Chapter 6 Chapter 5 War in the Middle Ages

This chapter is an intermediate link between ancient history and modern history.Although there were some educational cases in the Middle Ages, compared with some ancient or modern battle cases, the historical materials describing these battle cases are not sufficient.In order to explore the truth of science and clarify the causes and results of certain events, we must carefully analyze the facts that have been proven in history and use them as a basis.But to select the most essential things from a large amount of historical materials, we have to miss some historical eras and discard some even valuable examples.Yes, debates about medieval military history have often revolved around its tactical and lesser strategic aspects.However, since a dispute has occurred, it must involve both tactics and strategy. Therefore, every ordinary person who lacks experience is always very skeptical about the conclusions drawn from studying this period of history.It is not the intention of this book to describe the wars of the Middle Ages, but to give a brief account of some of their noteworthy events.

In Western Europe in the Middle Ages, the so-called chivalry of feudalism once hindered the development of military art.However, throughout this historical period, there have been moments of light in dark surroundings.In terms of proportion, the number of these bright moments may not be inferior to the number in any other historical period. The Normans were the first to emerge.Their descendants also continued to carry forward the glory of medieval warfare with valuable battle examples.They cherished the blood of the Normans very much, and always tried to win the victory with wisdom and avoided blood, and they did it very successfully.

1066 is a year remembered by British primary school students.The strategy and tactics adopted by the Normans in this year had a decisive influence not only on the situation at that time, but also on the entire course of subsequent historical development.William of Normandy (William the Conqueror) achieved much in his invasion of England by a seductive strategic move.From the very beginning, he reaped the benefits of the indirect route.King Harold's rebellious brother Tostig, together with his ally King Harderada of Norway, made a decoy landing on the coast of Yorkshire.Although this landing posed less of a threat than William's direct invasion, since it preceded William's invasion, the event itself was still more important to William's plans even if the landing force was quickly wiped out. Increased potency.Two days after the landed Norwegians were wiped out at Stamford, William landed on the Sussex coast.

After William landed, he did not advance north immediately, but first swept the Kent and Sussex areas, in order to lure King Harold, so that he led only a small part of the army to rush south recklessly to help, so that Harold The further south Germany went, the more he wanted to meet the enemy, the further he moved away from his reinforcements.This was exactly William's attempt, and the course of events later proved that William's calculation was completely correct.He led Harold to Hastings, approaching the shore of the English Channel, and then began to fight Harold, and then adopted an indirect route tactically, reaching a favorable outcome of the battle.At that time, he ordered some troops to pretend to be defeated and flee, so that the enemy would follow them and pursue them, so that the enemy themselves disrupted the battle formation.Then, in the final stages of the battle, William fired from a height with his archers, killing Harald.This can also be regarded as a mode of action of the indirect route.

William's strategy after this victory is also worthy of attention.After that, he did not march directly to London, but first occupied Dover, thus ensuring the safety of his sea line of communication.After reaching the outskirts of London later, he did not directly attack the city, but began to sweep the outskirts of London.Facing the danger of starvation, the capital finally surrendered voluntarily when William reached Berkhamsted. The next century saw yet another of history's most astonishing battles, a testament to the military genius of the Normans.This is what the Duke of Strongbow and hundreds of knights from the Welsh borders have done under his command.They conquered most of Ireland and repelled an invasion by a strong Norwegian force.What makes their victories all the more striking is that they were won with such small numbers and under the unfavorable conditions of the forests and swamps.It was precisely in this situation that the conqueror showed his ingenuity.In order to adapt to the special environment, they changed and transformed the traditional combat methods of the feudal era.These conquistadors have repeatedly used stratagem to trick the enemy into open terrain, where they can more effectively use the power of their cavalry shocks.They sometimes resort to false defeats, feints, and surprise attacks from the rear to disrupt the enemy's battle formation.And when the enemy is not deceived and refuses to leave the defensive position, the enemy's resistance will be crushed by means of strategic actions that are unexpected, such as night assaults and head-to-head shooting with bows and arrows.

