{FREE} Men at Arms

MEN AT ARMS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Terry Pratchett,Sir Tony Robinson | none | 27 Sep 2005 | Random House Children's Publishers UK | 9780552153171 | English | London, United Kingdom Man-at-arms - Wikipedia In the Early Medieval period, any well-equipped horseman could be described as a "knight", or miles in Latin. This evolution differed in detail and timeline across Europe but by , there was a clear distinction between the military function of the man-at-arms and the social rank of knighthood. The term man-at-arms thus primarily denoted a military function, rather than a social rank. The military function that a man-at-arms performed was serving as a fully armoured heavy cavalryman; though he could, and in the 14th and 15th centuries often did, also fight on foot. In the course of the 16th century, the man-at-arms was gradually replaced by other cavalry types, the demi-lancer and the cuirassier , characterised by more restricted armour coverage and the use of weapons other than the heavy lance. Throughout the Medieval period and into the Renaissance the armour of the man-at-arms became progressively more effective and expensive. Throughout the 14th century, the armour worn by a man-at-arms was a composite of materials. Over a quilted gambeson , mail armour covered the body, limbs and head. Increasingly during the century, the mail was supplemented by plate armour on the body and limbs. From the 14th to 16th century, the primary weapon of the man at arms on horseback was the lance. A lighter weapon called a " demi-lance " evolved and this gave its name to a new class of lighter-equipped man-at-arms, the " demi-lancer ", towards the end of the 15th century. When fighting on foot, men-at- arms initially adapted their ordinary cavalry weapons. English men-at-arms in Italy in the s are recorded as advancing in close order with two men holding a cavalry lance. The horse was an essential part of a man-at-arm's equipment. The type of horse, however, varied according to wealth and status. It has been calculated that a French gendarme's horse in the midth century cost the equivalent of six months' wages. A system evolved in the 13th century for employers to compensate for horses lost in action. In England this was called by the Latin name restauro equorum [17] and similar systems were in use in France and Italy. The assessment system also allowed employers to insist on a minimum value and hence quality of horse be presented at muster. As early as the late 13th century, Edward I decreed that all his men-at-arms should be mounted on equus coopertus , that is armoured, or barded , horses. In the 15th century, plate armour for horses was introduced and was a common feature of the equipment of the gendarme into the 16th century. The social structure of the Anglo-Norman society of England was relatively rigid. One of the easiest ways for a man to improve his social rank was through military service; another method was through the church. In the Norman states, unlike in many other contemporary societies, the knighting of men of common birth who had demonstrated ability and courage on the field of battle was possible. Although rare, some non-knightly men-at- arms did advance socially to the status of knights. The knighting of squires and men-at-arms was sometimes done in an ignoble manner, simply to increase the number of knights within an army such practice was common during the Hundred Years' War. In chivalric theory, any knight could bestow knighthood on another, however, in practice this was usually done by sovereigns and the higher nobility. It is recorded that the great mercenary captain Sir John Hawkwood knighted a number of his followers, as many as twenty on one occasion, though he could reasonably be expected to provide the income his created knights required to maintain their new status. Although a knight bachelor, a knight banneret and all grades of nobility usually served as men-at-arms when called to war, the bulk of men-at-arms from the later 13th century came from an evolving social group which became known as the gentry. The man-at-arms could be a wealthy mercenary of any social origin, but more often he had some level of social rank based on income, usually from land. Some came from the class known as serjeants but increasingly during the 14th century they were drawn from an evolving class of esquire. Esquires were frequently of families of knightly rank, wealthy enough to afford the arms of a knight but who had thus far not been advanced to knightly status or perhaps had avoided it because they did not want the costs and responsibilities of that rank. Also found serving as men-at-arms were the lowest social group of the gentry, known by the 15th century simply as gentlemen. The proportion of knights among the men-at-arms varied through time. Thereafter, there was a rapid decline, with the figure dropping to 6. Social status affected the types of military service performed by men-at-arms. Garrison duty was considered unattractive and was often carried out by soldiers of lesser status. For example, the English garrison in the Scottish town of Roxburgh in consisted of just three knights compared to twenty seven men-at-arms of lesser status. The social stratification of men who served as men-at-arms is illustrated by their rates of pay on campaign. In the mid s a knight was paid two shillings a day, an ordinary man-at-arms was paid half this amount; for comparison a foot archer received two or three pence 12 pennies to the shilling. A man-at-arms was also recompensed differentially according to the quality of his principal war-horse, if the horse was to die or was killed in battle. An ordinary esquire might own a war-horse worth only five pounds whilst a great nobleman might own a horse worth up to pounds. English men-at-arms before the second quarter of the 14th century were indistinguishable from their continental counterparts, serving as heavy cavalry on the field of battle. The Battle of Dupplin Moor in , against the Scots, signalled a major change in the battlefield role of the English man- at-arms. This battle was the first major encounter where the tactical combination of dismounted men-at-arms with longbow -armed archers was deployed; the men-at-arms functioning as heavy close-combat infantry. This combination was later employed very effectively against the French in the Hundred Years' War. In the late 15th century a resurgence in the effectiveness of the heavy lancer in combat took place in Europe. This was reflected to some extent in England, exemplified by Richard III 's mounted charge at the Battle of Bosworth and the English cavalry charge at the Battle of the Spurs The last major battle in which English men-at-arms were prominent was fought against a Scottish army in at Pinkie Cleugh. The outnumbered Scots cavalry were easily driven off by the English horse the Scots cavalry having lost heavily in an engagement the day before , the Scots then made a sudden advance with their massed pikemen. To slow their onset and give time for the English infantry to receive them the English heavy horse men-at-arms and demi-lancers were thrown against the pikes. The English cavalry crashed into the pikemen with great elan but sustained considerable losses. However, they halted the Scots attack, buying time for the English infantry and artillery to deploy effectively; the battle resulted in a heavy defeat for the Scots. French men-at-arms were, as elsewhere, drawn from the broad class of gentil hommes. Up to the middle of the 14th century, they attended the royal army either in company of their feudal lords or as individuals. In , the first of a series of ordonnances was proclaimed, attempting to regularise the organisation of men-at-arms into units of 25 to 80 combatants. New ordonnances were issued occasionally to either reinforce or reform previous ones. The ordonnance of attempted to create a standing army of 6, men-at-arms, although it was unlikely it achieved more than 3, in reality. This website uses cookies to provide all of its features. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Enter your email address below to sign up to our General newsletter for updates from Osprey Publishing, Osprey Games and our parent company Bloomsbury. Tell us about a book you would like to see published by Osprey. At the beginning of every month we will post the 5 best suggestions and give you the chance to vote for your favourite. Men at Arms. Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series of books is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present. Items 1 to 16 of total Show 8 12 16 20 24 per page. Men at Arms - Wikipedia By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Enter your email address below to sign up to our General newsletter for updates from Osprey Publishing, Osprey Games and our parent company Bloomsbury. Tell us about a book you would like to see published by Osprey. At the beginning of every month we will post the 5 best suggestions and give you the chance to vote for your favourite.

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