The recapture of Caernarvon, 1214
With Portuguese held Caernarvon about to succumb to starvation and surrender, Captain Jorge attempted to relieve it with his four regiments of jinettes and two batteries of ballista.
Although technically on the defensive, English General Edward Curtice knew that he had to strike aggressively to prevent the Portuguese relief and garrison forces retiring to Caernarvon with fresh supplies. He ordered his longbowmen to target the jinettes, pushing forward his heavy infantry to provide a protective screen for his archers.
The jinettes were elusive enemies and General Curtice realised too late that a regiment of his armoured swordsmen had advanced too far from his line. In less than a minute, the jinettes had concentrated their fire on the unfortunate swordsmen. Curtice hurriedly pulled them back, but they had already suffered more than 50% casualties.
Gradually, however, the English longbows prevailed over the Portuguese javelins.
As the Portuguese jinettes weakened, the Curtice committed the cavalry of his right flank to see them off.
Just as the action against the relief army was concluding, Prince Rui and the Caernarvon garrison came into contact with the English line. The Portuguese army included four regiments of mercenary crossbows. Curtice still had the cavalry on his left available, so he ordered them to charge the crossbowmen screening Prnce Rui’s advance. Three regiments of English cavalry approached in column, but the attack was a failure. Only the first regiment could perform a charge - it obstructed those in behind it. Worse still, the crossbowmen held it long enough that it became tied up with the one regiment of Portuguese spearmen in Prince Rui’s army.
There was symmetry to the battle, as on the right of the English line, Prince Rui himself led a charge into the massed ranks of English longbowmen - their protective screen of infantry had become detached during the skirmishes with the jinettes.
Order was gradually restored to the English line as their heavy infantry - hitherto dealing with the jinettes - came puffing up to support the archers and cavalry facing Prince Rui’s garrison.
On the right of the English line, spear militia surrounded Prince Rui as the longbowmen belatedly extracted themselves from the melee. The English trebuchets - which had kept up an impressive but largely ineffectual fiery barrage throughout the battle - finally made a significant contribution, as a lucky shot caught the unfortunate Prince Rui.
With the jinettes having been routed off the field, the full might of the English army could converge on the Portuguese foot, left leaderless thanks to the trebuchets. The Portuguese army dissolved, although the English were left to lick their wounds.
After the battle, General Curtice gathered information about the casualties inflicted on the Portuguese by the various arms under his command. The three trebuchets were found to have accounted for only fifteen Portuguese dead, although that did include the unfortunate Prince Rui. The many knights accounted for only 83 dead while the arrows were found to have killed 184. The largest contribution, however, was made by the melee infantry, who claimed 223 dead.
Re: A Lion in the Holy Land - an English campaign AAR
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