Hey y'all, thanks for what you do. So my fantasy novel culminates in an epic battle (typical, I know). I don't know a whole lot about military or historical fighting and I could use some help. I know what weapons are being used and also have rough estimates on the size of the armies, and I know who will win and why (it involves a dragon). I need basic military strategy advice better than…two hordes running at each other across a plain. Thank you!
First, consider the battleground. The field in which the battle takes place is extremely important, as the terrain can offer advantages and disadvantages to the conflicting armies, depending on their position.
If they are in an open field, chances are that both armies have very dumb commanders, one army is about to be ambushed, or whoever has more bowmen is about to laugh their way home.
Let’s talk about the last point: bowmen. Ranged combat ability was the absolute must-have for any army to stay in the game. You can’t stick your opponent with a sword if he’s already stuck you with an arrow, and the arrow definitely reaches much further than a sword. As seen in the Battle of Agincourt, the English fended off a much larger force, with an army comprised of 5/6ths longbowmen, 1/6th men at arms, knights, etc. The French, however, had many knights with a very small amount of ranged support, and they were the attackers.
Adding onto this, if we look at the terrain, we can tell from historical record that the field in which the French had to run through was recently ploughed, and therefore the soil was loose. The recent heavy rain did not help this, making the soil muddy, and difficult to traverse, especially in full plate armor. The archers were positioned nearly perpendicular to the smaller melee force, allowing them to fire upon the enemy even after their vanguard had been engaged in combat, something they would not be able to accomplish if they were hiding behind the knights and men at arms.
To add to the very smart placement of the archers, the English fortified their position with sharpened stakes, to prevent the French cavalry from attacking the archer’s position. This, coupled with the difficulty of riding through a forest, made the French cavalry attack an utter failure, and left the English longbowmen safe to defend from the main attack.
That’s only one battle, but it is surely the most famous. There are many different battles you can find and research online. Take some time to learn about the types of medieval battles that took place, and you’ll quickly understand how warfare looked like back then, along with how a seasoned commander thought.
Good luck.
- The Artificer.
