High Constable Combat and Field Manual

Transcription

1 Historia Normannis High Constable Combat and Field Manual Supplement 2: Welsh Specific Field Manual 1.0 (Bellatores)

2 Introduction Historia Normannis - High Constable Welsh Field Manual The Welsh Field Manual outlines the different strategies and specifics of Welsh troops in the field during the 12 th century. The main Combat Field Manual applies, but this document represents a large body of additional information around Welsh field engagements in the 12 th -13 th century. -Daniel FitzEdward Head of Historia Normannis, High Constable 2017 Legal Information All information and graphics contained within is the original work of Daniel FitzEdward, or other members of the media team, unless specifically stated otherwise. All information is thereby property of Historia Normannis, and may be reproduced in part or in entirety by its members for the purposes of informing, educating or referencing within the society or liaising with event organisers. The information within is not to be reproduced in part or in entirety for the benefit of those outside the organisation without the express permission of Historia Normannis. 2

3 The Three Estates Laboratores (Those who work) - Non-combative members who are not part of the Ecclesiastic structure fall into this section, as well as combat members when not participating in military displays/activities. See the Laboratores & Encampment Regulations for more information about this estate. Oratores (Those who pray) - Members who are part of the Ecclesiastical and Monastic displays within the society. See the Ecclesiastical & Holy Orders regulations for further details on this estate. Bellatores (Those who fight) - Members who are part of the military displays and combat within the society. This is what this document covers specifically. 3

4 Constabulary Structure At each level of the society there is a person responsible for melee and ranged combatstructured as follows; 4

5 Bellatores Contact Details High Constable Daniel FitzEdward - (Blackthorn9@hotmail.com) Marshals Paul Blakey- England- (burekeii@gmail.com) Constables By Region England Northumberland and Westmorland- Mike Collier (normannis.sm.constable@gmail.com) Lancashire Michael Nicholls (mnicholl1992@gmail.com) Yorkshire (Acting) Paul Blakey (burekeii@gmail.com) West Mercia (Acting) Alex Smith (crusader2410@aol.com) North Mercia- Alex Smith (crusader2410@aol.com) South Mercia- Dominic Abbott (dominicabbott26@gmail.com) Sussex James Hutchinson (j.hutchinson611@gmail.com) Scotland Lalians- Luke Dawson- (lukewdawson@gmail.com) Wales Glamorgan- Gareth Davies (idris-archer@hotmail.co.uk) Master Herald Philip Roebuck - (prbk@hotmail.co.uk) 5

6 Welsh Regions 6

7 War-bands by Region The different regional impressions extend to the way a force would act in the field, including general conduct and the manner in which they would engage the enemy. Green Cultures- Welsh, English, Anglo- Norman and Flemish Languages- Norman Welsh, French, Anglo-Saxon English, Flemish (minority language) The green regions of the map represent the area of closest Norman control- lands that had either been completely annexed by Anglo-Norman lords, or showed extensive cultural sublimation. These lands would frequently be subject to Flemish and English settlement, to provide a more pliant military and workforce. Yellow Cultures- Welsh, Anglo-Norman, some displaced English and Irish Languages- Welsh, Norman French, Anglo-Saxon English (minority) The yellow regions marked the areas contested throughout the twelfth century- controlled at turns by the native Welsh rulers, and at other times by Marcher lords seeking to expand their lands. As such the culture of these regions remained strongly Welsh, but due to the cross-cultural pollination and exposure, the Welsh magnates were far more typically Carolingian-European in their wargear compared to their more remote peers in the red regions. These regions were less automatically hostile to the Anglo-Normans, despite often being the borderlands of small conflicts- and served both as mercenaries in Norman armies as well as aligning themselves with the English crown during civil conflicts on occasion, such as during the Young King s Rebellion, when Rhys ap Gruffydd besieged Tutbury castle on Henry II s behalf. 7

