Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I was just browzing around youtube today looking for famous movie speeches, just because I felt inspired, and I came across the Henry V speech on "Band of Brothers." MY GOD What a stirring speech! (I had to watch it a few times so I could understand it) That, and my reading about other battles in various times got me thinking about how mideval must have been. Today, we shoot, move, and communicate. For the most part, the hardest exertions we have are getting up and running from place to place. Back then, not only were you moving under much heavier armor, you were also swinging a sword hard enough to get through armor. That was after being marched on foot to wherever the battle was. I would think that the men of those times were much stronger than our warriors today, but then again there's no way of telling. I know by personal experience that a normal person, just through regular practice, can be trained to pull a bow in a few weeks. Could it be the same with mideval tactics? Could a person, through regular practice, be trained to weild a sword for long periods of time without their arms falling off? Most movies I've seen of sword battles have armies just running up against each other, but I doubt stuff like that really happened. I know Knights had their own style of martial arts, just can't find much info about it. I think that movie "Kingdom of Heaven" demonstrated this the best so far. What do you guys know about medieval warfare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewman~SPARTA~ Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Kenneth Branhagh in Shakespeare's Henry V - full of modern and notable quotes - inspiring the Brits once again to stand against the French - oh how we have loved to fight the French over the centuries Agree that the combat of the mid centuries was a very manual affair, from long and heavy - think knights and pitched mass battles where cavealry, archers and foot soldiers. To faster lighter weapons that defeated the heavier weapons as the arms race took pace. The was a series on TV that pitched warriors from different eras and with differing weapons in head to head simulated combat - I found it highly interesting - DEADLIEST WARRIOR - you may wish to google for it. I think it was bravo.co.uk that showed the series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 4, 2009 Author Share Posted November 4, 2009 Our History Channel did a short series on the Warrior mindset and one episode dealt with Knights and their style of fighting, focusing on the battle of Angicourt. It was a really interesting look into the actual way soldiers of that time lived and fought. I can't find the full episode, though. I figured you Brits would have better shows on the subject somewhere. And yes, it seems like the French and English just can't seem to get along, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MH6~SPARTA~ Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 You really should try out some of the Total War games, Durka. You'd probably like them. Napoleon: Total War comes out this January, and centers around the Napoleonic Era (obviously) but they also have Rome: Total War, Medieval 2:Total War, and Empire: Total War (1700-1800s) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 4, 2009 Author Share Posted November 4, 2009 Here's the first video of the show.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I always find the battle at Agincourt to be doubly impressive as the heavily outnumbered English Army were in poor state and actually returning to the then English held port of Calais, to regroup and recover over the winter. King Henry understood that if he held off any longer the French numbers would continue to grow and defeat would be almost inevitable. Hence his tactic to actually attack the French, aided by the French arrogance that they were better and would therfore obviously win. The English longbow, proved to be a major factor in the victory, almost 5000 of the 6000 men Henry had were longbowmen, graced with tremedous skill in their art. As is usual the French were battered into submission, with some reports suggested a loss ratio of 6:1, with the Englsh only losing somewhere in the region of 1500 men. I suppose I can see why the French aren't big fans of the English .... shouldn't pick fights if they're no good at it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phisher~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 You really should try out some of the Total War games, Durka. You'd probably like them. Napoleon: Total War comes out this January, and centers around the Napoleonic Era (obviously) but they also have Rome: Total War, Medieval 2:Total War, and Empire: Total War (1700-1800s) Definitely stick to Medieval Total War (preferably 2) or Rome Total War to start out with. These are much more developed and have a modding community that give both games way more playability. I think Medieval Total War 2 is a game I have constantly kept installed since it was released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 The English longbow, proved to be a major factor in the victory, almost 5000 of the 6000 men Henry had were longbowmen, graced with tremedous skill in their art. It's amazing they were able to field an army like that, huh? I try to imagine what it would've been like to have 5,000 arrows screaming down at your army all at once, and not having a proper way of defending yourself from them like the Romans & Greeks did. I also try to imagine the frustration it must have caused them as well, not being able to get close enough to do any damage. I've been wanting to buy myself a real English Yew Longbow for years now, just haven't worked up the courage, or found the right place to get them from. I promised myself 5yrs ago that I would make my own out of a stave, once I got a house and could dry it out for a year or to, so that time should be now lol. Ever since I read those books by Jack Whyte, I want to see what it was actually like for the man on the ground during those times. For instance, did you know that at one time the Roman army outfitted their front linemen with something