Im sure some history buffs here can enlighten me.
Rome fell in part due to barbarian tribes. In these tribes everyone was basically a warrior. They did farm and hunt and make artisan products but when their chieftain called everyone took up the sword.
Those settled in Europe was mostly the Franks, Saxons and some I did not know.
Somewhere along the line came Charlemagne who kicked lotta arses and founded France and Germany at the time.
Then came feudalism where either you are a knight or a lowly farmer/peasant.
Armies in this period were problematic due to lack of professional soldiers. There was never enough knights or their men at arms, and peasant levy would flee at the first sight of trouble.
What I dont understand is, how did the barbarian man get reduced to simple, meek and pathetic peasants like that? From a warrior culture with a militarised society where children learned to fight soon as they could walk, Europe became a society where the elite military aristocrats ruled while the 90% left arent even allowed to bear arms.
Sure there was this whole thing with the rise of heavy cavalry and knights on a scary destrier with a big lance carrying 40kg of arms wreak everything in is path, but history has long proven that disciplined, well armed infantry can easily resist even heavy cavalry charges.
Rome fell in part due to barbarian tribes. In these tribes everyone was basically a warrior. They did farm and hunt and make artisan products but when their chieftain called everyone took up the sword.
Those settled in Europe was mostly the Franks, Saxons and some I did not know.
Somewhere along the line came Charlemagne who kicked lotta arses and founded France and Germany at the time.
Then came feudalism where either you are a knight or a lowly farmer/peasant.
Armies in this period were problematic due to lack of professional soldiers. There was never enough knights or their men at arms, and peasant levy would flee at the first sight of trouble.
What I dont understand is, how did the barbarian man get reduced to simple, meek and pathetic peasants like that? From a warrior culture with a militarised society where children learned to fight soon as they could walk, Europe became a society where the elite military aristocrats ruled while the 90% left arent even allowed to bear arms.
Sure there was this whole thing with the rise of heavy cavalry and knights on a scary destrier with a big lance carrying 40kg of arms wreak everything in is path, but history has long proven that disciplined, well armed infantry can easily resist even heavy cavalry charges.
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