Damnation to the gods, what a power, Tyrion thought, even knowing that his father had brought more people to the battlefield. The army was led by captains on horses chained in iron, riding under their own banners. He spotted the Hornwood moose, the Karstark spiky star, Lord Servin's battleaxe, the Glover's mail fist ...

George Martin, Game of Thrones

Usually fantasy is a romanticized reflection of Europe during the Middle Ages. Cultural elements borrowed from the East, from Roman times and even from the history of Ancient Egypt are also found, but do not define the "face" of the genre. Still, swords in the "world of sword and magic", as a rule, are straight, and the main magician is Merlin, and even dragons are not many-headed Russian, not mustachioed Chinese, but certainly Western European.

The fantasy world is almost always a feudal world. It is full of kings, dukes, earls, and of course knights. Literature, both artistic and historical, gives a fairly complete picture of the feudal world, fragmented into thousands of tiny estates, in varying degrees of dependence on each other.

Militia

The basis of the feudal armies in the early Middle Ages was the militia of free peasants. The first kings led not knights into battle, but many foot soldiers with bows, spears and shields, sometimes in light protective equipment.

Whether such an army would be a real force, or in the first battle it would become food for the ravens, depended on many reasons. If the militia came with his own weapon and did not receive any preliminary training, then the second option was almost inevitable. Wherever the rulers seriously counted on the people's militia, the warriors did not keep weapons at home in peacetime. This was the case in ancient Rome. It was the same in medieval Mongolia, where shepherds brought only horses to the khan, while bows and arrows were waiting for them in the warehouses.

In Scandinavia, a whole princely arsenal was found, once carried away by a landslide. At the bottom of the river were a fully equipped smithy (with an anvil, pliers, hammers and files), as well as over 1000 spears, 67 swords and even 4 chain mail. Only the axes were missing. They seem to be carly(free peasants) kept them, using them on the farm.

Organizing supplies worked wonders. So, the archers of England, who constantly received new bows, arrows from the king, and most importantly, officers who could lead them into battle, were more than once different in the fields Hundred Years War... The French free peasants, who were more numerous, but did not have any material support or experienced commanders, did not show themselves in any way.

An even greater effect could be achieved by conducting military training. The most striking example is the militia of the Swiss cantons, whose fighters were called up for training and knew how to operate well in the ranks. In England, the training of archers was provided by the king-styled archery competitions. Wanting to stand out from the crowd, every man exercised hard in his spare time.

From the 12th century in Italy, and from the beginning of the 14th and in other regions of Europe, the militias of cities, much more combat-ready than the peasants, received increasing importance on the battlefields.

The militia of the townspeople was distinguished by a clear guild organization and solidarity. Unlike the peasants who came from different villages, all the inhabitants of the medieval city knew each other. In addition, the townspeople had their own chiefs, often experienced infantry commanders, and the best weapons. The richest of them patricians, performed even in full knightly armor. However, they often fought on foot, knowing that real knights outnumber them in equestrian combat.

The detachments of crossbowmen, pikemen, halberdiers exhibited by the cities were common in medieval armies, although they were noticeably inferior in number to the knightly cavalry.

Cavalry

Between the 7th and 11th centuries, as saddles with stirrups became more widespread in Europe, dramatically increasing the combat power of cavalry, kings had to make difficult choices between infantry and cavalry. The number of foot and horse warriors in the Middle Ages was in inverse proportion. The peasants did not have the opportunity to simultaneously participate in campaigns and maintain knights. The creation of a large cavalry meant the release of most of the population from military service.

Kings invariably favored cavalry. In the year 877 Karl the Bald ordered each franc to find a lord. Isn't it strange? Of course, an equestrian warrior is stronger than a foot soldier - even ten foot soldiers, as was believed in the old days. But the knights were few, and every man could go on foot.

Knightly cavalry.

