 Way of the Shield
One of the ideas associated with the East is aged martial arts masters, imparting their wisdom to local schools (if movies are to be trusted, those are often located in incredibly inconvenient places meant to deter would-be students.) Few pay attention to European martial arts - indeed, knights didn't just bash each other with maces or swords until one of them fell over dead! A complex system of combat has evolved in Europe, mainly revolving around armor and trying to get around armor, and blacksmiths weren't idle either - Europe was field to an arms race of melee weapons. This week I wish to speak about some of those weapons, their wielders, and the tactics they used in the battlefield.
One of the earliest and most efficient formations was the phalanx. Armed with heavy shields and armor, spear-wielding infantrymen would stick close together to cover any gaps in their defense. Fighting against a phalanx was akin to fighting against a train with polearms sticking out of it - no matter how many times you hit it with your sword; the train is going to win. And you aren't going to get a good hit to begin with - the spears used by phalanges were long, up to 6 meters for the sarissa utilized by Macedonian armies.
The phalanx simply ran at the opposing army, and there wasn't much the opposition could do in melee, other than using the phalanx formation themselves. Its weakness was ranged combat - the phalanx worked only as long as its opponents stood in unison, and arrows or crossbow bolts were strong enough to break through the ranks. The Roman testudo (tortoise) formation remedied this by placing shields literally everywhere, covering the soldiers entirely - this is the formation seen in Asterix, though unfortunately laws of physics did not permit the ancient Romans to form a massive shield ball and simply run over any opposition, as they tried in the comics.
Speaking of crossbows, they were a force to be reckoned. The large crossbow was unwieldy and slow to load compared to a bow, but the bolts were powerful - indeed, powerful enough to punch straight through a heavily armored knight! And you never ran out of crossbowmen - unlike archers who need a lifetime of training to master the longbow, a peasant could be trained within a week to be a crossbowman with comparable efficiency. Knights were understandably displeased with mere peasants being able to fell their ranks with ease, which may have led to Pope Innocent II banning the use of crossbows against Christians.
And here's a rather awe-inspiring figure to finish this week's article. John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, apparently did not care much about armor, personal safety, or common sense. He, however, did care about keeping his word. Captured during the Battle of Rouen (a part of the Hundred Year's War), he promised never to wear armor against the French king... And he did not. Taking his oath very literally, he simply continued his campaign without armor - for this he is known as the English Achilles, for he appeared similarly invulnerable despite not wearing armor. He died four years later at the end of the Hundred Years' War, during the Battle of Castillon, and yet he didn't meet his end by sword - a cannonball hit him instead.
In a way, I am imitating Talbot and attempting to finish school without the use of books (that's more about sheer sloth, though - I am just too lazy to go and find the books if they aren't readily available in the bookstore.) Let's see which exam will be my cannonball!
BY ALPER ÖZKAN (MBG/III)
d_ozkan@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
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