Ever wondered if a medieval Knight was the same as heavy cavalry? The answer is more complex and fascinating than you think, and it lies with the true backbone of medieval armies: the Man-at-Arms (MAA).
This video is a deep dive into the world of these elite professional soldiers. We explore how the Man-at-Arms was a purely military role—defined by top-tier skill and equipment, not social status—and how it differed from the noble Knight. Discover who these warriors were, from squires and the younger sons of nobility to veteran mercenaries, and see how their role, equipment, and tactics evolved over centuries of brutal warfare.
In this detailed briefing, you'll learn about:
The crucial difference between a Knight, Heavy Cavalry, and a Man-at-Arms.
The evolution of their armor and weapons, from chainmail and light lances to full plate armor and heavy shock lances.
The economics of war: The staggering cost of warhorses like destriers and coursers, and the compensation systems designed to replace them.
Shifting tactics: Why these elite cavalrymen increasingly fought on foot, creating the deadly combination with longbowmen used in famous English victories like the Battle of Agincourt.
Real historical data and figures from the Hundred Years' War, including troop compositions and pay rates ordered by kings like Henry V.
Join us as we gear up and uncover the story of the professional medieval warrior who truly dominated the battlefield.
#medievaltimes #history #medievallife #middleages #medievalwars
This video is a deep dive into the world of these elite professional soldiers. We explore how the Man-at-Arms was a purely military role—defined by top-tier skill and equipment, not social status—and how it differed from the noble Knight. Discover who these warriors were, from squires and the younger sons of nobility to veteran mercenaries, and see how their role, equipment, and tactics evolved over centuries of brutal warfare.
In this detailed briefing, you'll learn about:
The crucial difference between a Knight, Heavy Cavalry, and a Man-at-Arms.
The evolution of their armor and weapons, from chainmail and light lances to full plate armor and heavy shock lances.
The economics of war: The staggering cost of warhorses like destriers and coursers, and the compensation systems designed to replace them.
Shifting tactics: Why these elite cavalrymen increasingly fought on foot, creating the deadly combination with longbowmen used in famous English victories like the Battle of Agincourt.
Real historical data and figures from the Hundred Years' War, including troop compositions and pay rates ordered by kings like Henry V.
Join us as we gear up and uncover the story of the professional medieval warrior who truly dominated the battlefield.
#medievaltimes #history #medievallife #middleages #medievalwars
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00:00Are knights and heavy cavalry the same in the medieval world?
00:04What does Mei actually mean?
00:05What was the percentage of knights in an army?
00:08Greetings, my young count.
00:10I am your loyal advisor, Shin Bai.
00:12I've heard you will soon join His Majesty's campaign.
00:15So I have brought you some special intelligence on army composition.
00:20If you find this helpful, please show your approval and grant me two coins.
00:25A token of victory and friendship.
00:28Before diving deep into the warfare of this era, many people assume knights are the same as heavy cavalry.
00:34And that all heavy cavalry are knights.
00:36In fact, in most cases, knights were almost always clad in the finest armor of their time.
00:44They also almost always fought as heavy cavalry on the battlefield.
00:48Or rather, shock cavalry, charging into combat with lances.
00:52However, for most of the medieval period, elite cavalry who were also heavily armored, rode war horses, and charged with lances, did not necessarily hold the title of knight, especially in the late Middle Ages.
01:08With the advent of plate armor, and the mass production of individual equipment, more and more armed men could be equipped similarly to knights, or even with identical gear.
01:21They would fight as charging heavy cavalry.
01:23Consequently, a new concept was born.
01:26The MAA.
01:27This stands for man-at-arms.
01:29The term originates from the French Hamdarmes.
01:32It's a purely military concept, based only on a warrior's equipment and skill, and is unrelated to social class.
01:39Compared to knight or heavy cavalry, the scope of man-at-arms is much broader.
01:44However, it refers to a class of warrior in heavy armor, proficient with various weapons, who usually served as heavy shock cavalry.
01:53They could fight on horseback, or sometimes dismount to fight on foot.
01:58They could also serve as powerful infantry in sieges or defense.
02:02I can say with certainty, almost all knights were men-at-arms.
02:07But not all men-at-arms were knights.
02:10In fact, a large portion of them were not knights.
02:13Heavy cavalry, however, were definitely men-at-arms.
02:18But men-at-arms did not always fight as cavalry.
02:22They could also be heavy infantry.
02:25Likewise, the relationship between heavy cavalry and knights is similar.
02:31You need to understand the relationships and differences here.
02:35This will ensure you are confident when discussing tactics.
02:38In the Kingdom of England, between 1280 and 1360, knights made up 20% to 30% of all men-at-arms.
02:50Afterward, this percentage gradually fell.
02:54In other words, the number of non-knight men-at-arms was rising.
02:58By 1380, it had dropped to 6.5%, and by 1443, within the Duke of Somerset's army, only 1.3% of men-at-arms were knights.
03:13From a military standpoint, after the 14th century, knights evolved from being simply elite cavalry,
03:20to becoming junior officers, or even high-level commanders.