In fact, the ratio was not so unfavorable for the cavalry. The number of militias was limited by the need to include in the warrior's equipment not only weapons, but also a supply of food and transport. For every 30 people " ship's hand"Should have accounted for the jet, ( river and lake flat-bottomed rowing vessel) and for 10 infantrymen - a cart with a carter.

Only a small part of the peasants went on a campaign. According to the laws of the Novgorod lands, one lightly armed warrior (with an ax and a bow) could be fielded from two courtyards. A soldier, who has a riding horse and chain mail, was already equipped with 5 courtyards in a club. Each "courtyard" at that time consisted of an average of 13 people.

At the same time, one equestrian warrior could contain 10, and after the introduction of serfdom and the tightening of exploitation - even 7-8 households. Thus, each thousand of the population could provide either 40 archers, or a dozen well-armed "Huscarlov", or 10 horsemen.

In Western Europe, where the cavalry was "heavier" than the Russian, and the knights were accompanied by foot servants, there were half the number of horsemen. Nevertheless, 5 mounted fighters, well armed, professional and always ready to march, were considered preferable to 40 archers.

Large masses of light cavalry were common in eastern Europe and the Balkans by paramilitary classes, similar to the Russian Cossacks. The Magyars in Hungary, the stratiots in Northern Italy, the warriors of the Byzantine fems occupied vast plots of the best land, had their own chiefs and did not carry any duties except military. These advantages allowed them to exhibit from two courtyards no longer a foot, but a mounted lightly armed warrior.

The supply issue in the feudal armies was extremely acute. As a rule, the soldiers themselves had to bring with them both food and fodder for the horses. But such reserves were quickly depleted.

If the campaign was delayed, then the supply of the army fell on the shoulders of traveling traders - marketers... Delivery of goods in the war zone was a very dangerous business. Marketers often had to defend their carts, but they also took exorbitant prices for the goods. Often, it was in their hands that the lion's share of military booty settled.

Where did the marketers get their food? They supplied it marauders... Of course, all the soldiers of the feudal armies were engaged in plunder. But it was not in the interests of the command to let the best fighters go into low-profit raids on the surrounding villages - and therefore this task was entrusted to volunteers, all sorts of robbers and vagrants, acting at their own peril and risk. Wielding troops far on the flanks, the marauders not only supplied the marchers with captured provisions, but also fettered the enemy militias, forcing them to concentrate on defending their own homes.

Mercenaries

The weakness of the feudal army, of course, was its "patchwork". The army was divided into many small detachments, the most diverse in composition and size. The practical costs of such an organization were very high. Often during the battle, two-thirds of the army - part of the knightly " copies The infantry remained in the camp.

Accompanying the knight bollards - archers, crossbowmen, revelry with battle hooks - they were fighters, well trained and well armed in their time. In peacetime, the feudal servants defended castles and performed police functions. On the march, the servants protected the knight, and before the battle they helped to put on the armor.

As long as the "spear" acted on its own, the bollards provided invaluable support to their master. But in a major battle, only servants in full knightly armor and on appropriate horses could take part. Riflemen, even mounted ones, immediately lost sight of "their" knight and could no longer get through to him, as they had to keep a respectful distance from the enemy. Left without any leadership (after all, the knight was not only the main fighter of the "spear", but also its commander), they immediately turned into a useless crowd.

Trying to solve this problem, the largest feudal lords sometimes created from their servants detachments of crossbowmen, numbering tens and hundreds of people and having their own foot commanders. But the maintenance of such units was expensive. In an effort to get the maximum number of cavalry, the ruler distributed allotments to the knights, and hired infantry in wartime.

Mercenaries usually came from the most backward regions of Europe, where a large number of free people still remained. Often they were Normans, Scots, Basques-Gascons... Later, the detachments of the townspeople began to enjoy great fame - Flemings and Genoese, for one reason or another, who decided that a pike and a crossbow are dearer to them than a hammer and a loom. Mercenary cavalry appeared in Italy in the 14-15th centuries - condottieri, consisting of impoverished knights. The soldiers of fortune were recruited into service by whole detachments, led by their own captains.

