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Rouncey
During the Middle Ages the term "rouncey" (also spelt rouncy or rounsey) referred to an ordinary, all-purpose horse. Rounceys were used for riding, but could also be trained for war. It was not unknown for them to be used as pack horses. The horse, which was also referred to as , is believed to have been a harrowing animal on account of its proportions as found in demesne stock-listings before it became an exclusively riding animal. Use in warfare While the destrier is the most well-known warhorse of the Medieval era, it was the least common, and coursers were often preferred for battle. Both were expensive, highly trained horses prized by knights and nobles, while a poorer knight, squire or man-at-arms would use a rouncey for fighting. A wealthy knight would provide rounceys for his retinue. Oakeshott, Ewart. ''A Knight and his Horse'', Rev. 2nd Ed. USA:Dufour Editions, 1998 Gravett, Christopher. ''English Medieval Knight 1300-1400'', Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002, p 59 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horses In The Middle Ages
Horses in the Middle Ages differed in size, build and breed from the modern horse, and were, on average, smaller. They were also more central to society than their modern counterparts, being essential for Medieval warfare, war, agriculture, and History of road transport, transport. Consequently, specific types of horse developed, many of which have no modern equivalent. While an understanding of modern List of horse breeds, horse breeds and equestrianism is vital for any analysis of the medieval horse, researchers also need to consider documentary (both written and pictorial) and Archaeology, archaeological evidence. Horses in the Middle Ages were rarely differentiated by breed, but rather by use. This led them to be described, for example, as "courser (horse), chargers" (war horses), "palfreys" (riding horses), Draft horse, cart horses or packhorses. Reference is also given to their place of origin, such as "Spanish horses," but whether this referred to one breed or several is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horses In Warfare
The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equidae, equine War wagon, pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved horse harness, harness and chariot designs made chariot warfare common throughout the Ancient Near East, and the earliest written training manual for war horses was a guide for training chariot horses written about 1350 BC. As formal cavalry tactics replaced the chariot, so did new training methods, and by 360 BC, the Greek cavalry officer Xenophon had written an extensive treatise on horsemanship. The effectiveness of horses in battle was also revolutionized by improvements in technology, such as the invention of the saddle, the stirrup, and the horse collar. Many different types and sizes of horses were used in war, depending on the form of warfare. The type used varied with whether the horse was being ridden or driven, and whether the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Destrier
Mounted on a destrier, Richard Marshal unseats an opponent during a skirmish. The destrier is the best-known war horse of the Middle Ages. It carried knights in battles, tournaments, and jousts. It was described by contemporary sources as the ''Great Horse'', due to its significance. While highly prized by knights and men-at-arms, the destrier was not very common. Most knights and mounted men-at-arms rode other war horses, such as coursers and rounceys. The destrier is the ancestor of present breeds of baroque horses such as the Baroque pinto. Etymology The word is first attested in Middle English around 1330, as ''destrer''. It was borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-Norman ''destrer'', whose Old French counterpart was ''destrier'' (from which the Modern English spelling derives). The word is also found in medieval Provençal language, Provençal (as ''destrier'') and Italian (as ''destriere'', ''destriero''). These forms themselves derived from the Vulgar Latin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Courser (horse)
{{Short description, Type of warhorse A courser is a swift and strong horse, frequently used during the Middle Ages as a warhorse. It was ridden by knights and men-at-arms. Etymology Coursers are commonly believed to be named for their running gait, Oakeshott, Ewart. ''A Knight and his Horse'', Rev. 2nd Ed. USA:Dufour Editions, 1998 (from Old French ''cours'', 'to run'''Oxford English Dictionary'', 10th Ed, 1999). However, the word possibly derived from the Italian ''corsiero'', meaning 'battle horse'. Hyland, Ann. ''The Warhorse 1250-1600'', UK: Sutton Publishing, 1998 Coursers in warfare Coursers, occurring more commonly than destriers, Prestwich, Michael. ''Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience'', New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996, were used in battle, as they were light, fast and strong. They were valuable horses, but less expensive than the highly prized destriers. Gravett, Christopher. ''English Medieval Knight 1300-1400'', Oxford: Osprey Publi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ewart Oakeshott
