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Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

medievalists.net

11–20 of 326 posts

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#11

It’s not just weaponry, most of fighting is nutrition, I’m surprised the article doesn’t discuss that. Given that the article says the knights and their weaponry were correlated to wealth and power, I would expect the knights to be better fed than the peasants as well.

Working the field all day is going to make someone tough and lean.

If it’s a particular lazy knight that enjoys too much food, well.

Would be an interesting overlap of nutrition vs fitness vs indulgence.

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#12
Mindset would likely have played a big part, and battle then vs battle now were very different things. A peasant could absolutely kill a knight but probably not in battle, and the opportunity to do so would be unlikely to arise because the knight would probably not be in a position to be ambushed. For most peasantry the very thought of going after a knight would also be almost unimaginable.

Seems like a not-unreasonable comparison today would be "could a civilian kill an armored vehicle?"

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#13

It’s not just weaponry, most of fighting is nutrition, I’m surprised the article doesn’t discuss that. Given that the article says the knights and their weaponry were correlated to wealth and power, I would expect the knights to be better fed than the peasants as well.

Peasants ate very well, they had to, in order to work the fields.

Salmon were considered peasant food, a peasant would go by the river and fish one up for lunch. Then probably eat some kind of pottage, and bread. Maybe eggs.

I'd wager peasants can be tough as fuck, it's only question of how well trained and equipped they are for fighting.

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#14

At the famous Battle of Agincourt peasants slaughtered thousands of knights. It was a decisive blood bath against a vastly superior force that allowed Henry V’s conquest of France. This is confirmed by eye witness records both French and English.

Was this the battle historians put a lot of blame on the "steel boots"?

Peasants had cloth boots which didn't get stuck into the mud as much so they didn't get as tired.

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#15
post #14

At the famous Battle of Agincourt peasants slaughtered thousands of knights. It was a decisive blood bath against a vastly superior force that allowed Henry V’s conquest of France. This is confirmed by eye witness records both French and English.

Was this the battle historians put a lot of blame on the "steel boots"? Peasants had cloth boots which didn't get stuck into the mud as much so they didn't get as tired.

>Was this the battle historians put a lot of blame on the "steel boots"?

Among other things.

It takes more than shoes to get such a one sided outcome.

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#16
post #13

It’s not just weaponry, most of fighting is nutrition, I’m surprised the article doesn’t discuss that. Given that the article says the knights and their weaponry were correlated to wealth and power, I would expect the knights to be better fed than the peasants as well.

Peasants ate very well, they had to, in order to work the fields. Salmon were considered peasant food, a peasant would go by the river and fish one up for lunch. Then probably eat some kind of pottage, and bread. Maybe eggs. I'd wager peasants can be tough as fuck, it's only question of how well trained and equipped they are for fighting.

>Salmon were considered peasant food, a peasant would go by the river and fish one up for lunch.

Not without the permission of whoever owns the stream they wouldn't.

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#17
In the Annals of St Bertin there's mention of an attack by the Danes (Vikings) on a region of Francia in 859 AD, where the peasants formed an association to defend themselves and fought off the Vikings, and drove them off without the assistance of the Carolingian rulers.

This is reported by the Carolingians as brave but immoral, because Charlemagne had banned any such associations or militias, and military service was reserved for aristocrats only.

The response of the Frankish leadership was to come in and massacre the peasants who had defended their own land. Peasant autonomy and self-defense of any kind could not be tolerated.

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#18

At the famous Battle of Agincourt peasants slaughtered thousands of knights. It was a decisive blood bath against a vastly superior force that allowed Henry V’s conquest of France. This is confirmed by eye witness records both French and English.

The English peasants were a special lot. England had an archery mandate going back to at least the 13th century so we're not talking about random untrained peasants. Also lots of things went right for the English and wrong for the French at Agincourt.

Re: Could a Peasant Defeat a Knight in Battle?

#20

It’s not just weaponry, most of fighting is nutrition, I’m surprised the article doesn’t discuss that. Given that the article says the knights and their weaponry were correlated to wealth and power, I would expect the knights to be better fed than the peasants as well.

Working the field all day is going to make someone tough and lean. If it’s a particular lazy knight that enjoys too much food, well. Would be an interesting overlap of nutrition vs fitness vs indulgence.

The problem was not exercise but malnutrition. It was a question of enjoying enough food vs. having, as Piers Plowman put it,

"no penny, pullets for to buy,

Nor neither geese nor pigs · but two green cheeses,

A few curds and cream · and an oaten cake"

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