Knights crushing peasants #shorts

[HanzGoober]

See a fully armoured guy on his horse is the equivalent of being hit by a 16 wheeler

[frostphoenix]

I see it as less knights vs. shieldwall, and more an example of history's most consistent victor - discipline.

[theemissary]

That "Untrained anglo-saxon peasant conscript" had just beaten a viking army in the north and marched the whole length of the country in less than a week. They had no archers because they had no time to replenish their stock of arrows and such.

[gabrielrussell]

Elite French troops in 1100: Armored lance cavalry.
Elite French troops in 1810: Armored lance cavalry from Poland.

[Richard.Vox.]

To be fair, the English just got done putting the vikings down at Stanford Bridge (hundreds of miles away), force marched, and didnt all get there in time to stop the FRESH French.
But still yes, ponies be OP back then.

[thicclegendfeep]

It sucks how often people downplay the Anglo-Saxons' last stand at Hastings. Everyone treats it like it was some stomp for the Norman Knights against untrained, unwashed peasants, when in reality the Normans, with their horses and armor nearly lost to an army of experienced battlefield veterans who had just put down a Viking invasion and had marched up and down the length of England. Harold Godwinson doesn't get enough love, in my opinion he was one of the most badass Kings in Medieval History, and he died heroically defending his country from invaders. Also, the Anglo-Saxons had their own ace warriors, the Huscarls, big burly Saxons swinging Dane Axes, and they inflicted some of the worst casualties on the Normans. Furthermore, after the Norman conquest, many elite Anglo-Saxon warriors found employ in the Varangian guard, so the English couldn't have been too lousy as warriors. Good short btw.

[Abraxium]

The peasant bowmen of Agincourt : Allow us to introduce ourselves

[riverraven]

While they weren't what we would consider a professional army most of the Hird were seasonally activated at semi regular intervals due to internal strife, bandits and border reivers. They did know how to use their weapons. Then there are the Huscarls, full time heavy infantry with the best equipment of the day. This was NOT a helpless rabble of novices. In the case of Hastings many also had battle experience from Stamford bridge and the Welsh marches.

[lordofrandomspaces]

Numbers matter to the other numbers. Knights were closer to a modern tank than an infantry man. Edit- Holyshit, this is the best generalized statement I've ever made.

[AHersheyHere]

Given how close the battle was, it makes you wonder how history would be different if the Saxon's hadn't fought the Vikings at Stamford Bridge barely 3 weeks prior.

[TheArklyte]

Tbh, people too often don't get the difference between pike and spear and why 6 rows is a minimal depth to feel safe. A horse doesn't give a duck and a horse in a chainmail double so.

[DavidEllis]

Honestly, it really isn't so much an indicator of the dominance of cavalry so much as it is an indicator of the value of unit cohesion.

Those Saxon infantry repulsed several cavalry assaults over the course of the day, and only failed when they broke up their own formation and made themselves vulnerable to a counter-charge.

Let's also not think of them as just peasants: The Saxon fyrd wasnt drawn from folks who had no notion of how to fight a battle. The whole point of the system, after all, was to furnish part-time soldiers from among farmer-smallholders, and they would be expected to train. They were still soldiers more than just peasants.

[chrisblanchard]

It's amazing how long cavalry was part of warfare. Like until the mid 1900's it was the heavy hitter of an army for 2 milenna. Hell there os even a song about it "Horse Soldier" by Corb Lund

[geofff.]

If you ever wondered why the knight is the chess piece that gets to jump, battles like this are why.

[geofff.]

Fun Fact 1066 is one of the most important dates in History of the English Language too.

Also it's the first recorded instance of the stirrup being used in mounted combat in the West.

[theprancingprussian]

Weren't the fyrad more than peasants
I trust their role was not as warfare based but I hear of multiple households joining funds for a single fighter to make sure they had good quality stuff
Lindybeige made a video on why at first riding on horseback was a silly idea, the second probably thought similar
They run away at minor noises, hard to feasibly ride or think up the technology to do so with weapons, weapons less effective as you can't hold your spear in 2 hands

[Gravelgratious]

When the peasants were charged Harold Godwinson uttered the famous words, "It's Joever!" and all mayhem ensued.

[anglosaxaphone]

im sorry, but no sources I've read have ever credited Norman cavalry with the spine of success. all mainly that the actual ''inexperienced'' saxons had run after a retreated Norman rank and that harold had been shot in the eye.

[AutkastKain]

The Way of Kings depicts this situation really accurately in it's 1st chapter and the flashbacks back to that day too

[dcfan]

Given that Stanford bridge happened not long before and the majority of the army where peasants I am surprised at how long the battle lasted (around 8 hours) and that the English weren't flanked. To me this shows the real importance of terrain and having the higher ground in battles back then. If this was on flat ground the battle would've been much shorter and probably more of a bloodbath, but due to the hill it wasn't. William had to use his skills as a tactician ans military leader to trick the English soldiers, which worked twice! I love the battle of Hastings so much