100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 59 7 The Ups and Downs of Infantry and Cavalry in the Middle Ages

Chapter 67 The Ups and Downs of Infantry and Cavalry in the Middle Ages
——If you sail against the current, if you don't make progress, you will fall back. If you don't make progress and others make progress, it actually means that you have regressed.

The ups and downs of cavalry in war is almost a microcosm of medieval European history.In the war with the "barbarians", they suffered heavy casualties under the iron heels of their cavalry. This painful process made people realize the value of armored cavalry.In the centuries that followed, cavalry exploited its advantages in speed and momentum to the fullest, establishing complete control of the battlefield.The warhorse, the four-hoofed warrior, makes a terrifying charge on the enemy.But by the 14th century, with the development and popularization of advanced infantry weapons and infantry tactics, the control of cavalry in the main battlefield was broken.As a result, cavalry had to wear heavier armor, sacrificing speed for protection.Well-defended heavy cavalry dominated the battlefield, and many knights rushed to the front wearing armor weighing up to 60 pounds (about 27 kilograms).Before gunpowder shattered the knight class and completely changed the form of warfare, the cavalry and the feudal system on which cavalry relied had begun to decline.

On October 1066, 10, in a battle near the "English" town of Hastings, the cavalry of Tianhe, the four-hoofed warrior, showed an unquestionable battlefield advantage.The Norman invasion army led by Duke William defeated King Harold's Saxon army completely. .From a picture from the 14th century, we can see that the numbers of the two sides on the battlefield are roughly equal.In fact, about 11 men were assembled on both sides, armed with swords, lances, and short bows, and chain mail made of about 5000 iron rings.

But there is a significant difference between the two sides: the Normans have a large number of cavalry, but the British do not.Norman cavalry armed with pikes set out from Hastings to attack King Harold's Saxon infantry.The Norman army led by William adopted the tactic of "strike halfway" (attack before the opponent's formation is completed).The advantage of cavalry in close combat is obvious, their swords can cut down from above, and the opponent can't even reach them.Thus, the Norman attack squeezed the Saxons more and more weakly, and finally put William on the throne of England.Facing the Norman cavalry, the Saxon infantry could only attack the enemy with javelins.The history books record: "King Harold died in battle...and many excellent soldiers died. The French occupied this bloody land." After this battle, cavalry continued to dominate the battlefield for 300 years.

In order to weaken the cavalry's battlefield advantage, infantry weapons were continuously improved.The short bow, which had a range of only 50 yards (about 46 meters), was replaced by the crossbow (crossbow), which could shoot through ordinary armor within 200 yards (about 183 meters).Troops are equipped with the longbow, which has the same range as the crossbow, but can be five times faster, and thus has greater piercing capabilities.The armament of halberds and other pole-like weapons up to 5 feet (about 8 meters) also proved to weaken the attack power of cavalry.

Throughout the 13th century, the dominance of the cavalry was constantly challenged, and more and more iron accessories had to be added to the armor to enhance its protection.But well-trained and determined infantry, finally armed with new weapons, ended the cavalry's dominance of the battlefield in the 14th century.

The nightmare began in 1302 with a battle in Flanders Conteil.One side of this battle is the Flanders infantry patched together by 7400 citizens, and the other side is the 5 French army with a strict military capacity and mainly cavalry.However, the French cavalry were dragged into the swamp, and in their heavy armor they sank deeper and deeper into the mud... They were wiped out at the hands of thousands of enemy troops.Sweeping the field, the burghers of Flanders found only token trophies—2000 gold spurs.

Wisdom Interpretation:

Everything is constantly developing. Between the two competing parties, neither party can be satisfied with the status quo, or close its eyes and listen. It must constantly seek its own development, otherwise it will be at a disadvantage in the competition.It's like swimming upstream in a current. If you can't move forward, you will be carried backward by the current.Just like in this story, the infantry and the cavalry compete with each other, and the two sides are flowing water and sailing with each other. Only by constantly developing and advancing, will we not fall behind because of the development and advancement of the other party.

Modern society is a highly competitive society. In the process of sailing against the current, only by constantly developing ourselves can we not be left behind by the progress of others.

(End of this chapter)