The thirteenth century also has many examples of the high art of strategy.The first such instance occurred in 1216.After almost losing his throne, King John of England actually saved his country in another battle where he did not fight any battle but used purely strategic means.The means he adopted at that time were: first, mobility; second, the great defensive capacity of the fortress; third, the psychological factor, that is, to take advantage of the traditional aversion of the citizens of the city to the counts and their foreign allies King Louis of France. .After Louis landed to the east of Kent, he took London and Winchester.John's forces were too thin at that time, and it was impossible to resist by fighting.Most of the countryside in the country is still ruled by earls.However, John also controlled the forts of Winsor, Reading, Wallingford and Oxford.These fortresses guarded the line of the Thames and separated the earls' forces on the north and south sides of the river.And Dover, the most important fortress behind King Louis, is still in John's hands.By this time John himself had retreated to Dorset, and when the situation became clear he began his march north in July, advancing to Worcester and reaching the River Severn, thus erecting a barrier against which the rebels It is impossible to continue spreading to the northwest and southwest.From there he moved east again, marching along the Thames, making a gesture to relieve the siege at Windsor.

In order to deceive the enemy and convince the enemy who besieged Windsor, John sent a detachment of Welsh archers and ordered them to shoot at the enemy camp in the dark, while he immediately turned to the northeast and rushed ahead of the French. to Cambridge.Now he could cut off many roads to the north, for the main body of the French army was laying siege to the fortress of Dover and could not escape.Although John himself died of illness in October, he succeeded in isolating some troubled areas, contributing to the defeat of the rebels and their French allies.If John died from eating too many peaches and new ale, his enemies were worn down by taking too many important strategic points.

The next rebellion by the English earls was in 1265.The rebellion was suppressed by the skilful strategy of Prince Edward (later Edward I).At that time, King Henry III of England was defeated at the Battle of Lewis, so the ruling power in all parts of England, except the Welsh border area, fell into the hands of the earls.From there Simon de Montfort was preparing to start his triumphal march across the Severn and out to Newport.Prince Edward had by this time escaped from the army of the earls, and was gathering the King's forces on the Welsh frontier.He seized the bridge over the Severn and advanced to the rear of Day Montfort, thus breaking Day Montfort's plan.Edward not only drove the enemy across the Ouse, but, forming a commando of three large galleys, made a surprise attack on the enemy ships anchored at Newport, thus breaking Day Montfort's attempt to send his army back to the ground. Plans for shipment back to England.In this way, Day Montfort had to make a long and arduous march north, and he had to pass through the barren and wild areas of Wales.At this time, Edward had retreated to Worcester, guarding the Severn River, waiting for the arrival of Day Montfort.When Day Montfort's son led his own troops to rescue his father from the east of England, Edward took advantage of his central position to defeat the father and son who were advancing blindly.To this end he made first a forced march and then a reverse march, maneuvering his forces to and fro, and taking surprise attacks, and finally achieved two victories, the first at Kenilworth and the second at Evesham.

After Edward took the throne, it was fate that he would fight many wars in Wales, and these wars made great contributions to military science.Not only did he improve the use of the bow, so that the cavalry charge and the archer shot were well coordinated, but he also developed a new strategic plan for conquest.His task at the time was to conquer some wild and powerful mountain peoples.These mountain peoples could retreat into the mountains to avoid fighting, and then wait until winter, when the conquerors ceased fighting, to come out again and reoccupy the valleys.If it is said that Edward had relatively limited troops and weapons at that time, then he also had an advantage, that is, his combat area was also very limited.Edward has a good combination of mobility and the pillar role of an important strategic stronghold.In these strongholds he erected forts, connected them by roads, and forced the enemy to be in constant motion, so that it was impossible for the enemy to regain his strength and spirits throughout the winter, and to return to the lost lands. up.In this way he gradually wears out the enemy and wears down their resistance.

However, Edward I's strategic genius was not passed on to his descendants.Therefore, during the Hundred Years' War, we can find nothing instructive from the strategies of his grandson and great-grandson.The kind of aimless actions they have taken in France have no practical effect at all.If there were a few times when actions had any effect at all, neither of them could be credited.In France, both Edward III and the Black Prince (Edward) put themselves in extreme peril at the battles of Crecy and Poitiers.However, the difficult situation faced by the British at that time attracted the fools of the less insidious and cunning enemies, and they actually launched a reckless attack under conditions that were very unfavorable to themselves.As a result, the British were able to take the opportunity to escape the fate of being wiped out.This was so because the use of the longbow by the British in defensive battles on their chosen terrain gave them a clear tactical advantage over the French knights.