Mercenaries demanded gold, and in medieval armies they were usually 2-4 times inferior in number to knightly cavalry. Nevertheless, even a small detachment of such fighters could be beneficial. Under Bouvines, in 1214, the Count of Boulogne lined up 700 Brabant pikemen in a ring. So his knights in the thick of the battle received a safe refuge, where they could rest their horses and find new weapons.

It is often assumed that "knight" is a title. But not every equestrian warrior was a knight, and even the face of royal blood might not belong to this caste. Knight - the junior command rank in the medieval cavalry, the head of its smallest unit - " spears».

Each feudal lord arrived at the call of his lord with a personal "team". The poorest " single-board"The knights got along on the march with a single unarmed servant. The knight of the "middle hand" brought with him a squire, as well as 3-5 foot or mounted soldiers - bollards, or, in French, sergeants... The richest appeared at the head of a small army.

The "spears" of large feudal lords were so large that, on average, among horse spearmen, only 20-25% turned out to be real knights - owners of family estates with pennants on pikes, coats of arms on shields, the right to participate in tournaments and golden spurs. Most of the horsemen were simply slaves or poor nobles who armed themselves at the expense of the suzerain.

Knightly army in battle

The heavily armed rider with a long spear is a very powerful unit. Nevertheless, the knightly army was not devoid of a number of weaknesses that the enemy could take advantage of. And used it. It is not for nothing that history brings to us so many examples of the defeat of the "armored" cavalry of Europe.

In fact, there were three significant flaws. First, the feudal army was undisciplined and uncontrollable. Secondly, the knights often did not know how to act in formation at all, and the battle turned into a series of duels. A stirrup-to-stirrup gallop attack requires good training in both men and horses. Purchase it at tournaments or by practicing in the courtyards of castles with quintana (a scarecrow for practicing a horse blow with a spear) was impossible.

Finally, if the enemy guessed to take a position impregnable for the cavalry, the absence of combat-ready infantry in the army led to the most sad consequences. And even if the infantry was, the command could rarely dispose of it correctly.

The first problem was relatively easy to solve. In order for orders to be carried out, they simply had to be ... given. Most of the medieval generals preferred to personally participate in the battle, and if the king shouted something, then no one paid attention to him. But real generals like Charlemagne, Wilgelm the conqueror, Edward the Black Prince, who really led their troops, did not encounter difficulties in carrying out their orders.

The second problem was also easily solved. Knightly orders, as well as the squads of kings, numbering hundreds in the 13th century, and in 14 (in the largest states) 3-4 thousand equestrian warriors, provided the necessary training for joint attacks.

Things were much worse with the infantry. For a long time, European commanders could not learn how to organize the interaction of combat arms. Oddly enough, the idea of ​​placing cavalry on the flanks, quite natural from the point of view of the Greeks, Macedonians, Romans, Arabs and Russians, seemed strange and alien to them.

More often than not, the knights, as the best warriors (just as the leaders and vigilantes in the foot hird did it), sought to stand in the first row. Fenced off by a wall of cavalry, the infantry could not see the enemy and bring at least some benefit. When the knights rushed forward, the archers standing behind them did not even have time to shoot arrows. But then the infantry often perished under the hooves of their own cavalry, if they fled.

In 1476, at the Battle of Grandson, Duke of Burgundy Karl the Bold brought the cavalry forward to cover the deployment of bombards, from which he was going to fire on the Swiss battle. And when the cannons were loaded, he ordered the knights to make way. But as soon as the knights began to turn around, the Burgundian infantry in the second line, taking this maneuver for a retreat, fled.

