Knights and 14th Century WarfareChivalry, The Law of War, Reality of War

Battle of Crecy

Knight

• Man-at arms• Rank• Sportsman at tournaments• Mercenary

Conduct of War

1066 King and trusted associates1347 King and barons– Knights– Other men-at-arms– Other military (archers)– Supply lines - money

Financing the Government - 1331

Feudal levies (Crown estates, sheriffs) £21,000Incidents of Government (fines) 14,700Taxes (Customs, Church lands) 25,800Credit 11,100Borrowed 15%

Financing the Government - 1337

Feudal levies (Crown estates, sheriffs) £10,600Incidents of Government (loans against future revenues, fines) 32,200Taxes (Parliamentary grants of wool,Customs, Church lands) 117,600Credit 98,480Borrowed 38%

Consequences

1215 Dependence of the King on the barons– Magna Carta

1337 Dependence of the King on Parliament– Rising influence of merchants

Army 1337 Campaign

Prince of Wales13 Bishops and Earls

78 Barons and Bannerets1066 Knights4182 other Men-At-Arms>20,000 archers

Specialists: tent makers, smiths, carpenters, miners, artillarii, gunnatores

IndentureSir Ralph, Baron Stafford & Sir Hugh fitz Simon, banneret

• Four knights and eight esquires, for one year at customary wages

• Upfront fee, horses and supplies

• Sir Ralph to get ½ the profits from prisoners

The KnightA knight there was, and he a worthy man,Who, from the moment that he first beganTo ride about the world, loved chivalry,Truth, honour, freedom and all courtesy.

Chivalry

Dr. Jennifer Paxton

Court of ChivalryScrope v. Grosvenor

• 1385 Richard II in Scotland• Two knights – same arms– Grosvenor - his family had these arms since

arriving with William the Conqueror– Chaucer testimony

• Decisions– 1389 Grosvenor could add silver border– 1390 Richard II overrules– Carminows of Cornwall allowed same arms

Just WarLaw of Arms

Just War Theory & Chivalry

• Augustine• Gratian Decretal (1140)• Aquinas• John of Legnano (1360) Tractatus de bello;

Honoré Bouvet (Bonet) (1387) L'Arbre des Batailles(The Tree of Battles); Christine de Pizan (1410) Le livre des fais d'armes et de chevalerie

Aquinas on Just War

I. Undertaken by an authority to secure common good

II. A just cause; War must right a wrongIII. Rightful intention. The suffering thought

likely to be caused by the war is less than the suffering caused by leaving the evil you are trying to correct

General Arguments

• Crusades are just– Sanctioned by authority– Right an evil against God (heresy)– Recover land belonging to Christians

Chaucer Tale of Melibee If I venge me not of the villainy that men have done to me

I advertise and warn them that have done to me that villainy, and all others to do me another villainy.Melibeus

But yet it does not follow that every person to whom men have done villainy take vengeance for that belongs only to the judges.

Dame Prudence

Rules of war

"Item, qe nul soit si hardy de crier havok sur peine davoir la test coupe.” Ordinances of Richard IIReality of WarAssume the port of Mars; and at his heels,Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fireCrouch for employment. Henry V

[Antony]And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war. Julius Caesar

Law of Arms

• Developed during the Hundred years War• Soldier becomes an agent of the government

and not a private entrepreneur

Law of Arms

I. Civil claims for ransom, spoils or restitution of property taken contrary to the law of arms - mixture of private and public international law

II. Enforcement of military discipline III. Matters of honor - code of chivalryIV. Conduct of soldiers in the war. Included what

today we would call war crimes

Ransom Cases

• Denial by the defendant (the released prisoner) that he had been captured in a "just war.“

• Capture in time of truce or when bearing a safe-conduct

• Captor – prisoner relationship

Tournaments

• Tourneyers fought without intent to kill and deaths were a matter of regret.

• •Captured knights were not to be held prisoner but were released upon their promise to arrange ransom.

• •The tournament area contained “recets” within which knights could honorably retire to rest and rearm.

Evolution

• Individual and melees involving ~30-40 knightsHastilude (“spear play”) a collective name for mounted martial combat between knights (or squires) that began with lances;Behourd informal event a’ plaisance with no ransoms taken, but prizes often givenRound table involved role playing

14th Century

• 1342 the last melee tournament in England • Highly expensive pageantry of nobles and

their retinues – Heraldry

• Specialized weapons, armor and horses;

Tournament Siege of the Castle of Love

Chaucer’s Knight

Full worthy was he in his liege-lord's war,And therein had he ridden (none more far)As well in Christendom as heathenesse,And honoured everywhere for worthiness.

Chaucer’s Knight

This ilke worthy knyght hadde been alsoSomtyme with the lord of PalatyeAgayn another hethen in Turkye.And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys;And though that he were worthy, he was wys,

Liege-Lords and Battle

• Alfonso XI of Castile v. Moors or King of Granada– 1343 Algeciras

• Peter of Cyprus v. Turks– 1361 Adelia, Turkey; 1365 Alexandria; 1367 Lyeys

• With Teutonic Knights