03:26Around 1350, in the army of Edward III, the commander of a large force, might only hold the title of knight or squire.
03:37However, because the requirements for a warrior's training and quality of equipment were high,
03:42Most men-at-arms were still men of some social standing.
03:47Besides the core group of knights, they could also be knight squires, veteran mercenaries,
03:53and in some cases, wealthy soldiers, who could afford the required equipment, could also become men-at-arms.
04:00These soldiers were generally used as light cavalry, or as low-ranking infantry commanders.
04:06Furthermore, the non-heir, descendants of barons, and knights also often became men-at-arms.
04:13In 1415, the English Lord Scrope provided the king with 30 men-at-arms.
04:19This included one knight Banneret, who was Scrope himself, three regular knights, and 26 squires.
04:27The gentry class, which formed in the 14th century, became the main source of men-at-arms.
04:32In late medieval France, the crown even passed edicts to organize men-at-arms into standing companies, the famous companies d'ordonnance.
04:42In terms of equipment, men-at-arms were generally clad in the finest armor of their time.
04:48Before the 14th century, this was mainly chain mail.
04:52From the 14th century on, transitional plate and mail became the norm.
04:57After the 15th century, full plate armor gradually became common.
05:01So, a warrior in full plate was not necessarily a knight.
05:06He could also be a man-at-arms without a knightly title.
05:09The primary weapon of a man-at-arms was the lance.
05:12In the 14th century, it was about 12 feet long, and was typically made of ash wood.
05:19Later, to counter the improvements in armor, heavy lances weighing up to 40 pounds became the standard.
05:27They could be fixed to a lance rest.
05:30On the breastplate, of course, not all men-at-arms used such a heavy weapon.
05:39Lighter lances were also frequently used when fighting on foot.
05:44They used lances shortened to about 5 feet, or pull larmes like two-handed battle axes.
05:52Additionally, in the 14th century, there were instances of men-at-arms on foot,
05:59where two men would wield a single, full-length lance.
06:01The war horse was another, of the men-at-arms' most vital assets.
06:08Generally, they used destriers and coursers.
06:12The large, powerful destriers were rarer and more expensive,
06:17used by only about 5% of men-at-arms.
06:19The faster and more agile coursers were far more common.
06:26Overall, the choice of horse depended on the personal wealth of the man-at-arms.
06:32Between 1282 and 1364,
06:37across 13 English military campaigns,
06:40the average value of a man-at-arms horse
06:43was between 7.6 and 16.4 pounds.
06:47In the mid-15th century,
06:51a horse for a French man-at-arms
06:53cost the equivalent of six months' pay.
06:57These expensive mounts had to be purchased by the soldiers themselves.
07:01So monarchs would often, during a war,
07:04establish a compensation system for war horses
07:07to reimburse soldiers who lost their mounts in battle.
07:11From the 13th century on,
07:13this system was quite mature.
07:16Before a campaign,
07:17the army would appraise
07:19the quality and value of each soldier's horse
07:23to facilitate compensation after the war.
07:26Furthermore,
07:27in the late Middle Ages,
07:29the horses of men-at-arms
07:31were more commonly fitted with barding.
07:34King Edward of England once ordered
07:36that his men-at-arms must use barded horses.
07:39Of course,
07:43barding at that time was mainly male,
07:45but could also be made of leather or textile.
07:48Starting in the 15th century,
07:51plate barding began to see wider use.
07:54Next, we can examine the men-at-arms' tactical role and combat effectiveness.
08:00In medieval warfare,
08:02men-at-arms played a critical role on many different types of battlefields.
08:08Their most conventional role was his heavy cavalry,
08:11acting as the army's general reserve,
08:13charging at the decisive moment to crush the enemy.
08:18At the Battle of Benevento in 1266,
08:22Charles of Anjou,
08:23king of Sicily for the papal forces,
08:26led 3,000 men-at-arms.
08:28For each,
08:29mounted man-at-arms,
08:30he assigned to infantrymen
08:32to protect any cavalryman who was unhorsed
08:35and to kill any dismounted enemy soldiers.
08:39These warriors,
08:40riding powerful warhorses
08:41and clad in heavy armor,
08:44also possessed physical conditioning far beyond the average man.
08:48You,
08:49who are about to plunge into war,
08:51should also train your body to this same standard.
08:54Starting in the 14th century,
08:57due to changes on the battlefield,
08:59men-at-arms fighting on foot became increasingly common,
09:02especially within the Kingdom of England.
09:06Dismounted men-at-arms fighting alongside longbowmen
09:09became a deadly tactic for the English army.
09:12During the early Hundred Years' War,
09:15when these men advanced on foot,
09:17they would grip their lances or other pole arms tightly,
09:22forming a narrow line of battle.
09:24Their horses would be held in the rear,
09:27ready to be mounted for pursuit or retreat.
09:29The Battle of Agincourt in 1415
09:33is a classic example of England's
09:36use of dismounted men-at-arms.
09:39Six months before Agincourt,
09:41on April 29, 1415,
09:44lords signed contracts with the King in London,
09:48confirming how many soldiers they would provide.
