With the usage of heavy metallic body armor and the deadliest weapons, the army was an essential part of
medieval times. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, artillery comprised two main sorts of soldiers in service, known as men-at-arms and archers. The armies in ancient times consolidated chaps of different social standards ranging from royal dukes to landowners. The soldiers from the elite of Medieval England were prepared to be a part of the army from adolescence. These troops were familiar with the usage of swords and other weapons from an early age.
On the other hand, the archers were associated with lower social status (they usually served the superior and noble households as servants). These people were hired as laborers, sharpshooters, bricklayers, builders, craftsmen, and carters.
Peers, Knights, and Men-at-arms
Body armor and wages were provided to the soldiers based on their social class. Peers, knights, and men-at-arms were hired at different rates of pay based on their rank. Soldiers who belonged to the nobility were paid huge amounts for armed service. The Knights also sustained solid charges of payment, with high-ranking aristocrats, identified as knights bannerette. Mediocre men-at-arms were given half of the amount as compared to knights.
The men-at-arms are usually represented as the "knights in shining armor" in numerous historical Hollywood movies and Screenplays. However, the truth is that most of them were not knights, and their body armor consists of complete or partial plate armor, with
chainmail at exposed body parts such as the armpit and groin.
These troops were provided with the “hand and a half” or bastard sword, double-edged. This blade was the most common type of knightly sword of the medieval era. The blade of this weapon was constructed precisely to provide a diamond-like shape narrowing to a point. The deadliest weapon was used for stabbing at gaps in the
armor and weak points.
The Bow on the Battlefield
Bowmen were considered a very important asset on the battlefield to strike their enemies. The British system was dependent on a combination of bowmen and hefty infantry, such as men-at-arms. Bowmen were best used in protective tactics as it was not easy to deploy them. These brave individuals were best at taking a defensive position and releasing arrows into the crowds of knights and men-at-arms.
The body armor of bowmen mostly included an amalgamation of the sallet, mail hood, aketon, habergeon, full plate body armor, plackart, couters, poleyns, arm-harness, gauntlets, sabatons, and leg-harness. These troops are evident to sometimes wear a red blazer with the frazzled staff in white.
In Later Years
In 1415, gunpowder got popular but England was limited with expertise and was recruiting large numbers of gunners from overseas. These people were accountable for the making, managing, and repairing of the guns, as well as formulating gunpowder using parts of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), sulfur, and charcoal. These workers were provided with partial body armor to stay protected while handling
weapons. However, the protective gear was not strong enough to prevent the strikes and blows of a bullet.
