Medaeval War Tactics

[Incongruous]

The English were noted of coarse for their use of infantry tactics and skill as such.

I think I am correct in saying that the former Frankish Empire was the area where infantry quality declined rapidly due to it being the heartland of proto-feudal ideals and millitary tactics. Cavalry being the dominant force in these areas well into the 14th century.

The Arab armies also made use of well armed cavalry during this period dind't they? Heavily armed and aroured? In the Western Islamic area's large amounts of well armed archers were common were they not?

The Irish and other Celto-Nordic cultures were also master infantrymen, but also used light cavalry, didn't they? Highly organised war fleets were a feature of Norse kingdoms of britain, at least imediatley after they invaded.

[Hound of Ulster]

The Irish chieftains prefered Kerns (tribal warriors armed with javelins) and Gallowglass (heavy infantry). They also used lots of cavalry.

[Randal]

In the 11th century, the Low Countries were not much urbanised yet, and their armies were as feudal as everybody else's. There were some cities already, but they are rarely said to have played any significant part in the wars of that time... it's all dukes and counts leading their knights.

Later on, the cities of Flanders are very significant and everybody knows the battle of the Golden Spurs. But even that was only a small part of the low countries... most of it remained poor and rural until the early modern age.

So, I doubt there was much good quality urban militia to be found in the low countries in the 11th century.

[Watchman]

Wasn't fair a bit of the Norman heavy infantry at Hastings Flemish mercenaries ?

[Fisherking]

Yes Flemish and Bretons made up a sizable portion of Billy’s Boys. Robert the Bruce was of Flemish ancestry too.

The Cities were not so small and unimportant as you may think, but were more independent and not as interested in war as trade. Lords may have wanted to control everything but some things were just too much to handle. The HRE didn’t exactly have much say in Italy which was supposed to be in their domain. There were City leagues that kept them out.

Burgess and the others were important markets and with out them it was tough to get rid of your goods and exchange them for something else you might need so it was wise of the nobility to leave well enough alone.

[Incongruous]

Indeed, but during the early period of the 11th century outside of Italy there were no great leagues of towns were there? I know that such leagues in germany by the 13th cen. were increadibly powerful, but I have not heard of anything as such before then.

[Watchman]

Yeah well, the feudal lords weren't all that big shots either back then (already given their sheer numbers and fractitiousness). And just about the first thing burghers tended to do if and when they got off the feudal yoke was building as strong a wall around their town as they could afford, and setting up a militia to keep it safe. The latter would have been fairly easy actually, as urban centres in the feudal system were due troops as much as anyone...

Given that the Low Countries region sits at the mouth of around the biggest navigable rivers in Western Europe, and is generally well-placed for trade, one suspects the local burghers could build some fairly hefty walls indeed...

Anyway, that they had enough quality infantry that they could export it as mercenaries suggests a fair bit about the region too.