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The Evolution of Military Systems During the Hundred Years War

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The Evolution of Military Systems During the Hundred Years War McNair Scholars Journal Volume 19 | Issue 1 Article 14 2015 The volutE ion of Military Systems during the Hundred Years War Taylor L. Lewis Grand Valley State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair Recommended Citation Lewis, Taylor L. (2015) "The vE olution of Military Systems during the Hundred Years War," McNair Scholars Journal: Vol. 19 : Iss. 1 , Article 14. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mcnair/vol19/iss1/14 Copyright © 2015 by the authors. McNair Scholars Journal is reproduced electronically by ScholarWorks@GVSU. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ mcnair?utm_source=scholarworks.gvsu.edu%2Fmcnair%2Fvol19%2Fiss1%2F14&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages The Evolution of Military Systems during the Hundred Years War The Hundred Years War (1337-1453) modern era, particularly 1560-1660, as was a crucial period in the evolution of a period of vast military change. As the European warfare. By the end of the medieval period came to an end, new conflict, the traditional means by which weapons, tactics, and military systems Europeans conducted warfare had were adopted by European countries. Out changed dramatically. The age of the of the shadow of feudalism, professional, armored knight had essentially ended wage based armies emerged. Unlike the and military gallantry was replaced with feudal armies of the medieval period, practicality. The war ushered in a new early modern military systems were age of warfare; the reliance on feudal formed on the idea that they would be levies diminished, making way for more standing armies. Though the men who professionalized, standing armies. This composed these units may not have shift carried on into the early modern been professional troops from time of era, which military historians have recruitment, prolonged enlistments categorized as a military revolution. molded them into highly effective The military revolution thesis argues and professional forces. According to Taylor Lewis that the emergence of professional, Roberts, armies of the early modern era McNair Scholar wage based armies, as well as the rising were unlike “ a collection of bellicose prominence of gunpowder weaponry individuals, in the feudal style; it was created an unparalleled period of to be an articulated organism of which military innovation. Medieval military each part responded to the impulses historians have successfully linked the from above.”1 A centralized command Hundred Years War to the military structure would prove far more effective revolution thesis; however, the majority than a horde of feudal levies. of attention is given to the English. Their Geoffrey Parker, in his work The initial reliance on paid infantry coupled Military Revolution, expanded the concept with an abundance of English centered previously introduced by Roberts. What scholarship has made the English is particularly notable of Parker’s work is connection to the military revolution the fact that he extended the revolution’s clearly defined. French military efforts are reach. In his discussion of the increased discussed only in regard to Charles VII’s reliance on infantry in the early modern military reforms that allowed the French era, Parker pays tribute to English archers to win the war. While Charles VII’s during the 14th and 15th centuries. During military reforms were an important piece the Hundred Years War, English archers James Smither of the military revolution, the largely essentially dominated in pitched battles. Faculty Mentor unanalyzed period of French resurgence It was because of the reliance on missile during the reign of Charles V was just weapons such as the English longbow as revolutionary. The reign of Charles during the latter medieval period that V, when France set aside traditional handheld gunpowder weapons were so medieval tactics, had a significant attractive to early modern European influence not only on Charles VII’s armies.2 Initial analysis of the Hundred reforms, but the overarching evolution of Years War, coupled with the reliance on European warfare. ranged weaponry, reveals that the English In 1955, historian Michael Roberts were among the first European nations to introduced the idea of a military enter this period of military innovation. revolution. Roberts’ idea of the military Analogous to English strategy at Crécy revolution, characterized the early (1346) and Agincourt (1415), volley 1. Michael Roberts, Essays in Swedish History (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1967), 198. 2. Geoffrey Parker, The Military Revolution: Military Innovation and the Rise of the West 1500-1800, 2nd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 16. 3. Ibid., 19. 