Posts: 49 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Fri 10 Sep, 2010 7:29 am
James -
I agree with you completely, and please don't misunderstand me; my observation of the "retreating knights" wasn't meant in any way to diminish or dismiss your comment about the increased force provided by a charging knight. I agree with that as well, and it could very well provide the stake through the heart of my argument that Jeff has been looking for for so long! But it also brings up another point that most modern enthusiasts usually overlook; that the medieval knight was first and foremost a cavalryman.
Oakeshott himself said that a knight without his horse was like a tank without an engine. 90% of the time, he fought from horseback, whereas the majority of modern WMA enthusiasts and re-enactors "fight" on foot, and miss a primary and vitally important part of medieval fighting technique. Granted, as I said before, a medieval battlefield was usually dominated mostly by footsoldiers, but the fighting elite, the mounted knight, almost always fought on horseback. Indeed, the images from the Mac. Bible support this. So kudos to you James, for brining that point to our attention.
Jeff -
You could very well be right in your assumption that the Bruce split De Bohun's skull with his axe. Afterall, he was renowned for his skill with it. However, ultimately, I think it's still an open question. So, here we go 'round and 'round again...
Peter Fuller