8 Red Ethnicity- Welsh, Hiberno-Norse (minority), Irish (minority) Languages- Welsh, Irish Gaelic (minority) Norse (minority) The Red regions remained both culturally and politically remote in comparison the rest of Wales- most likely due to the terrain that served to isolate it. The North-West was especially geographically and politically isolated from the rest of Britain- and maintained demonstrable relations with the Hiberno-Norse and Irish across the sea- whom were occasionally called upon as mercenaries. These regions maintained the most typically Celtic approach to warfare- most likely given the topography, which would make a reliance on cavalry and heavier infantry impractical outside of very limited engagements. Some of the regions marked in red did retain cross-border relations, most notably with the Earls of Chester, with whom an uneasy peace existed throughout most of the 12 th centurywhilst some Frankish mercenaries served in internal conflicts in North Wales, spearmen from Gwynedd are also recorded as mercenaries within the Earl of Chester s forces during the Anarchy, outlining a relationship that, whilst not always warm, seems distinctly pragmatic. 8

9 Authentic Orders Modern English Medieval Welsh Meaning Form Dulliwch! Di-ll-ee-oo-ch Form a basic fighting line Present Estynnwch Arfau Es-tonne-oo-ch Present weapons and prepare to advance Advance Ymlaen! Um-line Advance towards the enemy Fall Back Ciliwch! Kill-e-oo-ch Give ground/move backwards whilst maintaining formation Charge Rhuthrwch! Rith-roo-ch (th pronounced as in think) Run into combat Halt Sefwch Sev-oo-ch Stop the formation Turn Tröwch Traw-oo-ch Turn (to the) Left (i r) asw (eer) asoo Left (to the ) Right (i r) ddeheu (eer) the-hey (th pronounced as in that) Quickly Brysiwch! Brush-oo-ch (The order) rapidly Dress Cyweiriwch! Kuw-ay-ree-oo-ch Shuffle to fill gaps/shift the line down Right (Form) Line (Form) Column (Form) Shieldwall (Gwnewch) Rhestr! (Gwa-new-ch) Resturr (Gwnewch) Colofn! (Gwa-new-ch) Kol-ov-un Ysgorfa Darianau - Us-gor-va Dar-yan-aye Form a formation wider than it is deep Form a formation deeper than it is wide Overlap/butt shields closely Company Bragad Brag-ard Non-Conroi formation (Conroi orders always in French) 1st, 2nd, 3rd Cyntaf, Ail, Trydydd Cun-tav aisle trud-ith (th pronounced as in that) Saxon- number/division Frenchdivision/number Shields! (up/down) Tarianau! (i fynydd/ i lawr) - Tar-yan-aye! ( ee vunith / ee l-aw-r) (th pronounced as in that) Archers (forward) Nock Saethyddion (ymlaen) - Sayth-uth-ee-on um-line (First th pronounced as in think, second th pronounced as in that) Gosodwch saethau - Goss-odd-oo-ch saythaye (th pronounced as in think) 9 Raise shields to receive arrows, or drop them after the arrows have ceased Archers advancing to begin shooting Nock the arrow to the bowstring

10 Draw Anelwch - Ann-el-oo-ch Draw nocked arrows to the cheek Loose Surrender Ellyngwch! - a(e)-ll-ung-oo-ch! (ung as in the word strung ) Ystyngwch! - Us-tung-oo-ch! (ung as in the word strung ) Release bowstring and let fly Asking/demanding surrender from the enemy I surrender Tanc! - Tank A sign of surrender to the enemy Translations of Middle Welsh Orders were provided by Dr Jenny Day of the University of Wales, April

