What did the medieval knights do?

Often, a knight was a vassal who served as an elite fighter, a bodyguard or a mercenary for a lord, with payment in the form of land holdings. The lords trusted the knights, who were skilled in battle on horseback.

How did knights train for combat?

Riding a horse at full gallop and cutting at a pell or wooden post with one’s sword was another common training technique. If the knight were seriously wounded, it was the squire who was responsible for extracting him from the battlefield. In actual warfare, a squire followed his knight.

How did medieval knights fight each other?

Fighting as individuals or in small groups, knights clumped together and hacked away indiscriminately at each other. Since armour was heavy and quarter usually given (to be followed by the payment of ransom), casualties among the chivalry were often light.

What are the characteristics of medieval warfare?

Medieval warfare is the European warfare of the Middle Ages. Technological, cultural, and social developments had forced a dramatic transformation in the character of warfare from antiquity, changing military tactics and the role of cavalry and artillery (see military history).

Why were foot troops so important in medieval warfare?

As one historian of medieval warfare notes: The rising importance of foot troops, then, brought not only the opportunity but also the need to expand armies substantially. Then as early as the late 13th century, we can observe Edward I campaigning at the head of armies incorporating tens of thousands of paid archers and spearmen.

What were the three basic infantry formations in the Middle Ages?

Philippe Contamine identifies three basic infantry formations in the Middle Ages; the wall, the circle or crescent and the deep solid formation, either rectangular or triangular. Linear formations existed throughout the medieval period.