The infantry placed in front of the cavalry also did not give noticeable advantages. At Courtray and at Cressy, rushing into the attack, the knights crushed their own shooters. Finally, the infantry was often deployed ... on the flanks. This was done by the Italians, as well as by the Livonian knights, who placed the soldiers of the Baltic tribes allied to them on the sides of the "pig". In this case, the infantry avoided losses, but the cavalry could not maneuver either. The knights, however, did not mind. Their favorite tactic was a direct attack with a short cut.

Priests

As you know, priests in fantasy are the main healers. Authentic medieval priests, however, rarely related to medicine. Their "specialty" was the absolution of the dying, of which many remained after the battle. Only the commanders were taken out of the battlefield, most of the seriously wounded were left in place to bleed. In its own way, it was humane - all the same, the healers of that time could not help them in any way. The orderlies, common in Roman and Byzantine times, also did not meet in the Middle Ages. Lightly wounded, excluding, of course, those whom the servants could help in this, got out of the thick of the battle themselves, and themselves gave themselves first aid. Barber searched after the battle. Hairdressers in those days, they not only cut their hair and beards, but also knew how to wash and sew up wounds, adjust joints and bones, and also apply bandages and splints. Only the most distinguished wounded fell into the hands of real doctors. The medieval surgeon was able, in principle, exactly the same as the barber - with the only difference that he could speak Latin, amputate limbs, and skillfully performed anesthesia, stunning the patient with one blow of a wooden hammer.

Fight against other races

The aforementioned organizational shortcomings, it must be admitted, rarely created serious difficulties for the knights, since, as a rule, another feudal army became their opponent. Both armies had the same strengths and weaknesses.

But in fantasy, anything happens. Knights can clash on the battlefield with the Roman legion, elven archers, the hird of the mountain tribe, and sometimes with some kind of dragon.

In most cases, you can safely count on success. A frontal attack by heavy cavalry is difficult to repulse, even if you know how. The enemy, drawn by the will of the author from a different era, will hardly be able to fight the cavalry - you just need to accustom the horses to the look of monsters. Well, then ... Knight's spear lance, in the force of the impact of which the weight and speed of the horse are invested, will pierce anything.

It is worse if the enemy has already dealt with the cavalry. Archers can take a hard-to-reach position, and the dwarf hird cannot be taken unceremoniously. The same orcs, judging by “ To the lord of the rings » Jackson, in some places they know how to walk in formation and wear long pikes.

It is better not to attack the enemy in a strong position at all - sooner or later he will be forced to leave his shelter. Before the battle at Courtray seeing that the Flemish phalanx was covered from the flanks and the front by ditches, the French commanders considered the possibility of simply waiting until the enemy left for the camp. By the way, it was recommended to do the same to Alexander the Great when he met the Persians who settled on the high and steep bank of the river. Garnik.

If the enemy himself attacks under the cover of the forest peak, then a counterattack on foot can bring success. At Sempache in 1386, even without the support of the shooters, the knights with cavalry lance and long swords managed to press the battle. Horse-disastrous lances against infantry are virtually useless.

* * *

Almost everywhere in fantasy, the human race appears to be the most numerous, while the rest are endangered. An explanation of this state of affairs is often given: people develop, and non-people live in the past. What is typical - someone else's past. Their military art always becomes a copy of one or another genuine human tactics. But if the Germans once invented the hird, they did not stop there.

Military affairs in the Middle Ages almost completely ignored the legacy of Rome. Nevertheless, in the new conditions, talented commanders managed to create armies that instilled fear in their opponents.

Of all the troops convened in the entire history of the Middle Ages, the ten most formidable can be distinguished.

Byzantine army of the time of Justinian the Great

The regular Byzantine army consisted of several provincial armies, and a separate detachment, reinforced by mercenaries, was formed for offensive operations.

Knights of france

The armored knights, who formed the core of the French army, can be safely called the super-powerful weapon of the Middle Ages.

