Warfare During The Renaissnce

The chief result of these innovations was that warfare once and for all was taken out of the hands of private individuals (the nobility) and was taken over by the nation-state. Moreover, war became so expensive and destructive that it became ever more difficult and dangerous for small states to wage war, even at the local level. Warfare became big business and the business of big players.

Up until the 14th century, the battlefield belonged to the medieval knight. The knight of 1300 was well armored. Plate mail was still in the future, but armor had developed to the point where most of a knight was covered in metal, and even his horse wore padded armor. The knight was adept at the use of the lance, the sword and the shield, and was every bit as effective on foot as he was on horseback.

What happened in the 14th century was that there emerged other forces on the field th

at could withstand the feudal cavalry charge and could even win battles. The most notable of these were the English Longbowmen and the Swiss Pikemen.

A Longbow was reasonably cheap to make and Edward III was able to require all able-bodied Englishmen to become proficient in its use. Archers alone were not enough to win the day, but they modified battlefield tactics, serving as mobile field artillery.

The old ways still became a natural way of life for the people for a long time. Castles continued to be built, and if it were on the edge on a high moat , even a traditional castle could rest securely out of range of most guns. But more and more castles had to be designed or re-designed with an eye of cautiousness for bombardment. This changed the status of knights. Even a relatively minor noble in the middle ages could retreat to his castle and be safe against all enemies. That refuge was less sure in the 15th century. Moreover, new castles were significantly more expensive to build, putting them out of reach of the lesser nobility. Nor could many nobles afford their own artillery--cannons tended to be owned only by the very powerful.

Some topics in this essay:
Warfare Gunpowder, Gunpowder Handguns, Renaissance Warfare, Longbows English, Pikemen Swiss, Swiss Pikemen, Edward III, English Swiss, field artillery, feudal cavalry, swiss pikemen, 15th century, field armies, wage war, cavalry charge, battlefield tactics, arrows minute, 14th century,