Archive for January, 2007

War

Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

War interests me because of its different battle formations, tactics, weapons, types of troop divisions. It would be interesting to discuss these topics. War started in the very beginning era of man. Individual tribes wanted land and resources, and the way to get them seemed to be by hurting someone else. The concept of pooling resources and knowledge arrived on the scene later. In the meantime, war became very popular (so to speak) between feuding tribes. Perhaps there were less reasons for making war as man and societies evolved, but by the Medievil era war had become just another accepted part of life. Man started making more advanced weapons, and also started to plan more tactically in their military manouvres. There are many similarities between war during the Medievil era and this century’s World Wars I and II. Medieval weapons for close combat such as the mace, club (spiked or not), sword and other arms were still in use during the 20th century world wars when attacking enemy trench lines. By using these weapons men savagely killed each other face to face.

During the world wars newer technologies were discovered, like the tank and airplane. Newer technologies make it possible for weapons to be used without getting close to the enemy. In the most modern warfare all that remains in common with Medievil wars is the killing other living things. The element of knowing your enemy has been removed from the combat equation. Although knowing your enemy still helps commanders in their decisions, because you know when they will want to fight, what they know, etc.. During WW2 a Nazi commander was in control of Paris, and he knew the Allies would be coming to take the city, he thought Paris was so beautiful that he surrendered without a fight, to preserve the city

Monty Python spoof

Friday, January 26th, 2007

I’m French, you silly King [Arthur]! Why do you think I’ve got this outrageous accent? 3 minute spoof
movie
, good for at least a minute and a half of smiles.

Gunpowder Blew Away the Medieval Era

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

During the Medieval Era, kings, queens, barons, knights and the Pope ruled over Europe. Most people that owned land derived from noble birth and were extremely wealthy. Many kings had castles strategically positioned in different areas of their kingdom to show their authority and help them with ruling over the land and inhabitants. All nobles loved to wage war, and for similar reasons: as sport, diversion, for glory and to add the spoils of victory to their personal fortunes. War was also the Medieval nobility’s expansion apparatus, a means of increasing their lands and income from taxation of tenants acquired by soundly beating the opponent. Besides fighting, nobles enjoyed recreation – playing chess, hunting, feasting, training in the military arts, mock battle tournaments, and planning military strategy and actions.

The base of a castle was always strong. It had a solid foundation underneath. When a king dined, his wife always sat beside him. Castles housed several structures within their inner walls: the chapel (or church), the king’s personal chapel, the stable, courtyard, smithy [blacksmith forge], dining hall. All castles had cellars for keeping perishable foods cool and preserving wines, and some also had underground dungeons, or lonely rooms high in turret towers, for imprisoning enemies of the king. Entire communities flourished within the area inside and adjacent to a castle, and when the castle fell under siege, all of the residents would be housed within the castle’s walls for protection and to help prevent its walls from being overrun.

Outer walls were a strong defense for warding off attack. Moats encircled most castles and provided access to friendly visitors by means of a drawbridge. When a castle fell under siege, its strong stone walls kept the inhabitants safe. Catapults, trebuchets, ballistas, siege rams and siege towers were the war machines of that era. They were effective against the structures and arms of that period but fell into disuse after the creation of gunpowder. Gunpowder created a whole new era of warfare. Along with its creation came cannons and guns. Cannons blew through thick castle walls like a stampede of oxen through a wooden building.

With cannon smashing through their walls, castles were not the safe havens they had formerly been. They were abandoned by community residents and eventually by their noble owners as well. The reason being that scociety became less hostile, so there was no more need for massive protective area. They became replaced by less costly wooden forts. With the smashing end of castles came the crashing end of the Medieval Era.