Although the French suffered a fiasco, in the final analysis this fiasco brought them benefits.Thereafter, in the next phase of the war, they adhered to the Fabian strategy adopted by du Gucillin.This was to avoid engagement with the main body of the British army, to do everything possible to interfere with the enemy's movements, and to gradually drive the British out of the territory they occupied.In terms of combining quickness and suddenness, Du Guxilin has reached a very proficient level. Among the generals in the past, few people have achieved this kind of attainment.He intercepted the enemy's convoys, wiped out their isolated detachments, besieged the isolated enemy garrisons, and captured them as much as possible.When he launched an attack, he routinely chose the most unpredictable direction for the enemy, and often carried out suddenly at night.In addition, he fanned the flames of restlessness everywhere, so as to attract the attention of the enemy, and gradually reduced the territory occupied by the enemy, and finally turned to his side. In less than five years, du Gucillin had finally reduced the vast British presence in France to a narrow strip between Bordeaux and Baronne (south of the coast of the Bay of Biscay). On, and this is not obtained through combat.As for the British army, even if it is a small force, as long as they have time to deploy defensively, he will not take the liberty to attack hard at any time.The general military governor, mostly like a usurer, adheres to a creed: no attack unless victory is guaranteed. (No loan if it is not safe.) Du Gucillin has his own creed: no attack without a surprise attack as a guarantee. Further British attempts at encroachment on foreign territory were characteristic.The ends which they intended before the commencement of operations, and the means by which they were attained, deserve careful analysis.Henry V's first and most famous campaign was actually one of the stupidest.In the Edwardian march of 1415, up to its culmination at the battle at Agincourt (now Agencourt), it was sufficient for the French to block their way. The British army disintegrated itself due to the threat of starvation.However, the leaders of the army forgot the lessons of the Battle of Crecy and the legacy of Du Gucillin.They believed that the French had a four-to-one advantage in strength and that a direct attack was necessary.As a result, they suffered a disastrous defeat, as in the previous battles of Crecy and Poitiers, and it was even more ignominious.After Henry V won this fluke, he began to adopt a sectional strategy. The method was to expand the territory by region, isolate it from other regions, and win the support of local residents to achieve the goal of victory.All the battles carried out after Henry V, in terms of their interest and significance, have crossed the limits of strategy, and have focused on the scope of grand strategy. With regard to the study of strategic problems in the Middle Ages, we may conclude with the march of Edward IV.He ascended the throne in 1461, and was exiled in the middle of it. In 1471, thanks to the skillful use of mobile warfare, he was finally restored.Edward IV was able to win the first battle, mainly because of the quick judgment of the situation and the quickness of mobilizing troops.When he was fighting in Wales with the local supporters of the Lancaster dynasty, he received intelligence that the main force of the enemy had approached London from the north.So he turned back and reached Gloucester on February 20, 1461.There he received further news that the Yorkist forces, led by Warwick, had been defeated by Lancaster's army at St. Albans on February 17th.St. Albans is only 32 kilometers away from London, while Gloucester is more than 160 kilometers away from London.In this way, Lancaster's army had three days' priority to enter London. However, by the 22nd, Warwick had led the remnants to Belford to join Edward.At this time Edward heard rumors that the city of London was still negotiating the terms of surrender with the Lancaster army, and the gates of the city were still closed.Edward therefore left Belford the next day, entered the City of London on the twenty-sixth, and proclaimed himself the throne there.Lancaster's forces retreated northward after their defeat.Edward decided to pursue the enemy immediately.Notwithstanding the numerical superiority of the enemy, and the occupation of prepared positions at Towton, he ventured boldly to attack the enemy in the same way.At that time, heavy snow fell suddenly, and the enemy was dazzled by the white snow.This gave him another advantage.His general Faconburg took advantage of this opportunity and successfully angered the dazzled enemy with bows and arrows, luring them to counterattack blindly, thus causing the enemy to suffer a disastrous defeat. In 1471, Edward IV's strategy was characterized not only by speed, but also by mobility.Before that, he had lost the throne.However, he borrowed 50,000 gallons (5 shillings per gallon) from his brother-in-law, collected 1,200 old ministries, and began to attempt restoration.At this time, all over Britain, his old ministry sent him pledges of support.When he set sail from Frasing, his enemies had formed a well-fortified defense on every coast of England, in order to prevent him from landing with his army.Edward decided at that time to make a sudden landing at the mouth of the Hember River.He reckoned that the inhabitants of that district were extremely loyal to the Lancastrians, and that it might have been undefended.Thus he made the landing quickly, and soon advanced to York.From there he followed the road to London, and bypassing a detachment which the enemy