There were three main types of soldier in the Middle Ages:
• Foot soldiers made up the largest part of any medieval army. They fought with swords, daggers and spears and had shields and leather padded jackets for protection. They were peasants, who returned to the fi elds when the battle or war was over.
In this
topic, you will learn about:
The different types of medieval soldier
The training and life of a medieval knight
• Archers fought with a bow and arrow, or sometimes a longbow or crossbow. They wore little protective clothing.
• Knights were minor nobles who fought on horseback and swore an oath of chivalry. They wore full body armour (plate armour), chainmail, a shield and a helmet for protection and used lances, swords and maces in battle. There were only a few hundred knights in a medieval army.
COLLABORATE:
Imagine you have a medieval army made up of 5,000 foot soldiers, 500 archers and 50 knights. In small groups, discuss how you would arrange them in battle to give you the best chance of victory against an army of the same size.