resembling "cleats?" They were shoes with foot-long spikes in the ground so that when the attacking army hit their line, even after these men died they would still serve as a barrier. Can you imagine the dark humor that went on just before a battle, and the conversations the guys in the second row had with the first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 (edited) I've been wanting to buy myself a real English Yew Longbow for years now, just haven't worked up the courage, or found the right place to get them from. I promised myself 5yrs ago that I would make my own out of a stave, once I got a house and could dry it out for a year or to, so that time should be now lol. I was big into archery during my teen years, mostly with compound & recurve bows but I did have a more traditional long bow, although not a yew bow as would have been the norm in King Henry's days. I have since tried a traditional Yew longbow and they are unbelievable to use! My old recurve bow had a draw weight of 40lbs and I'd put the Yew bow at somewhere around 60! From the second I had the string back to my cheek my whole upper body was shaking. The force with which it hit the target was unbelievable, with the arrow going clean through a 4" thick wound straw target board. I wouldn't have wanted to be a Frenchie facing these things down. Edited November 5, 2009 by BPR_Watchman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 Watchie, can you shoot those things witn any sort of accuracy? The reason I want one is twofold- I want the historical weapon, something I can put on my wall, and I've never shot an actual longbow before, so it would be a fun experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Watchie, can you shoot those things witn any sort of accuracy? The reason I want one is twofold- I want the historical weapon, something I can put on my wall, and I've never shot an actual longbow before, so it would be a fun experience. Yes, you can shoot accurately it just takes practise to get used to the style. I could routinely hit centre target at around 20 metres with a longbow. Bullseye accuracy could have been improved over time but in context of hitting centre mass of an animal, it's pretty repeatable. In comparison to a recurve / compound bow, where you would pull the string to your chin and look through the sight, on a longbow you pull the string to your cheek with the arrow at eye level and sight along the shaft. Being right handed I would sight slightly right of centre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 Interesting. With my compound, I would always pull back to where the nock would hit the corner of my mouth. I could hit fairly accurately at 30m, although anything after that the groupings would spread out after that. Shooting a compound was just too-damned easy, although it was very fun. Much more fun than shooting a rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalXen~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 I was also very good in archery during college. I ended up getting involved in a LARP called Amtgard and continued to enjoy it. 60' yews are very nice, but not cheap - about $600-$900 for a good one. You can drive an arrow into a tree fairly well and it will keep your arm in shape for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 I was also very good in archery during college. I ended up getting involved in a LARP called Amtgard and continued to enjoy it. 60' yews are very nice, but not cheap - about $600-$900 for a good one. You can drive an arrow into a tree fairly well and it will keep your arm in shape for sure. Completely worth it, IMO. To have something that helped change history, the way they used to make them, would be invaluable. Unfortunately, I can't afford one lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicSN6 Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Are there any Medieval games that have persistent world, that are NOT: MMORPG (pay to play, ie. WOW, Lineage II) Real time Strategy (Not FPS) and ARE: FPS (First Person Sword) This would be awesome to hack and slash each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalXen~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 There are some MMO's that are not pay for play, but not sure if they are worth it. You can also donthings like NeverWinter Nights servers where people have tried to make persistent world servers. CyLawyer may know more on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Found this after a quick Google and when I have £300 spare, I'll definately get back into this. Classic English Longbow I think I'd prefer this to going back to a recurve, after all it would be more for enjoyment than competition, these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 The main problems with those is you get into this fantasy stuff, so anyone who wants to get immersed in an actual historical type of game has to go through things like orcs and elves, dragons and witches. I don't want to cast a spell. I just want to slash somebody's head off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 Found this after a quick Google and when I have £300 spare, I'll definately get back into this. Classic English Longbow I think I'd prefer this to going back to a recurve, after all it would be more for enjoyment than competition, these days. What's the exchange rate these days? That would be a nice bow to get back into the string of things Eventually, I want to get something that is made just like they were in 1300 AD, although that would cost a pretty penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 I live 20 minutes from the Battle of Bosworth Field Historical centre and there is a guy there that regularly puts on archery displays, using Yew bows. Last time I was there we talked about the bows and how they were made. He did tell me at the time where he gets them from and from memory they weren't too expensive. I'll keep an eye out for the next event and go and have a proper chat with him and take note of the details. Exchange rate's about $1.60 / £ at the moment??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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