11 Impression on the Field Overview Welsh forces were more closely intertwined with the wider British community than the Scots and Irish, who were more geographically and politically separate. The Welsh are recorded as fighting alongside Anglo-Norman armies as mercenaries and as allies on several occasions, and Anglo-Normans were known to become involved in Welsh political conflicts when there were suitable incentives- either monetary or politically. At a fundamental level, the Welsh military hierarchy bore far more resemblance to the Anglo-Saxon system than the Franco-Carolingian Feudalism that characterised Norman rule. However, the scale of warfare was very much limited by the population and economic realities of medieval Wales. One of the reasons for the characterisation of the Welsh as being prone to ambush is their numerical inferiority in most Marcher conflicts. The Normans could call on the combined manpower of local levies, Anglo-Norman troops and Flemish mercenaries. Campaigns between the two nations are characterised in a familiar pattern- low level skirmishing between both parties, before a large force that could not easily be challenged was raised under the King of England, at which point a peace settlement was reached. Despite this, we have two distinct instances in which the Welsh and the Normans came to significantly sized pitched battles- Crug Mawr, in 1136 and the battle of Painscastle, Crug Mawr At Crug Mawr in 1136, the Anglo-Norman force is described as being made up of three key elements- Flemish infantry, levied Anglo-Saxon troops, and mounted Normans. The Norman mounted force was presumably made up of knights, mounted serjeants and squires (as they are described only as horse ). The Welsh force is described in three elements also- mounted Welshmen, infantry and archers. The infantry are referred to entirely as spearmen - though this was a poetic term used to refer to all forms of solder from pre-roman times and does not prove complete universality of the weapon. Interestingly in this engagement it is the Normans who try and use the terrain to their advantage- awaiting the Welsh on a hill. The Welsh are then described as advancing their bowmen- who caused notable casualties to the Flemish mercenaries. The militia were brought forward to bolster them (combining the infantry into one force). The Anglo- Normans sought not to advance, however, wanting their enemy to move to them. When this failed the Norman cavalry were committed to the enemy s infantry and archers. The cavalry are described as meeting with heavy fire from the archers, weakening them significantly, before being counter-charged by the Welsh cavalry. The battle is then described as being fierce between the mounted Welsh and Norman forces. Whilst the mounted contingents struggled, the Norman infantry broke (though mention is made about them being engaged- 11

12 presumably this is either due to more missile fire or an unmentioned attack from Welsh infantry). Interestingly there are a few notable elements of this battle as pertains to the use of forces and their relative merit; Skirmishers The Welsh force who are given credit for causing the most causalities and impact are the archers- who in this battle seem to have been fighting unopposed (no mention is made of any Norman archery- so if there was any, it was not notable). They are credited with causing large casualties to the Flemish infantry, and then to the Norman cavalry- which in both cases caused a distinct impact to morale. The importance of this weapon (described in other works as typically Welsh ) has been debated from time to time, but given this early conflict s outcome, it would seem key to the Welsh military makeup, and a central reason for the Norman reluctance to engage the Welsh head-on. Cavalry The Welsh cavalry are noted as closing with the Norman cavalry and engaging fiercely. Given the form of Norman wargear of the period (1136)- we can presume the Welsh wargear was similar in makeup- enough for them to meet and fight on relatively equal terms. It is interesting that the Welsh cavalry were used specifically for a counter-charge, suggesting they were not quite as heavy as their Anglo-Norman counterparts, but more than capable of engaging them once the impetus was lost. This suggests a less orderly formation (where the primary threat of the Norman force would be couched lances, which, after an initial charge, would have been lost). Given the numbers attributed to the battle, around Welsh were mounted, presumably mostly lords and teulu. The efficacy of the bow as described matches the descriptions offered by Gerald of Wales, that the Welsh bow was indeed capable of piercing armour (otherwise its use against the Flemish mercenaries would have been somewhat pointless). Infantry The Welsh infantry go relatively undescribed in the conflict- not notably playing a major role. There could be a few reasons for this- not least that they may have been placed with the archers and as such any description of the archers includes guarding spearmen. There is also the idea that most low-status Welsh warriors would bring both a bow and spear to war (as was common in countries such as Sweden), thus allowing men to move fluidly between roles as the situation required; the archers might indeed be the infantry- switching between weapons at different points in the battle. Overall this battle demonstrates the Welsh in full force - that is, provided with an equal force to their Norman counterparts. Their preferred order of battle stresses heavily the use of lighter missile troops to break the enemy s core- and then a combination of their lighter 12