The tactics of the French army during the heyday of chivalry were simple and effective. A powerful cavalry strike at the center of enemy formations ensured a breakthrough of the front, followed by the encirclement and destruction of the enemy.

The only way to overcome such a formidable force was to use the terrain and weather conditions. In heavy rain, the cavalry was most vulnerable, since the knights and their horses were simply stuck in the mud.

Charlemagne's Frankish army

Charlemagne was an innovator in the art of war in the Middle Ages. His name is associated with a departure from the barbaric traditions of warfare. We can say that the legendary emperor created the classic army of the Middle Ages.

The main army of Charles was the feudal lords. Each landowner had to come to war fully equipped and with a certain number of soldiers. Thus, the professional core of the army was formed.

Saladin's army

The conqueror of the crusaders Saladin created one of the best armies of the Middle Ages. Unlike Western European armies, the basis of his army was light cavalry, consisting of archers and spearmen.

The tactics were maximally adapted to the natural conditions of the Middle Eastern deserts. Saladin inflicted sudden attacks on the flanks, after which he went back into the desert, luring the enemy troops behind him. The heavy cavalry of the Crusaders could not withstand the long pursuit of the Muslim light horsemen.

Slavic-Varangian army of the time of Oleg

Prince Oleg went down in history by hanging his shield on the gates of Constantinople. In this he was helped by his army, the main advantage of which was its size and mobility. For the Middle Ages, the military power of the army of the Kiev prince was impressive. The tens of thousands of people that Oleg put forward against Byzantium could not be collected by anyone.

Equally impressive was the mobility of so many soldiers. The prince's army skillfully used the fleet, with the help of which it quickly moved along the Black Sea and descended along the Volga to the Caspian.

The Crusader Army during the First Crusade

The art of war in medieval Europe reached its peak in the 12th century. The Europeans began to actively use siege machines. Now the city walls have ceased to be an obstacle for a well-armed army. Taking advantage of the quality of armor and weapons, the Crusaders easily overwhelmed the Seljuks and conquered the Middle East.

Tamerlane's army

The great conqueror Tamerlane created one of the strongest armies of the late Middle Ages. He took all the best from ancient, European and Mongolian military traditions.

The core of the troops was made up of horse archers, but the heavily armed infantry played an important role. Tamerlane actively used long-forgotten troop formation in several lines. In defensive battles, the depth of his army was 8-9 echelons.

In addition, Tamerlane deepened the specialization of troops. He formed separate squads of engineers, slingers, archers, spearmen, pontooners, etc. He also used artillery and war elephants.

Army of the Righteous Caliphate

The strength of the Arab army is evidenced by its conquests. The warriors who came from the Arabian desert conquered the Middle East, North Africa and Spain. In the early Middle Ages, most of the former barbarian armies fought on foot.

The Arabs practically did not use infantry, preferring cavalry armed with long-range bows. This made it possible to rapidly advance from one battle to the next. The enemy could not gather all his forces into a fist and was forced to fight back with small detachments, which became easy prey for the army of the Righteous Caliphate.

Slavic-Varangian army of the times of Svyatoslav

Unlike Prince Oleg, Svyatoslav could not boast of the number of his troops. His strength lay not in the number of warriors, but in their quality. The small squad of the Kiev prince lived in battles and campaigns from the very childhood of Svyatoslav. As a result, by the time the prince matured, he was surrounded by the best fighters of Eastern Europe.

Professional soldiers of Svyatoslav crushed Khazaria, conquered the Yases, Kasogs and captured Bulgaria. A small Russian detachment for a long time successfully fought with the myriad Byzantine legions.

The army of Svyatoslav was so strong that it terrified by its mere mention. For example, the Pechenegs lifted the siege from Kiev as soon as they heard that Svyatoslav's squad was approaching the city.

The composition of dry rations of the European armies now resembles the menu of a good restaurant. In the Middle Ages, the diet of a fighter was much more brutal.

