Medieval Fighting Man by Jens Hill

Author:Jens Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781785000102
Publisher: Crowood

The mace carried at the hip as a secondary hand-to-hand weapon.

Our castellan’s sword is typical of the late 12th century, with a pointed blade approximately a metre (40in) long, a ‘Brazil-nut’ pommel and a straight guard. In this period scabbards, belts and suspension straps were undecorated and made entirely of leather. This example, of relatively thin leather, has been stitched along the edges to reinforce them.

THE FOOT-SOLDIER

Although very similar in appearance to the knight reconstructed on the previous pages, details of this man’s equipment indicate that he is a foot-soldier and not a member of the knighthood: the absence of spurs, and of the leg protection needed by a mounted man. Nonetheless, his helmet, ring-mail, sword and shield suggest that he is in the employment of a lord, or of a city, with considerable resources.

In the growing cities of High Medieval times, which gradually acquired an increasing degree of self-government independent of the feudal lords of the countryside around them, military duties were obligatory for all able-bodied citizens in times of external threat. Depending upon their social status and wealth, each class of citizens had to purchase weapons and protective gear as specified for their income group, and the inhabitants of each quarter of the town were assigned to defend a particular gate-tower and the adjoining part of the circuit of the city walls. This burden was generally accepted, since each family’s lives and possessions depended upon the successful collective defence of the town.

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