was blocking the road, advanced to Tadcaster.Edward IV, having escaped from the detachment which was closely pursuing him, encountered another enemy force, the detachment which was defending Newark in anticipation of his arrival.So he lured this enemy army to the east again.Subsequently, Edward IV turned southwest to Darest, where he collected many old troops and expanded his force.Thereafter, he marched straight to Coventry.And there, Warwick was concentrating his forces.Walwick, who had been his ally and old general in the past, was now a major enemy.Having lured his pursuers into this area, and gaining strength himself, Edward IV turned southeast and marched directly on London, whose gates were opened for him by the London garrison.Now, he has a force strong enough to fight the enemy.So he led the army out of the city of London to meet the exhausted enemy army that had been chasing him.As the army approached Barnet, there were several melees under the cover of fog, and Edward IV finally won again. On the same day, Anjun Margaret, queen of Lancaster, landed at Weymouth with a force of French mercenaries.Gathering her support in the west of England, she set off to join forces assembled by the Duke of Pembroke in Wales.This time, Edward IV again benefited from his quick action. When the Queen's army was marching north along the Bristol-Gloucester Road on the edge of the valley, he rushed to Cordis first. waltz.One army was down the valley, the other upon the hills, and all the day was spent in a weary race on both sides, and at dusk Edward at last cut off the queen's army at Tewkesbury, and made it Cannot cross the Severn in the Gloucester area.In order to achieve this purpose, Edward IV had already ordered the magistrate of Gloucester to close the gates of the city.Throughout the day, his troops marched sixty-five kilometers.And that night he camped close to the enemy, keeping a direct eye on them so that they could not slip away.The enemy held a fairly strong defensive position, but Edward IV challenged the enemy to attack with his siege machines and crossbows.He achieved his goal in this way, and when he fought the battle next morning, he finally won a decisive victory. The only advantage of Edward IV's strategy is that it is good at using mobility, but its disadvantage is that it lacks far-reaching strategies, and this is a common problem in medieval strategies.In the Middle Ages, the goals pursued by strategy were usually simple and direct, and they were nothing more than adopting various methods to find opportunities for war.If the battle cannot achieve a definite result, the one who suffers is often the one who launched the attack first.Unless they can turn their backs on the enemy and lure the defenders to take the offensive first tactically, there may be exceptional results. In the Middle Ages, the best examples of strategy came not from the West but from the East.The thirteenth century AD was a fruitful era for the development of Western strategy.It shines because the Mongols acted as teachers to the European knights, giving them useful lessons in strategy.The wars waged by the Mongols are not inferior to any wars in history, no matter in terms of scale and art of combat, in terms of suddenness and maneuverability, or in terms of strategic and tactical actions that take indirect routes. Even beyond these wars.When Genghis Khan conquered the Jin Dynasty in northern China, he used Datong Mansion as a bait and took a series of actions to lure the enemy.This is exactly the same as Napoleon used the fortress of Mantua.At that time, Genghis Khan divided his troops into three groups and adopted a large-scale and in-depth roundabout movement, and finally completely destroyed the Jin Dynasty both spiritually and militarily. In 1220 AD, Genghis Khan invaded the Kingdom of Khwarazm.The center of Huacizimo's power is in what is now Turkestan.At that time, Genghis Khan attacked Kashgar from the south with a part of his army to attract the attention of the enemy; his main force broke into the kingdom from the north; A profound detour.He disappeared for a time in the great desert of Gizr-Kon, and then suddenly appeared in Bukhara, that is, advanced to the rear of the enemy's army and its defensive positions. In 1241 AD, when Subotai, one of the military leaders after Genghis Khan, continued his western expedition, he taught Europeans a lesson with double meaning.At that time, he had sent an army as the main strategic cover team.Covering the flanks of the main body, the corps passed through Galicia, attracting the attention of the Persians, Germans, and Bohemians, and striking them in turn.Subotai's main force advanced in three columns, which were separated by a considerable distance, but which passed through Hungary with great speed and reached the Danube.During this march, the two flanking columns covered and shaded the central column, which was expected to fulfill an independent mission.After the Mongols reached the Danube along the pincer direction, they were stopped by the Hungarian army assembled on the other side of the river, and they once stayed temporarily in the Gelang area.They retreated skilfully, however, and lured the Hungarians away from the banks of the river, into places where the reserves were unable to assist them.Subotai made use of the night to quickly maneuver troops to carry out a surprise attack on the Sayo River, first splitting the Hungarian army, and then annihilating each of them.In this way, Subotai became the master of the Central European Plain.After a year, he voluntarily relinquished the conquered territories.Before he withdrew, Europe was terrified, and no one had the strength to dare to touch him.