"Wicked war" - this is how winter campaigns were called in the Middle Ages. The army was critically dependent on weather and food supplies. If the enemy captured a wagon train with food, the soldiers on enemy territory were doomed. Therefore, large campaigns began after the harvest, but before heavy rains - otherwise carts and siege machines would get bogged down in the mud.

"The army marches while the stomach is full" - Napoleon Bonaparte.

French engraving during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Source: Wikipedia

During World War II, the daily allowance of soldiers of the Red Army was supposed to include 800 g of rye bread (from October to March - 900 g), 500 g of potatoes, 320 g of other vegetables, 170 g of cereals and pasta, 150 g of meat, 100 g of fish, 30 g of mixed fat or lard, 20 g of vegetable oil, 35 g of sugar. In total, according to the documents - 3450 calories. On the front lines, the diet could change significantly.

Wartime diet

For a soldier on a campaign to be able to remove and hang packs on a horse, push a cart, swing an ax, drag stakes and set up tents, he needed up to 5,000 calories. No food, no army. Therefore, in a successful campaign, the soldiers ate better than most of the medieval estates.

Today, 3000 calories are considered the norm for a man with an active lifestyle.

Each day, each was given up to 1 kilogram of good bread and 400 grams of salted or smoked meat. The stock of "live canned food" - several dozen heads of cattle - was slaughtered in a critical situation or to raise morale before an important battle. In this case, they ate everything, down to the entrails and tails, from which they cooked porridge and soups. The constant use of rusks causes diarrhea, so the dried bread was thrown there, into the common cauldron.

Pepper, saffron, dried fruit and honey were given to the sick and wounded. The rest seasoned their food with onions, garlic, vinegar, less often mustard. In the north of Europe, fighters were also given lard or ghee, and in the south, olive oil. There was almost always cheese on the table.

The medieval soldier's diet was supplemented by salted herring or cod, dried river fish. All this was washed down with beer or cheap wine.

Medieval military convoy with provisions and equipment. Illustration from the book "Hausbuch" 1480. Source: Wikipedia

Drunken sea

In galleys, even slaves and convicts ate better than commoners on land. The rowers were fed with bean stew, stew with beans, and bread crumbs. About 100 grams of meat and cheese were given out per day. In the late Middle Ages, the meat rate increased and lard appeared in the diet. The zagrebnykh had the most satisfying food - this is how the sailors were motivated to fight for this place.

The food on the ships was plentifully poured with wine - from 1 liter per day for officers, 0.5 for sailors. At the signal of the admiral of the squadron, for good work, all the rowers could be poured another bonus glass. The beer was used to get the calorie intake. In total, the sailor drank a liter or two of alcohol per day. Not surprisingly, there were frequent fights and riots.

1. Bilmen

Source: bucks-retinue.org.uk

In medieval Europe, the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons often used in battles numerous detachments of bilmen - infantry warriors, whose main weapon was a battle sickle (halberd). Derived from a simple peasant harvest sickle. The battle sickle was an effective melee weapon with a combined tip of a needle spear point and a curved blade, similar to a battle ax, with a sharp butt. During battles, it was effective against cavalry well protected by armor. With the advent of firearms, the bilmen (halberd) detachments lost their importance, becoming part of beautiful parades and ceremonies.

2. Armored boyars

Source: wikimedia.org

The category of service people in Eastern Europe during the X-XVI centuries. This military class was widespread in Kievan Rus, the Moscow state, Bulgaria, Wallachia, Moldavian principalities, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The armored boyars come from "armored servants" who served on horseback in heavy ("armored") weapons. Unlike servants, who were freed from other duties only in wartime, the armored boyars did not bear the duties of the peasants at all. In social terms, the armored boyars occupied an intermediate stage between peasants and nobles. They owned land with peasants, but their civil legal capacity was limited. After the annexation of Eastern Belarus to the Russian Empire, the armored boyars became close in their position to the Ukrainian Cossacks.

