Research and Discussion Forums

Also, am I correct in my assumption that when George Silver rated Sidesword above Rapier and Sidesword-and-Buckler above Sidesword-and-Dagger that he rated them like that with the battlefield in mind rather than civilian duels? No. Silver's hierarchy of weapons applies to single combat in the open....

The pike occupied a place of respect for the European nobility by the sixteenth century if not earlier. Di Grassi makes this clear for his period. Chevalier Bayard fought with a pike in 1503. James VI of Scotland died with pike in hand at Flodden Field in 1513. Aristocrats might have hated low-class...

I find the notion of specialization problematic. Perhaps it works for us in this era, but various period masters - di Grassi, Silver, and Musashi at least - insisted upon general martial skill as the mark of prowess. If the kind of specialization Clements means leads to that result, okay, but rememb...

Di Grassi also wrote the following: Neither happelie is it thought ſhoulier or gentlemanlike, not to know how to ſtrike or defend, but onely with wepons framed to that end: for which cauſe, it may wel be ſaid, that the ſoldier differeth from other men, not becauſe he is...

I recall seeing one source on the seventeenth century - I believe from the Thirty Years War - that emphasized the wretchedness of pikemen. The author wrote that they never killed anyone who did not foolishly run against their spears and shooting a pikeman was akin to murdering a noncombatant. By thi...

I appreciate this project, John. Your list shows considerably more knowledge of historical combat than almost any published roleplaying system. It reminds me of my own fantasy worldbuilding. I conceive of magicians standing in for artillery rather than muskets, but it's a similar idea. I have a few ...

Voiding and counterattacking form a central part of George Silver's system, at least as interpreted by Stephen Hand. I've often used the technique in sparring to good effect.

At 25 to 50 yards, aimed shots from a longbow with a 55 pound draw weight would easily penatrate most plate and mail armor I find this exceedingly unlikely. The best tests to date suggest you need 120 J to inflict a serious wound through mail and padding. A 55lb English-style warbow would produce o...

I think the gun's superior penetration served as the primary reason for its adoption over the bow. Period sources emphasize the gun's raw power and ability to ignore defenses. The bow's awkwardness when shooting from fortifications forms the second factor. When defending a position or conducting an ...

Like so many things, the prevalence of swords depends on the period. By the fifteen century if not earlier, swords do indeed become standard gear for any warrior. Things were different in the tenth century. Then that economic factors discussed here might have applied.

Late sixteenth-century military writer Sir John Smythe expected pikemen to fight with sword and dagger in the press. He specifically instructed using the dagger to stab up under the tassets (or anywhere else a disarmed spot could be conveniently reached). Various Renaissance armies occasionally used...

Writing at the end of the sixteenth century, Sir John Smythe gave detailed instruction for how he thought pike combat should go. He detested turning mass battle into fencing contests, instead advocating a single thrust in unison follow by close combat with swords and daggers if necessary. But in thi...

Terry, I'm a little amazed by those sword wounds from George Silver's time. I've read 14th-century coroner's rolls. Relatively few sword wounds appear there, and I don't believe any matched the severity. I guess many men in late 16th century and early 17th century believed in powerful strokes to the...

After all, there had to be a reason why late 15th and early 16th-century French gendarmes were braver than most other cavalry when it came to attacking both opposing cavalry and pike-based infantry formation, and their effective armor for both man and horse was almost certainly part of the reason. ...

I don't think that video of soccer hooligans bears much resemblance to how men fought in formation. At least in some cases, they stayed extremely close together. Bernal Diaz repeatedly mentioned how he and the other Spanish swordsmen fought standing shoulder to shoulder. They didn't break order for ...