Continuing with our advent calendar theme of 2022, we decided to create a set of magazine covers in the likeness of GQ or Men’s Health that capture the medieval essence for men. If such a journal could have existed, what sort of articles would it have contained? Anything and everything to assist a knight or his squire about to set out on a military campaign, crusade or pilgrimage. So please enjoy the snippets below from the February issues of The Rusty Gauntlet.
It must also be mentioned that some articles in these blogs are written as they would have appeared directly in the ‘magazine’, whilst others, due to wanting to be as informative as possible, are written from the present-day point of view. Either way, please enjoy.
The Longbow Vs the Crossbow – which is best?
The longbow, often associated with the English, has a history that spans centuries. Its simplicity and reliance on human strength and skill have made it a symbol of tradition and prowess. Longbows are typically made from a single piece of wood and require considerable strength to draw. Archers who mastered the longbow were highly respected members of their fighting force.
One of the most famous examples of the longbow’s effectiveness is the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where English longbowmen decisively defeated the French army. The longbow’s range and rate of fire allowed skilled archers to rain arrows down upon their enemies from a distance, making it a formidable weapon in the hands of well-trained individuals.
In contrast, the crossbow is a marvel of medieval engineering. It’s a mechanically assisted ranged weapon that requires less strength to operate compared to the longbow. Crossbows employ a trigger mechanism to release the string, allowing for a more consistent and accurate shot. The crossbow’s ability to be aimed and fired with minimal training made it popular among infantry and even peasants.
Crossbows had their own share of historical glory. They were used in various conflicts, including the Hundred Years’ War and the Crusades. The weapon’s mechanical advantages made it deadly in the hands of both professional soldiers and amateur marksmen.
The debate as to which weapon is superior, the longbow or the crossbow, has persisted for centuries. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Longbows are known for their rapid rate of fire and their legendary accuracy in the hands of skilled archers. Crossbows, on the other hand, are praised for their ease of use and the ability for less-trained individuals to make accurate shots.
Ultimately, the choice between the longbow and the crossbow depended on the circumstances, the available resources, and the archer’s skills. The longbow required years of practice to master, while the crossbow could be wielded effectively by almost anyone with minimal training.
The following video magnificently showcases the two weapons, side by side.
Sieges – were they a successful military tactic?
Medieval battles were bloody affairs, that cost not only the lives of hundreds of men, but also a sizable amount of coin from the royal treasury. The weather, unknown terrain and lady luck played a major role in the success and utter failure of a battle. On the other hand, a well-planned siege was considered far more controlled attack and often resulted in the complete surrender of the town, castle or defensive structure with very little force used. But were they a successful military tactic?
How did you go about capturing a castle? To put it simply, you had three basic choices available to overcome castle walls: go over them, go under them, or go through them.
Trying to scale the walls was a difficult and dangerous task, one which required a large number of troops and generally resulted in a high casualty rate as your ladders were pushed back and the defenders rained down arrows, crossbow bolts and other dangerous or noxious substances, such as boiling water.
Alternatively, you might construct a siege tower, a moveable structure as high as the walls which enabled your men to attack the battlements directly without climbing. But these took a good while to construct, didn’t work if there was a moat, and were susceptible to fire. They also required engineers of great skill, as did mining, the only method of going under the walls.
Attempting to knock a breach in castle’s defences, so that your fighting men could pour through it to engage in hand-to-hand combat, was a simpler option. For this you might attack the wooden gate with a battering ram, or you might construct siege machinery to throw a barrage of stones at the walls. But, again, these methods involved either the sourcing of skilled engineers or a vast number of troops, of whom you were prepared to lose a significant proportion.
One major problem with taking a castle by storm – collapsing a tower by mining, or knocking a huge hole in the wall – was that it resulted in a damaged and indefensible stronghold. This wasn’t very helpful, because the general idea was that you wanted the castle so you could garrison it yourself. So, the best and most effective method was to starve the inhabitants out! The longest recorded siege took place at Kenilworth Castle in 1266. A group of around 1,200 rebels, who wanted to curb Henry III’s power, built up supplies and arms at Kenilworth Castle which had very strong defences. The siege began on 25 June and lasted 172 days (almost 6 months!) By the time the castle troops surrendered they only had enough food for two more days.
But of course, sieges didn’t always go to plan. On 13 January 1338, William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury laid siege to Dunbar Castle whilst Patrick Dunbar was away, leaving his wife Agnes and her servants to guard the fortress. Agnes was determined not to surrender and regularly mocked the English as they failed to gain entry. After several months of being cut off and with rations running low, Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie, along with 40 men, approached Dunbar castle by boat right under the noses of the English, bringing with them much needed supplies. After five months, Salisbury admitted defeat and lifted the siege on 10 June 1338. Salisbury’s failure cost the English crown nearly 6,000 English pounds and the English had gained nothing from it. Agnes Dunbar features in both The Gilded Crown and The Traitors Noose, Books 3 and 4 in the Lions and Lilies series.
You will find a comprehensive list of sieges on Wikipedia, which you can click through to discover just how many, or few, were actually considered to be successful campaigns. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sieges
Five extraordinarily wealthy women in the Late Medieval period
Contrary to popular belief, women in the medieval period could inherit and own property and amass large fortunes, which they controlled themselves. Wealthy widows also often managed to avoid remarrying and therefore, handing control of their finances to their new husbands. The following five women were extraordinary, not only because they became what we would now consider to be ‘super rich’, but they also left an indelible mark in the pages of history.
