the pike blocks had instead large wooden pavises to provide even more protection against the English longbowmen.
Armour varied with the wealth of the wearer. The richer a levy was, the better armour he would be required to have, and the closer to the front of the schiltron he would be placed. At the front, you might find nobles with white harness from Italy or the Low Countries, or gentlemen in mass-produced half-plate (such as the Almain rivets produced in James IV's harness factory at Stirling), and so on down through brigandine and jack for those further back. All would also wear helmets, sometimes covered with the traditional blue bonnet of the Scottish soldier. We also know that the less well-armoured soldiers would stitch rows of brass chains into the sleeves and thighs of their doublet and hose to ward off sword blows, and that they each would also wear kerchief wrapped three or four times around his throat for added protection, though I don't believe these practices are mentioned in the wappinschaw statutes.
So, our typical Scots soldier of the early 15th century, our Jock Tamson, how would he be equipped?
*doublet and hose, reinforced with brass chain
*a quilted and padded jack
*a simple iron helmet, perhaps under his blue bonnet
*a kerchief wrapped around his neck
*a targe
*boots and gloves, as stout as he could afford
*a cheap sword
*a long spear or a pike (if available)
Some areas of Scotland provided special types of troops that I haven't covered here today–the Highlanders and the Border Horse. I'll write more about them in forthcoming posts.
Traditionally, the core of the Scots common army was the long spear, 8 to 12 feet in length, deployed en masse in a phalanx-like formation called a schiltron (though the name clearly means something like 'shield-troop', for most of the middle ages spearmen went shieldless). In 1471, an ineffective law was passed to replace the long spear with the longer Swiss pike (as much as 18 feet in length). Not until the reign of James IV did the pike truly become standard equipment, and then only thanks to a massive military aid programme funded by the French in the run-up to Flodden.
Some weapons other than spears and pikes were acceptable at the wappinschaw. These varied a little over time, but would include the missile weapons that were always in quite short supply in the Scots army (longbow, crossbow, hand culverin and arquebus), various polearms (halberd, Leith axe, Jeddart stave, the mysterious brogit staff and others), and the two-handed sword. Generally, soldiers would also have a sword or dagger of some kind as a secondary weapon.
From the 1450s on, all but the missile troops were required to be equipped with the targe, a small round shield, though we know that at Flodden the men at the very front of the pike blocks had instead large wooden pavises to provide even more protection against the English longbowmen.
Armour varied with the wealth of the wearer. The richer a levy was, the better armour he would be required to have, and the closer to the front of the schiltron he would be placed. At the front, you might find nobles with white harness from Italy or the Low Countries, or gentlemen in mass-produced half-plate (such as the Almain rivets produced in James IV's harness factory at Stirling), and so on down through brigandine and jack for those further back. All would also wear helmets, sometimes covered with the traditional blue bonnet of the Scottish soldier. We also know that the less well-armoured soldiers would stitch rows of brass chains into the sleeves and thighs of their doublet and hose to ward off sword blows, and that they each would also wear kerchief wrapped three or four times around his throat for added protection, though I don't believe these practices are mentioned in the wappinschaw statutes.
So, our typical Scots soldier of the early 15th century, our Jock Tamson, how would he be equipped?
*doublet and hose, reinforced with brass chain
*a quilted and padded jack
*a simple iron helmet, perhaps under his blue bonnet
*a kerchief wrapped around his neck
*a targe
*boots and gloves, as stout as he could afford
*a cheap sword
*a long spear or a pike (if available)
Some areas of Scotland provided special types of troops that I haven't covered here today–the Highlanders and the Border Horse. I'll write more about them in forthcoming posts.
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