13 troops and the heavier elements of their own army to match the Anglo-Norman heavy contingents. In practical terms this would suggest a strategy of targeting the lighter enemy troops first, in the hopes of causing either massive casualties or a panic- which would leave the Anglo-Normans without infantry support (which is noted in other period sources as a predicament most generals should avoid). In this instance it seems to have been heavily effective, given the lack of any real fighting credited to either the Flemish mercenaries or the Anglo-Norman levied troops. Painscastle The battle of Painscastle is almost an entire reverse of the battle of Crug Mawr- an Anglo- Norman force fighting a similarly sized Welsh force and defeating it in turn. We do not have many details of the battle itself, but we do know something of the makeup of the army that the Anglo-Normans brought to the field. William de Braos force were originally defending the eponymous castle, but instead left it to take to the field- he is described as having with him, the strong garrison as well as many noble knights who were hard fought in war. The key difference it would seem would be the men making up the garrison- if these men were the permanent garrison of the castle many of them would be archers and crossbowmen. The other interesting comment is made regarding the knights- rather than these being simply cavalry (which may include lighter elements such as mounted Serjeants) they are distinctly described as knights- and experienced ones at that. Presumably the difference in era is also important- armour had improved distinctly across the 60 years between these two engagements, and it may be that the effectiveness of arrows against heavier Anglo-Norman knights had in turn reduced their impact on them. Either way, the aftermath is described in much the same manner as Crug Mawr- a pursuit and slaughter with no mention of either prisoners or hostages. 13

14 In Terms of Normannis Green Regional Troops These troops would be trained to hold formation and attack as a cohesive unit- in a similar manner to their Anglo-Norman counterparts. The lower-ranking element of these forces would be reliant on the Anglo-Norman tradition of absorbing the enemy s attack, and then subjecting them to an attrition-based grind that would break them. Due to the relative amicable relations within these regions, these troops would form up together along feudal lines, without significant friction or tension- despite ethnic diversity in their basic makeup. Notes: These forces would co-operate freely amongst themselves, and with feudal troops from Gold regions- though social tensions would be apparent amongst native Welsh of Red regions- who would view these troops as sais, despite their primary language. The orders within these regions would be issued in Norman French, echoed back in both Saxon and Welsh (dependent on the makeup of the force). Gold Regional Troops These troops would fight in a probe and withdraw manner- attacking heavily and withdrawing to pull the enemy from formation, and subjecting lighter troops to concerted missile attack. The more feudalised ranks of the army would seek to counter their peers in the enemy force (as described at Crug Mawr), whilst the lighter troops were deployed to destroy the enemy supporting infantry. On campaign these troops would be the most vulnerable, and subject to hit-and-run strategy which would create heavy losses, before the heavier elements of an enemy force could be brought against them. These troops were a mix of military traditions, and as such were relatively accepting of most other Welsh traditions- the more traditional Red regions and the Normanised Green regions. The willingness of these forces to fight against and alongside Anglo-Norman forces suggests that their outlook was relatively pragmatic. Interestingly there is one distinct noted hostility that runs through these forces- a hatred of the Flemish mercenaries that had been brought into adjoining lands by the Anglo-Norman marcher lords. Why these men specifically received their ire is unclear- but seems to run deep and consistent. Notes: These troops would be happy and at home with either a Red accompanying force, or fighting alongside an Anglo-Norman or Welsh Green force- either as mercenaries or allies. In period, they were likely relied on for the skirmishing and scouting element of an army, given their attributed skills by Norman peers. Given the one major aversion was to Flemish mercenaries, specific hostilities can be portrayed on the with any Flemish troop portrayals on the encampment or the field. 14