Ronald Ewart Oakeshott (25 May 1916 – 30 September 2002) was a British illustrator, collector, and amateur historian who wrote prodigiously on medieval arms and armour. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a Founder Member of the Arms and Armour Society, and the Founder of the Oakeshott Institute. He created a classification system of the medieval sword, the Oakeshott typology, a systematic organization of medieval weaponry. Biography Ronald Ewart Oakeshott was born in 1916. His uncle Jeffery Farnol wrote romance novels and swashbucklers and also had a collection of antique swords, through which the young Oakeshott became interested in swords. After leaving Dulwich College, Oakeshott studied at the Central School of Art in London. He worked at Carlton Studios and at A.E. Johnson Ltd as a commercial artist, while still being interested in collecting arms and armour. During the 1930s and 1940s, antique swords could still be acquired relatively cheaply and Oakeshot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warfare Of The Middle Ages
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organized groups. It is generally characterized by widespread violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces. ''Warfare'' refers to the common activities and characteristics of types of war, or of wars in general. Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets, and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant suffering and casualties. Etymology The English word ''war'' derives from the 11th-century Old English words and , from Old French ( as in modern French), in turn from the Frankish , ultimately deriving from the Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic . The word is related to the Old Saxon , Old High German , and the modern German , meaning . Histor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palfrey
A palfrey is a type of horse that was highly valued as a Horses in the Middle Ages, riding horse in the Middle Ages. It was a lighter-weight horse, usually a smooth horse gait, gaited one that could ambling, amble, suitable for riding over long distances. Palfreys were not a specific breed as horse breeds are understood today. Etymology The word "palfrey" is cognate with of any type); both words descend from , itself deriving from Gaulish . Meanwhile, the German term for a palfrey is (), cognate with Icelandic (language), Icelandic . Breeding A palfrey usually was the most expensive and highly bred type of riding horse during the Middle Ages, sometimes equalling the knight's destrier in price. Consequently, it was popular with nobles, ladies, and highly ranked knights for riding, medieval hunting, hunting, and ceremonial use.Ewart Oakeshott, Oakeshott, Ewart. ''A Knight and his Horse'', Rev. 2nd Ed. USA:Dufour Editions, 1998. Knights would ride palfreys to battle so th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Prestwich
Michael Charles Prestwich OBE (born 30 January 1943) is an English historian and academic, specialising on the history of medieval England, in particular the reign of Edward I. He is retired, having been Professor of Medieval History at Durham University and head of the Department of History until 2007. Early life and education Prestwich is the son of two Oxford historians, John Prestwich and Menna Prestwich.Given-Wilson, C., Kettle, A. and Scales, L. (eds.) (2008) 'Introduction', in War, Government and Aristocracy in the British Isles, c.1150–1500: Essays in Honour of Michael Prestwich. Boydell & Brewer, pp. ix–xvi. His father, "the redoubtable mediaevalist ... who knew so much and published so little", had worked at Bletchley Park during the war, working among other things on the breaking of U-boat codes. He was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford, and then at Charterhouse School. He studied history at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with a first class honours ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingdom Of England
The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, which would later become the United Kingdom. The Kingdom of England was among the most powerful states in Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern period, early modern periods. Beginning in the year 886 Alfred the Great reoccupied London from the Danish Vikings and after this event he declared himself King of the Anglo-Saxons, until his death in 899. During the course of the early tenth century, the various Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were united by Alfred's descendants Edward the Elder (reigned 899–924) and Æthelstan (reigned 924–939) to form the Kingdom of the English. In 927, Æthelstan conquered the last remaining Viking kingdom, Scandinavian York, York, making him the first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Gravett
Christopher Gravett is an assistant curator of armour at the Tower Armouries specialising in the arms and armour of the medieval world. Gravett has written a number of books and acts as an advisor for film and television projects. Selected works * (1985) ''German Medieval Armies, 1300-1500'', Osprey Publishing, * (1993) ''The Norman Knight, 950-1204 AD'', Osprey Publishing, * (1997) ''Medieval German Armies, 1000-1300'', Osprey Publishing, * (1999) ''Bosworth 1485: Last Charge of the Plantagenets'', Osprey Publishing, * (2000) ''Hastings 1066'', Osprey Publishing, * (2001) ''The History of Castles: Fortifications Around the World'', Lyons Press, * (2002) ''English Medieval Knight 1300-1400'', Osprey Publishing, * (2002) ''English Medieval Knight 1200-1300'', Osprey Publishing, * (2003) ''Towton 1461: England's Bloodiest Battle'', Osprey Publishing, * (2003) ''Tewkesbury 1471: The Last Yorkist Victory'', Osprey Publishing, * (2003) ''Norman Stone Castles: British Isles 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