3. Templars

Source: kdbarto.org

This was the name of the professional warrior-monks - members of the "order of the mendicant knights of the Temple of Solomon." It existed for almost two centuries (1114-1312), emerging after the First Crusade of the Catholic army in Palestine. The order often performed the functions of military protection of the states created by the crusaders in the East, although the main purpose of its establishment was to protect the pilgrims who visited the "Holy Land". Knights-"Templars" were famous for their military training, skillful use of weapons, clear organization of their troops and fearlessness, bordering on insanity. However, along with these positive qualities, the Templars became known to the world as tight-fisted usurers, drunkards and libertines, who took their many secrets and legends with them into the depths of the centuries.

4. Crossbowmen

Source: deviantart.net

In the Middle Ages, instead of a combat bow, many armies began to use mechanical bows - crossbows. The crossbow, as a rule, surpassed a conventional bow in shooting accuracy and destructive power, but, with rare exceptions, it lost a lot in terms of rate of fire. This weapon received real recognition only in Europe since the XIV century, when numerous units of crossbowmen became an indispensable part of the knightly armies. A decisive role in raising the popularity of crossbows was played by the fact that from the XIV century their bowstring began to be pulled by the collar. Thus, the restrictions imposed on the pulling force by the physical capabilities of the shooter were removed, and the light crossbow became heavy. His advantage in penetrating power over the bow became overwhelming - bolts (shortened arrows of crossbows) began to pierce even solid armor.

Until now, there are many mistakes and speculations around the question of the structure and size of medieval European armies. The purpose of this post is to bring some order to this issue.

During the classical Middle Ages, the main organizational unit in the army was the knightly "Spear". It was a combat unit that was anticipated by the feudal structure, which was organized by the lowest level of the feudal hierarchy - a knight as a personal combat unit. Since in the Middle Ages the main fighting force of the army was the knights, it was around the knight that his fighting detachment was lined up. The number of the spear was limited by the financial capabilities of the knight, which, as a rule, were rather small and more or less equalized, since the distribution of feudal fiefs proceeded precisely on the basis of the knight's ability to assemble a combat detachment that meets certain basic requirements

This detachment, which in everyday life was called the Spear in the XIII-beginning of the XIV century. consisted in France of the following soldiers:
1.knight,
2. squire (a person of noble birth who served as a knight before his own knighthood),
3.Cute (auxiliary equestrian warrior in armor, who has no knightly dignity),
4.from 4 to 6 archers or crossbowmen,
5. from 2 to 4 foot soldiers.
In fact, the spear included 3 mounted warriors in armor, several shooters mounted on horses and several foot soldiers.

In Germany, the number of the Spear was somewhat smaller, so in 1373 the Spear could be 3-4 horsemen:
1.knight,
2. squire,
3. 1-2 archers,
4. 2-3 foot servant-warriors
A total of 4 to 7 warriors, of which 3-4 are mounted.

The spear, therefore, consisted of 8-12 warriors, on average 10. that is, when we talk about the number of knights in the army, it is necessary to multiply the number of knights by 10 to obtain its estimated number.
The spear was commanded by a knight (knight-bashelier in France, knight-bachelor in England), the distinction of a simple knight was a flag with a forked end. Several Copies (under the King of France Philippe Augustus at the beginning of the XIII century from 4 to 6) united into a detachment of a higher level - the Banner. The banner was commanded by a knight-banner (his distinction was a square banner-flag). The banner knight differed from a simple knight in that he could have his own vassals of the knighthood.
Several Banners united in a regiment, which, as a rule, were headed by titled aristocrats who had vassals.

There could be cases when the Banner Knight did not lead several Spears, but formed one large Spear. In this case, the Spear also included several knights-bachelier who did not have their own vassals and their own Spear. The number of ordinary soldiers also increased, after which the number of the spear could be up to 25-30 people.