46 GVSU McNair Scholars Journal firing became a benchmark of European This remarkable investment in artillery The need for French military warfare by the 16th century. These new allowed French commanders to engage in reform was apparent from the first armies, including those who opposed pitched battles with the English without major engagements. The opening stages them, were required to spread themselves fear of being outgunned.6 The large of the Hundred Years War proved out in order maximize the output of artillery train assembled by the French devastating for the French. The tenacity fire and to reduce their own casualties.3 proved deadly, especially at Castillon in of Edward III resulted in a resounding As seen in the English victories of the 1453. The military doctrine of Charles victory at Crécy in 1346. Historians have Hundred Years War, those failing to take VII was one centered on artillery and attributed Edward’s victory at Crécy the proper precautions against massed a large, professionalized standing army. to his longbowmen. The longbow, a missile fire were likely to meet disaster. With his newly reformed military, Charles bow stave nearly six feet long with 100 Among the most prominent analyses effectively expelled the English from to 150 pounds of draw force, proved of military change in the Hundred France, bringing an end to the war. deadly in the hands of a well-practiced Years War is Clifford J. Rogers’ “The Rogers successfully links the Hundred Englishman. When positioned in an Military Revolutions of the Hundred Years War to the military revolution; open field of battle, English longbowmen Years War.” Rogers argues that the however, the period of French resurgence inflicted heavy casualties against any military significance of the Hundred in the latter half of the 14th century is foe with the zeal to meet them head on. Years War can be attributed to two major left undiscussed. This is likely due to the Edward’s order of battle at Crécy on revolutions; the infantry revolution and small amount of scholarship dedicated August 26, 1346, consisted of two bodies the artillery revolution. The infantry to the French. Far more material is of longbowmen flanking a central force revolution, according to Rogers, is a available from the English point of view; of dismounted men at arms.8 The French concept adopted by the English; their this influx of Anglo-centric scholarship force under Philip VI, relying heavily use of longbowmen allowed them to makes the task of acknowledging French on the shock factor of a large force of dominate in pitched battles. Additionally, military accomplishments during this time mounted knights, took heavy casualties Rogers argues that the enfranchisement of difficult. With a lack of Franco-centric as they charged Edward’s position. These men of lesser social status had large effects scholarship, biases emerge. An example tactics proved futile, for when the battle on the level of battlefield carnage. This of this can been seen in a discussion was over, nearly 1,500 French knights lay large, wage based force, caring little for about Bertrand du Guesclin, Constable of dead. 9 Crécy was a sign for both sides the chivalric ways of their social superiors, France during the reign of Charles V. Du that the war would not be brief and that were much more likely to kill their enemy Guesclin, who will later be discussed in the traditional tactics of the mounted as opposed to capturing him.4 This led detail, carried out a guerrilla war against knight were becoming obsolete. to tremendous numbers of casualties, the English. Dismissal of his tactics is With the momentum leaning in particularly among the French, whose illustrated by French historian Edouard favor of England, Edward, the Prince armies consisted mainly of feudal levies. Perroy, who categorized du Guesclin as a of Wales, otherwise known as the Black Rogers also states that the failure on part “mediocre captain, incapable of winning Prince, organized a series of raids in 1355 of the French to produce an effective force a battle or being successful in a siege of and 1356. His campaigns relied on a of archers led to many of their failures any scope, just good enough to put new strategy referred to as a chevauchée (literally throughout the war.5 According to him, life into the bands of pillaging routiers”7 translated as cavalcade). The chevauchée the French would not enter the sphere While Perroy’s work on the Hundred was a strategy which used the destruction of military revolution until the reign of Years War is a useful guide in any study of farmlands, looting, rape, and murder Charles VII, when they adopted massed of the war, a broad selection of source as a means of demoralizing French rural artillery. material is needed to accurately support populations and damaging their ability Although artillery had been used the effectiveness of du Guesclin’s tactics. to support an army.10 Edward’s grand throughout the war, Rogers argues that The small amount of Franco-centric strategy proved more lucrative than any the artillery revolution truly manifested scholarship makes it difficult to paint Englishman could have imagined; apart itself during the later years of the war and an accurate picture of figures such as from the loot taken from French towns, did so primarily in the French military.
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