Elizabeth Burgh, 11th Lady of Clare
Elizabeth (16 September 1295 – 4 November 1360) heiress to the lordships of Clare in Suffolk and Usk in Wales, was the youngest daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and Joan of Acre. When Elizabeth’s only brother Gilbert, 7th Earl of Hertford was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 aged only 23 and leaving no surviving issue, his property, estimated to be worth £6,000 per year, was equally divided between his three full sisters, Elizabeth, Eleanor and Margaret. (For comparison, a labourer earned approximately £2 a year in 1360). This made Elizabeth one of the greatest heiresses in England. Married three times, with a child to each spouse, and widowed for the last time in 1345, Elizabeth spent her remaining years residing between her residences in Cambridgeshire, Greater Barfield in Essex, and in London where she had built a home in Aldgate. A clear picture of her lifestyle in the last 25 years of her life can be taken from the extensive survival of her household and other records as she provisioned food and drink for the household (numbering up to 100 people). At the time of her death she was considered one of the richest and most influential women of the fourteenth century.
Joan of Kent
Joan was born on 29 September in about 1326 and was the daughter of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent by his wife, Margaret Wake, 3rd Baroness Wake of Liddle. When the last of Joan’s siblings died in 1352, the lands and titles of her parents devolved upon her, and she became the 4th Countess of Kent and 5th Baroness Wake of Liddle, providing Joan with a substantial windfall of approximately £1,000 per year. Joan married three times and when her last husband, the Black Prince died in 1376 she became the dowager Princess of Wales and one of the most influential women in the court, with the future king, her eldest son Richard then aged only 10 years old.
At the time of he death, she was considered the most influential women in England.
Alice Perrers
The infamous Alice Perrers was an the royal mistress of Edward III and as a result of his patronage, by 1370 became the wealthiest and most influential woman in the country. She was widely despised and accused of taking advantage of the old king, who doted on her.
At the height of her power, Perrers possessed 56 manor, castle, and town houses in over 25 counties of England, only 15 of which were gifts from the king! Alice’s portfolio included Playford Hall in Suffolk and the Manor of Gaynes in Essex.
Her wealth was estimated to be more than £20,000 which is equivalent to approximately £10,000,000 today. By 1376, her enemies were catching up with her and Alice was stripped of many of the properties and jewels in her collection. She died around 1400.
Margaret Marshall, Duchess of Norfolk
Margaret Marshall or Margaret of Norfolk or Margaret of Brotherton, Duchess of Norfolk in her own right, born 1322, was the daughter and eventual sole heir of Thomas of Brotherton eldest son of King Edward I, by his second marriage. In 1338, she succeeded to the earldom of Norfolk and the office of Earl Marshall – the only woman to ever hold the title. In 1397, she was created Duchess of Norfolk for life.
Margaret inherited numerous properties at the time of her father’s death, including Framlingham Castle. The castle had been given to her father by her uncle, King Edward II before her birth and so it was her childhood home.
Upon the death of her second husband, Walter Mauny in 1372, Margaret dedicated herself of to the management of her vast estates. By now she had inherited her Brotherton Estates, Seagrave lands and a portion of Lord Mauny’s war profits (which were recorded as immense). It has been suggested that at the time of her death, aged 80, Margaret had amassed a fortune close to £40,000, equivalent to approximately £20,000,000 today.
Mary St Pol, Countess of Pembroke
Mary (born 1303) was the second wife of the wealthy Franco-English nobleman Aymer de valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Married at 17 (her husband was over fifty years old) she spent just three years with Aymer before his death.
Mary inherited property in Pembrokeshire as well as estates spread out across England primarily in a strip from Gloucestershire to East Anglia which included Braxted Park in Essex, and property in Wexford Ireland and Poitou and Calais in France.
A widower with no children, Mary set about using her wealth for religious and charitable ends, however the manner in which she did so was quite contentious. Mary was instrumental in the development of the Poor Clare nuns in Cambridgeshire, developing a gifted property into Denny Abbey as well as Pembroke College at Cambridge University.
Mary died in 1377 and her vast wealth reverted to the crown.
NOTE – Joan of Kent, Alice Perrers and Mary St Pol all figure prominently in the Lions and Lilies series
The Jester – Medieval Joke or Genius
In celebration of April Fools Day, I thought a revisit to Cathy T’s fabulous blog from 2014, was in order. I have included the link below, for your reading enjoyment.
Catherine A Wilson co-writes with Catherine T Wilson (no relation). Their first book, The Lily and the Lion, was based upon their true-life accidental meeting and resulting friendship. All four books in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series have won first place prizes in the Chatelaine/Chaucer Awards in the US and in 2019, The Traitor’s Noose won the Grand Prize Chaucer Award.
The Lily and the Lion – 1st Place Chanticleer Chatelaine Award – 2014
The Order of the Lily – 1st Place Chanticleer Chatelaine Award – 2015
The Gilded Crown – 1st Place Chanticleer Chaucer Award – 2016
The Traitor’s Noose – Grand Prize WINNER Chanticleer Chaucer Award – 2017
Lions and Lilies 