Knights vs. soldiers

Discussion of topics concerning life in the middle ages around the world, including architecture, history, and warfare.
User avatar
TwoTonic Knight
TwoTonic of Many Colors
Posts: 1815
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 11:33 pm
Location: The Lowest Pit of Megablocks

Post by TwoTonic Knight »

amadeus wrote:
HenrytheV wrote:Whasn't that also why Switzerland was never conquered, because of their pikmen and stuff? And no, I'm not looking for the word "pocketknife". :wink:
There is a rumor they were supplied by renegade templars, and this is theory be came widely popular.

Anyway, mysteriously, the peasents of th swiss farmlands were armed with modern weapons. And were able to successfully defend their borders, becasue they didn't use cavalry, at all (besides scouting). And when the Austrian Prince sent his finest cavalry soldeirs to take over the revolting swiss lands, they swiss peasent infanrty (outnumbered 3 to 1 by cavalry soldiers) prevailed and defended.

This is yet again, and example of the foot soldier prevailing over over whelming odds.
I don't think there was anything mysterious about the Swiss having voulges at Mortgarten. It was a national weapon that they trained with. It it had been suddenly dumped on them by Templars, they wouldn't have been trained in its use.

The Swiss were able to defend their borders because it was difficult terrain for the most part. Plug the passes up and they were 90% of the way there.

At Mortgarten, the Swiss were outnumbered by the Austrians by 3 to 1, but only one third of that force was mounted knights. Inasmuch as the austrian foot fled when the Swiss ambushed the column in a narrow pass by rolling stones and logs downhill, it was more of an even fight (if you want to call getting the drop on the opponent, from uphill, on ground specifically bad for cavalry, with their formations disrupted before there was even any contact, an "even fight").

It was all brilliantly done by the standards of the age. It was also one of a handful of battles where infantry prevailed.
Redwine the Ribald: Stare long enough into the abyss...
Two-Tonic Tippler: ...and you spit into it.

[img]http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/corsair/C ... ippler.jpg[/img]
User avatar
leshrac
Villein
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:19 am
Location: Michigan

Post by leshrac »

Personally I have bought only one KK2 set (castle of morcia), and was very dissapointed with it. The exclusion of foot soldiers from the current series is pretty lame brained. But we arn't exactly Lego's target demographic. I guess they figure if you put a bunch of bright colors together little kids will buy it. Personally, I'll just keep hording my Black Falcons until i die. :lol:
My dark age lasted 3 weeks back in 1996!
User avatar
kelderic
Knight Bannerett
Posts: 2583
Joined: Mon May 01, 2006 8:45 pm
Location: Indiana, USA
Contact:

Post by kelderic »

Going back to the original point, I agree with you. Lego sets are definately feeling the lack of nameless ordinary soldiers. I really don't think it has much to do with whether or not they ride horses though. You can have nameless cavelry soldiers, and most of the time, the Jellybeans aren't mounted. Lego's castle army has become topheavy, with to many leaders.

Kelderic
Battling with college to try and prevent the dark age.
User avatar
TheOrk
Master
Posts: 1755
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 12:39 am
Location: Canada

Post by TheOrk »

kelderic wrote:Going back to the original point, I agree with you. Lego sets are definately feeling the lack of nameless ordinary soldiers. I really don't think it has much to do with whether or not they ride horses though. You can have nameless cavelry soldiers, and most of the time, the Jellybeans aren't mounted. Lego's castle army has become topheavy, with to many leaders.

Kelderic
That's true but with a few parts swaps with enough of them and you'll end up with an army of exceptionally tough looking goons.

Also going back to the original point; a lone knight in plate armour was the battle tank of the middle ages. But the knights, being few in number, would start to lose their advantages against a trained force of soldiers, like say, the Roman Legions.

The knights were just the only true fighting force in the middle ages. Other ages were more reliant on large standing armies with better training and equipment then those of the middle ages.
Avatar by Graynar
User avatar
g2
Sir Postsalot
Posts: 1053
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 10:20 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia - Age 38
Contact:

Post by g2 »

Slobey wrote:... is the fact that lego needs more generic footsoldiers rather than just 4 characters
Now this is a statement that I fully agree with. Very nicely worded. But the little history lesson was good too. I really got into it, and there has been an increase in the admiration to the humble foot soldier (trained or un-trained).

Thank you all.
User avatar
Legendary_Corsair
Archer
Posts: 352
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:27 pm
Location: The Forbidden City of Komilthria
Contact:

Post by Legendary_Corsair »

[quote="ragnarok"]Exactly!
Please ecxuse me but translating certain terms may be confusing sometimes. I mean common infantry (spearmen, archers, swordsmen).
I must point out that TwoTonic is not exactly right about knights winning against any even number of non-knights as shows the battle of Lake Lagoda where the Russian Great Prince Alexander Nevsky defeated the Teutonic Knights (no offence :D ) and both armies were almost even in numbers. You can watch a show about it on Discovery Civilisation, it's quite accurate.[/quote]



When you say "TwoTonic" Do you mean Teutonic knights or something different because that could change a lot of things.Teutonic Knights were superior to other kinds of men...killing anyone in their path.
I am.......a....Future Legend
User avatar
Jojo
Master
Posts: 1685
Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2003 4:26 am
Location: Westfalen
Contact:

Post by Jojo »

Hello!

Legendary_Corsair wrote:Teutonic Knights were superior to other kinds of men...
What's that supposed to mean?


Bye
Jojo
 This is just the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.
Winston Churchill
User avatar
Legendary_Corsair
Archer
Posts: 352
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:27 pm
Location: The Forbidden City of Komilthria
Contact:

Post by Legendary_Corsair »

[quote="Jojo"]Hello!


[quote="Legendary_Corsair"]Teutonic Knights were superior to other kinds of men...[/quote]
What's that supposed to mean?


Bye
Jojo[/quote]



I just meant Teutonic Knights were a lot more trained and more skilled than just soldiers like spearmen and stuff like that.
I am.......a....Future Legend
User avatar
Lawkeeper
Peasant
Posts: 69
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:01 am
Location: Birchvale, south of Fort Mallard
Contact:

Post by Lawkeeper »

Luckily the new Castle sets include more common foot soldiers (both human and skeleton).
Any of you guys noticed they also use the horse-barding with the KK2-lion in the set with the skull tower? I really like that, because I'm building an order of Lion Knights :)
User avatar
DNL
Master Builder
Master Builder
Posts: 673
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:44 pm
Location: Norway
Contact:

Post by DNL »

i'm sorry to disappoint you, but that was only a prototype.
look at this picture:

http://www.lugnet.com/castle/sets_2007/7093.jpg

this is the final product. offtopic, sorry.

are you also from holland? do you know: www.lowlug.nl?
User avatar
Legendary_Corsair
Archer
Posts: 352
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:27 pm
Location: The Forbidden City of Komilthria
Contact:

Post by Legendary_Corsair »

Ooops...I didn't realize two tonic was somebody thats why I was confused what you guys where talking about Teutonic knights...My mistake...
I am.......a....Future Legend
Post Reply