The medieval military was a complex and evolving system that defined the power struggles of the Middle Ages. From armored knights and disciplined infantry to siege warfare and castle defenses, military strategy was central to medieval politics and territorial expansion. Warfare during this era featured innovative weapons, tactical advancements, and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Battles were fought for kings, lords, and religious causes, shaping the course of European history. Understanding the organization, equipment, and roles of medieval armies provides insight into how conflicts were won—and how empires were built and lost.
Longbowmen
Modern historians described the mainly English and Welsh foot soldiers in the battle of ‘Crécy’ as numbering around 7,000 – 15,000 *Historians estimate that 500,000 bodkin arrows could have been fired during the battle of Crécy.
English crossbowmen were highly skilled foot-soldiers and it would typically take around 10 years to fully master the skill required for battle. Longbowmen could fire around 10 bodkin point arrows every minute that had a range of around 980 ft.
The ‘bodkin point arrowhead’ was a simple squared metal spike that helped make the longbow more effective at penetrating chainmail and possibly also armor plate in some situations.
The longbowmen needed to be very strong as 200lbs of force was created when the weapon was loaded, it was probably one of the best inventions of the 1300s and helped to change history.
Crossbowmen *Foot – Soldier *Infantry
Medieval Crossbowmen used crossbows *Cross Shape. The crossbow could be used by foot soldiers in advanced positions * Crossbowmen had an advantage over other foot soldiers as they could fire bolts at close range without getting into range of an axe, sword, or other close combat weapons.
Genoese crossbowmen
Historians believe that the elite and best crossbowmen of the middle ages emerged from Genoa in Italy *The Genoese crossbowmen and the Iberian peninsula from Spanish cities such as Barcelona.
The Crossbow used by a Crossbowman in the middle ages was also called an arbalist *named after the European variant ‘the arbalest’ used in the 12th century. Crossbowmen were very important medieval soldiers and classed and foot-soldiers (infantry). There are records of crossbowmen in battles up to around the 15th century in the Battle of Hastings.
The crossbow fired a thick bolt instead of an arrow and had a loading mechanism that made it easier to load and use compared to the longbow. In advanced positions, the crossbow was effective in distances of around 350 -400 yards (1200 feet).
The crossbow was a powerful weapon that could kill a knight in full armor. Medieval crossbowmen made use of a special large shield known as Pavise for protection in advanced positions.
Pikemen were foot-soldiers of the medieval period who wielded very long polearm weapons called Pikes that could be around 20 feet long.
Pikemen were used in a defensive strategy. Tightly packed, Pikemen would form defensive wall formations by pointing their long pike weapons from the ground up, this would form a spear wall that was difficult for cavalry to penetrate and they would be impaled on the spikes as they charged.
Landsknecht FootSoldiers
The Landsknecht were mainly a post-medieval force arriving towards the end of the medieval period, they often dressed in colorful outfits and were easy to spot.
The Landsknecht originated in Germany as mercenary soldiers and were individually and collectively a formidable fighting machine, armed with huge two-handed swords that could easily cut a man in half and pike weapons which were very long sturdy spears, The Landsknect also had gun powder weapons called arquebus.
The Landsknecht were winning battles in Medieval times from around the end of the 15th century and the end of the medieval period to the end of the 16th century, they were also known as Pikemen due to the long wooden Pikes that they used in different formations and were well versed in battle techniques such as square formations that were introduced by the Swiss military.
Pikes were also used to provide tactical assistance to other Pike-men who were using other weapons, one of their main skills was in bringing down Knights on horseback who could not penetrate their Pike formations, and this made the Knights ineffective in battle as they were unable to get at the enemy.
Medieval Military List
Calvary Archers
Calvary Archers were well trained and able to shoot an arrow with amazing accuracy whilst riding a horse at the same time
Vintenar
Man in charge of twenty infantry in medieval England, these twenty would have been freemen not knights and were drafted into the army.
Men-at-Arms
Man-at-Arms was a heavily armed cavalryman commonly a nobleman or knight, all knights were classed as men-at-arms and could be serving a Lord under feudal obligation or a paid mercenary working for a fee such as gold coins or other rewards for services provided.
Medieval Foot Soldiers
Foot soldiers were soldiers that fought on foot also commonly known as infantry and were not mounted. There were different types of foot soldiers such as crossbowmen, longbowmen, and Pikemen for example. described above, a footsoldier was usually a person of military skill or experience who commonly fought for a reward.