The structure of the military monastic orders was different. They did not represent the classical feudal hierarchy. Therefore, the order structure was arranged as follows: the Order consisted of komturii, each of which included 12 knights-brothers and one komtur. Komturia was based in a separate castle and possessed the resources of the surrounding lands and peasants under feudal law. Up to 100 auxiliary soldiers were assigned to the committee. Also, knights-pilgrims, who were not members of the order, voluntarily participated in its campaigns, could temporarily join the komturii.

In the XV century. The spear turned out to be the subject of regulation by European rulers in order to streamline the formation of the army. So, under the French king Charles VII in 1445, the number of the spear was established as follows:
1.knight,
2. squire,
3.the binge,
4.2 horse archers,
5.the foot warrior
There are 6 warriors in total. Of these, 5 are equestrian.

A little later, the composition of the Spear was codified in the Duchy of Burgundy. By decree of 1471, the composition of the Spear was as follows:
1.knight,
2.squire
3.the binge
4.3 horse archers
5.crossbowman
6.The shooter from the cooler
7.foot spearman
A total of 9 warriors, 6 of them are mounted.

We now turn to a consideration of the question of the size of the heart-aged armies.

In the 15th century, the largest feudal lords provided to the imperial German army: the Count of Palatinate, the Duke of Saxon and the Margrave of Brandenburg from 40 to 50 Copies. Large cities - up to 30 copies (such an army was fielded by Nuremberg - one of the largest and richest cities in Germany). In 1422 the German emperor Sigismund had an army in 1903 Copies. In 1431, for a campaign against the Hussites, 200 Copies were put up in the army of the empire of Saxony, Brandenburg Palatinate, Cologne, 28 German dukes together - 2055 Copies (an average of 73 Spears per duchy), Teutonic and Livonian Orders - only 60 Copies (it should be taken into account, that it was shortly after the heavy blow inflicted on the Order at Tannenberg in 1410, therefore the number of the Order's army was very small), and in total one of the largest armies of the late Middle Ages was assembled, consisting of 8,300 copies, which, according to available information, was almost impossible to keep and which was very difficult to command.

In England during the War of the Roses in 1475, 12 banner knights, 18 knights, 80 squires, about 3-4 thousand archers and about 400 warriors (man-at-arms) took part in hostilities in the army of Edward IV in France, but in England, the structure of the spear was practically not used, instead companies were created according to the types of troops, which were commanded by knights and squires. During the War of the Roses, the Duke of Buckingham had a personal army of 10 knights, 27 squires, the number of ordinary soldiers was about 2 thousand, and the Duke of Norfolk had about 3 thousand soldiers in total. It should be noted that these were the largest armies of individual feudal lords of the English kingdom. So, when in 1585 the English royal army included 1000 knights, it must be said that it was a very large army of Europe.

In 1364, under Philip the Bold, the army of the Duchy of Burgundy consisted of only 1 knight-banner, 134 knights-bashelier, 105 squires. In 1417, Duke John the Fearless formed the most numerous army of his reign - 66 Banner Knights, 11 Bachelier Knights, 5707 Squires and Carousels, 4102 Horse and Foot Warriors. The decrees of Duke Charles the Bold from 1471-1473 determined the structure of the army in 1250 copies of a unified composition. As a result, the differences between the knights of the banner and the bashelier disappeared, and the number of the spear became identical for all the knights in the army of the duke.

In Russia in the 13-14 century, the situation was very close to that of Western Europe, although the term Spear itself was never used. The princely squad, which consisted of the senior and junior squads (the oldest was about 1/3 of the size, the youngest was about 2/3 of the size) actually duplicated the scheme of knights and squires. The number of squads was from several dozen in small principalities, to 1-2 thousand of the largest and richest principalities, which again corresponded to the armies of large European kingdoms. The militia of the cities and contingents of volunteers adjoined the equestrian squad, the number approximately corresponding to the number of auxiliary troops in the knightly cavalry army.