How common was cavalry in medieval Brittany?
score:3
Although detailed information about that period is pretty sketchy, it's clear the Breton armies contained thousands of heavy cavalry. Here's a short survey of battles explicitly mentioning Breton cavalry during that period.
Fought between 1341 and 1364 between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Duchy of Brittany. There is a clear account of thousands of French cavalry at the Battle of Morlaix (Sept 1342).
[Contemporary English chronicler] Adam de Murimuth puts the total French numbers at 3000 cavalry, 1500 Janissaries by which he may mean Genoese and a mixed force of Breton infantry.
This war saw the climax and fall of heavy cavalry with longbows, firearms and horse-mobile light infantry (they ride horses but dismount to fight) finally gaining the measure of heavy cavalry. The cavalry of Brittany featured in several battles.
At the Battle of Formigny, Breton cavalry showed up to assault the British flank and force a disastrous British withdrawal.
At this time the Breton army under Arthur de Richemont arrived from the south, having crossed the Aure and now approaching the English force from the flank. They numbered almost 1,200 Bretons – almost all mounted judging from the pace of their march.
And again at the Battle of Castillon, Breton cavalry dealt the death blow.
Despite the odds against the English, the battle lasted over an hour until a thousand-strong Breton cavalry led by Peter II, the Duke of Brittany crashed into their right flank, sending them into retreat.
Upvote:1
To add to Schwern's answer, and to answer Pieter's remark that europe had no native light cavalry; After the Bretons came to Armorica from Cornwall, they brought with them a tradition of light skirmisher cavalry dating back to the Celts.
At the Battle of Balon in 845 about 1000 Breton cavalry defeated as much as 3000 Frankish infantry. The Frankish forces had been ill prepared, so 5 years later Charles the Bald sent a new army, with Saxon light infantry to deal with the Breton Cavalry. The same number of Bretons faced between 4000 and 6000 Franks. Instead of coming to grasps with the Franks they harassed them for to days with javelins. On the second night Charles fled, leaving his army with no choice but to do the same in the morning.
These cavalrymen would have been equipped with black-painted shields, swords, javelins and sometimes armour. We know of one occasion where a Breton warlord took an extra wagon with a 1000 throwing spears with him, which might explain how they had enough ammunition to keep harassing for two days.
Sources
De Bello Gallico
Cassard, J., Les Bretons de Nominoë
More post
- 📝 Pre civil-war, did the north ever make any attempts to stop the underground railroad?
- 📝 Who was the last leader of a country to call himself a dictator, or the last regime that called itself a dictatorship?
- 📝 Was there other research focusing on the medical uses of ether in the 18th Century?
- 📝 Why would some nations want to force Japan to end their isolation?
- 📝 What regiment is this (~1826-1861) French cuirass cavalry uniform?
- 📝 Who was Woodburn Heron?
- 📝 Were there any long-term benefits from sending Lenin back to Russia
- 📝 Have any large scale cultural or ideological shifts ever been successfully reversed by those who opposed it?
- 📝 Challenges Margaret Thatcher faced as a woman?
- 📝 Refugee crises before 20th century
- 📝 What happened to Gordian III in the Battle of Misiche?
- 📝 Chemical Evidence for Ancient Trans-Atlantic Trade
- 📝 How tall were the Jerusalem temples?
- 📝 During Iranian Hostage Crisis, were shredded documents reassembled by children?
- 📝 Is this cairn/mound-like structure in Germany real or imagined?
- 📝 Were "The People's Will" referred to as "terrorist" by their contemporaries?
- 📝 How did ancient mystery religions impact Christianity?
- 📝 Why did Henry I imprison his older brother and rival Robert for almost 30 years instead of having him killed?
- 📝 Did French ever have any special status in Austria?
- 📝 Have American gangsters ever helped their government in war time out of patriotism?
- 📝 What are the symbols on the Tomb of the Priestess of Isis along Via Appia
- 📝 Could Romania have remained neutral in WWII?
- 📝 Has any foreign embassy ever been entered without permission?
- 📝 Is there convincing evidence that the language of Bulgars (proto-Bulgarians) was not Turkic, but Indo-European?
- 📝 Why did Peter the Great name Saint Petersburg, Russia with a foreign styled name?
- 📝 Why would a 16th century Italian painter choose canvas over wood panel?
- 📝 Which European nation had the most kings in the 18th century?
- 📝 Were there religious wars between two sects in Hinduism?
- 📝 How did the Falasha make contact with Jews outside Ethiopia?
- 📝 Which Union General identified the defensive value of Cemetery Hill?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How common was cavalry in medieval Brittany?
- 📝 How literate were common people in Medieval Europe?
- 📝 How common were marital duels in medieval Europe?
- 📝 How did medieval manors handle population growth? Was there room for more fields to be ploughed?
- 📝 Was frequent bathing for personal hygiene in medieval Europe common or not?
- 📝 How common was smoking in first half of the 20th century?
- 📝 How common was marriage between nobles and peasants in the Middle Ages?
- 📝 How common was banditry in 16th & 17th century Great Britain and Ireland?
- 📝 How common was it for people to live 80+ years in the 17th century?
- 📝 How common was it for un-documented ships to bring settlers to the American colonies 1700-1750
- 📝 How was the current month and day disseminated to the townspeople of Medieval Europe?
- 📝 How common was decimation in the Roman army?
- 📝 How widespread was the consumption of rabbit meat by the poor in Medieval and Early-Modern Britain?
- 📝 How common was it for Americans to visit Europe in the late 19th century?
- 📝 How common was drug abuse and related deaths in the USA during the conservative 1950s?
- 📝 How and why buttermilk was added to English medieval butter?
- 📝 How common was the German desire for revenge for the humiliation of 1918 armistice?
- 📝 How common was gun ownership by Londoners in the early 20th century?
- 📝 Was throwing hammers as weapons common during European medieval combat?
- 📝 How common was it for USAAF aircrews to swap airplanes?
- 📝 In Montgomery, Alabama, how common was it to be arrested for sitting in the incorrect section of the bus?
- 📝 How widespread was literacy in classical Greek in Europe during the medieval period?
- 📝 How common was capturing a post-sail warship?
- 📝 How common was it for Red Cross personnel to fight (in both World Wars)?
- 📝 How thick was Late Medieval horse armor?
- 📝 How common / uncommon was sword-vs-sword combat on ancient battlegrounds?
- 📝 How common among Abolitionists was the goal of complete civil equality for Blacks?
- 📝 How was reconnaissance performed in medieval warfare?
- 📝 How common was cannibalism in Christian Europe until the 17th century?
- 📝 How common was travelling before the invention of the steam engine?