15 Red Regional Troops Given the description of the deployment at Crug Mawr, the heavier and more professional troops would be given a distinct formation of their own, and lighter troops deployed as skirmishing forces or in small blocks that could rush, attack, gain an upper-hand and then fall back if the situation changed. These troops were predominantly attack-heavy- seeking to overwhelm enemies rapidly and dismay them with a rapid attack, followed by quick withdrawal by lighter troops to try and draw the enemy out of formation and onto less favourable terrain. These troops would fight alongside both other Welsh and Anglo-Norman forces, albeit in an almost completely separate manner. The Welsh deployment at the Battle of Lincoln suggests a formation of their own, aloof from the main army who were expected to fight in a different manner altogether. The main source of tension in deployment would be a mixed force of Green and Red troops, where the two formations would remain almost entirely aloof of one another- the Red Welshmen viewing the Green Welsh as essentially English- and with mixed and Flemish heritage. Notes: These troops would be happiest in sole companies or alongside Yellow troops. The magnates of the Red region would be slightly aloof with nobles of the Yellow areas, simply due to cultural differences and a slow alienation as the two regions developed separately. In period, the Red regions were resistant to attempts to control them from both the Anglo- Normans and princes trying to unify Wales- and were known to be quarrelsome with accepting authority from any quarter. Given the one major aversion was to Flemish mercenaries, specific hostilities can be portrayed on the with any Flemish troop portrayals on the encampment or the field. 15

16 Welsh Strategy In Normannis Combat Overview Other regions of Normannis usually begin with probing attacks, which become gradually more and more determined as the fight continues- the Welsh forces take this tradition to extremes, where the lighter skirmishing troops were relied on to make openings that the heavier troops could then exploit. Javelin Shower, Attack, Retire Prior to committing to an attack, Welsh forces first launch javelins before closing on the enemy. This strategy should distinctly be more common amongst the Llu element of the army. Whilst the Teulu can accompany its primary attack with javelins, they should be more committed to a sustained attack, rather than the shower, hit, retire strategy of the Llu ranks. This method of attack should almost be approached as breaking a standard attack sequence down into two- a shower of javelins, a quick attack, and when it has lost momentum, a fast retire- and then repeating this manoeuvre- so that in the first blood element of an event, the Welsh would attack twice and again in the combat by Battailles. The heavier elements of the army (the Teulu and Welsh Nobles) stand by during these phases, committing to the combat in force in the fore of the attack after the usual first blood element of a combat. Spears and Roundshields The roundshield offers Welsh members a unique advantage- it can be dropped from the hand and recovered again far more rapidly than its Anglo-Norman counterpart, the kiteshield. This allows for Welsh members to approach the first blood element of an event wielding spears two-handed, only to drop them and rapidly switch to single-handed weapons and shields for a follow up charge. Equally a Gwaywffon can be used in two hands, with one hand gripping both the shield and the spear-shaft. This allows lighter Welsh troops to use greater control to counter enemy spears when the formations remain in place, and probe and try and open an enemy formation with attacks from just outside of enemy reach. Rotating Attack The Llu and Teulu elements of a force can be distinctly divided to allow different styles of assault to be committed at different times- the Teulu following much more familiar Normannis battlefield strategy and the Llu following the Shower, Attack, Retire patterntherefore more of a given force can be given front line duty in a single battle; with the first attack made by the Llu and a following attack made by the Teulu- or vice versa. Both these strategies have distinct advantages- allowing the Llu to weaken a force before committing a heavier attack, or weakening a force to make the Llu s following assault more impactful. 16

17 Internal Welsh Events Welsh events can follow a mix of various formats- allowing forces to divide along ethnic lines (so that more Normanised troops form a Norman force) or dividing along group lines to allow for a Welsh civil conflict. Due to the endemic in-fighting in Wales during the 12 th century, both formats are equally valid, and dependent on the makeup of forces at an event, allow for a different narrative to the conflict. 17