09:51For the coming war,
09:53these soldiers would serve for one year,
09:55and a quarter of their pay would be delivered up front.
09:59The remaining three payments were made quarterly.
10:03During the Agincourt campaign,
10:06a man-at-arms who wasn't a knight was paid 12 pence a day.
10:10In this war,
10:12the largest contingent was from the Duke of Clarence,
10:16Thomas, who provided 240 men-at-arms,
10:19and 720 archers.
10:24This included himself,
10:26one earl,
10:27two barons,
10:29fourteen knights,
10:30and 220 to other men-at-arms.
10:33The Duke of Gloucester
10:34provided 200 men-at-arms
10:37and 600 archers.
10:39The Duke of York
10:40and the Earl of Dorset
10:42each provided 100 men-at-arms,
10:45and 300 archers.
10:47Other lords
10:48also generally followed this 1-2-3 ratio
10:51of men-at-arms.
10:54Two archers,
10:55for example,
10:57Thomas Tunstall
10:57was to provide six men-at-arms
11:00and 18 archers.
11:02He himself was counted among those six men-at-arms.
11:06In the 14th century,
11:08a 1-to-1 ratio was more common.
11:11In 14-15,
11:13to defend the realm,
11:14200 men-at-arms
11:16and 400 archers were sent
11:18to garrison the Scottish border.
11:21Soon after,
11:22150 men-at-arms
11:23and 300 archers
11:25were sent to Wales
11:27on garrison duty.
11:29These cases show that
11:31the ratio of men-at-arms
11:33to archers would be adjusted
11:35based on tactical needs.
11:38In garrison campaigns,
11:40a higher ratio of men-at-arms
11:42was likely.
11:42In France at the same time,
11:44the proportion of men-at-arms
11:47was notably higher.
11:49In 14-15,
11:50the French,
11:51Dauphin ordered the Dukes of Orleans
11:53and Burgundy
11:54to each send 500 men-at-arms
11:57and 300 archers.
11:58Incidentally,
11:59the status of men-at-arms
12:02and archers
12:02was clearly different
12:04before the Battle of Agincourt.
12:07Henry V issued an order,
12:09demanding silence
12:10from the army at night.
12:12A man-at-arms
12:13who disobeyed
12:14would forfeit his equipment.
12:16An archer, however,
12:17would have an ear cut off.
12:19When garrisoning a castle,
12:21men-at-arms
12:22were also the core fighting force.
12:24In 1265,
12:26the rebel Earl
12:27Simon D.
12:28Montfort dispatched
12:29Robert D.
12:30Ross to lead
12:31300 men-at-arms
12:33to garrison.
12:34Gloucester,
12:35the Royal Army
12:36launched a fierce assault
12:37on the city
12:38after capturing
12:40the outer walls.
12:42Robert,
12:42without having made any
12:44preparations
12:45or supplies,
12:47still relied on
12:48his 300 men-at-arms
12:50to hold the castle
12:51for 15 days.
12:53In 1414,
12:55when the Earl
12:56of Warwick
12:56garrisoned Calais,
12:58his command included
12:59240 men-at-arms
13:01and between
13:03274 to 330
13:05for archers.
13:08Due to the vital role
13:09of men-at-arms
13:10on the battlefield,
13:12many famous figures
13:13emerged from their ranks.
13:16In the 14th century,
13:17John Hawkwood
13:18and his company,
13:20while serving
13:21Baron Mortimer
13:21in the Welch Marches,
13:23transitioned from
13:24being archers
13:25to becoming
13:26men-at-arms,
13:28many lords
13:28and even
13:29high-ranking nobles
13:30would,
13:31during wartime,
13:33personally serve
13:33on campaign
13:34as men-at-arms.
13:36For instance,
13:37at Agincourt,
13:38Edward,
13:39Duke of York,
13:40was one of the
13:41most famous warriors
13:42in the Kingdom
13:43of England.
13:44Of course,
13:45there are also
13:46less inspiring examples.
13:48During the Battle
13:49of Bannockburn
13:50in 1314,
13:52the young cavalry commander,
13:54Gilbert D. Clare,
13:56Earl of Gloucester,
13:58rashly charged
13:59ahead of his men.
14:01Soon after the fighting started,
14:03his horse was brought down
14:05by Scottish spearmen,
14:07and once unhorsed,
14:08he was killed
14:09by the Scots.
14:10Ironically,
14:12of the 500 men-at-arms
14:14he brought with him,
14:15he was the only one
14:16killed in action.
14:18In summary,
14:19the men-at-arms
14:20was a pivotal force
14:21in the warfare
14:22of this era.
14:24Knowing the number
14:25and proportion
14:26of men-at-arms
14:27in both armies
14:28is critical
14:29to understanding
14:30the balance of power
14:31and even the enemy's
14:33tactical intentions.
14:34This information
14:35is absolutely key.
14:37Therefore,
14:39I implore you,
14:40you must master
14:41all information
14:42and intelligence
14:43regarding men-at-arms.
14:45I wish you a swift
14:46and total victory
14:47in the coming war.
14:49Until next time.
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