What was it like to be a medieval soldier?

When called to battle during the Middle Ages in Europe, soldiers expected to be surrounded by unpleasant, if not downright unspeakable, sights. Much like the lives of medieval executioners, medieval soldiers witnessed blood, carnage, and death on an up-close-and-personal level.

What was it like being a soldier in ww1?

Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed. These conditions caused some soldiers to develop medical problems such as trench foot. In the middle was no man’s land, which soldiers crossed to attack the other side.

How much weight do soldiers carry in combat?

Surveys from recent wars have found dismounted ground combat troops carrying 90 to 140 pounds or more in combat. Heavy loads reduce mobility, increase fatigue, and reduce mission performance.

How fast was a medieval army?

If anything, for a medieval army of conscripts, fresh from a successful battle, with a long supply-train moving off of the main roads, 12 miles per day is actually quite fast. Large armies with lots of wagons often strayed into single-digit marching speeds.

How long would medieval battles last?

Even with a huge influx of adrenaline and the fear of death a soldier could not last for more than 5 such direct duels, before having to rest behind the lines at least for one hour and most important to drink. Soldiers who fought not in close combat like archers, did not last for more than 20 minutes at a time.

What was life like for soldiers in the Middle Ages?

Many soldiers were first and foremost farmers and peasants, especially foot soldiers who had no horses. They had to carry out their duties in the fields, or else they and everyone else in the village would starve.

What was life like in a medieval village?

Life in medieval villages In medieval society, most people lived in villages and most of the population were peasants. were peasants who were legally tied to land owned by a local lord. If they wanted to move, or even get married, they needed the permission of the lord first.

What was life like for people who were not soldiers?

For those who weren’t soldiers, there was always the risk of an invading army besieging the town and starving out the population. The fact is that soldiers often brought their families along for the ride, so wives, children, and even the elderly often faced the same hardships as the soldiers.

How did medieval soldiers use weapons to fight?

In the meantime, Medieval soldiers had their own slew of weaponry that they could use in fighting against their enemies. In many ways, their weapons had the power and destructive abilities of later gunpowder-based weaponry but relied on manpower for energy.