Your best medieval army?

Originally posted by ataman - Battle of Psie Pole 1109 (the Poles vs Germans). Part of the Poles ('Slezanie') simulated retreat (a fragment of Wincenty Kadlubek's chronicle 'Tymczasem z tylu wyskakuje pokazny zastep Slezan, ktorzy zwracaja ku sobie znaczna liczbe nieprzyjaciol, UMYSLNIE UDAJA UCIECZKE i odciagajac tamtych od innych oddzialow, zwabiaja ich coraz dalej, zwracaja sie przeciw zwabionym a gwaltownym uderzeniem oszczepow z ukosa wystajace ich dlugie wlocznie rownoczesnie potracaja i w nich godza.'

Another chronicler who described the Polish-German war of 1109, was Gallus Anonymus (who actually lived in the same time as events he described, while Kadłubek was born many years after that war).

Description (by chronicler of that time Gallus Anonymus) of the invasion of Poland by a massive army of the Holy Roman Empire in 1109:

At first, description of German assaults of the burgh of Głogów:

"(...) From all sides the Germans, yelling terribly, assaulted the stronghold. The Poles were defending. From all sides engines of warfare are hurling stones, crossbows are clanging, projectiles and arrows are flying in the air, pierced shields are fracturing, armours are gushing, helmets are being crushed, corpses are falling, wounded are giving their ground, and are being replaced by fresh warriors. Germans are loading their crossbows, and Poles their ballistas. Germans are shooting arrows and slinging stones, Poles are throwing down millstones and sharpened wooden poles on German heads. When Germans, protected by cover made of wooden boards, attempted to approach the rampart, Poles poured boiling water on them and then showered them with firebrands. Germans approached towers with iron rams, Poles rolled down spiky wheels with iron stars and thorns on them. Germans, using siege ladders, were climbing upwards and Poles, fastening iron hooks to those ladders, were hurling the attackers into the air. (...)"

After that bloodbath, the Emperor's army failed to capture the town and retreated.

The main Polish army, under duke Bolesław III the Wrymouth, was already harassing the enemy outside - further description:

"(...) Wherever the Emperor marched..., he was followed by Bolesław... When the Emperor was decamping, Bolesław continued to be his inseparable companion. Whoever detached from the main column of Emperor's army, was never finding his way back. If any larger unit, trusting in their own numbers, drifted away from the camp in search of food or forage, Bolesław was bursting between them and the Emperor's main army, cutting off their way back and so those, who attempted to collect war booty, were themselves becoming war booty of Bolesław. With such methods, Bolesław brought the huge and qualitative Emperor's army on the verge of collapse and caused such fear, that... nobody dared to stick out their noses from the camp. No German squire dared to gather grass for horses, nobody dared to go beyond the line of watches for the purpose of defecating. There was great fear of Bolesław at nights and during daytime, they were warning each other: - Bolesław is not sleeping! - when they saw some holt or shrubbery, they were calling: - Beware, Bolesław is lurking there! - There was not a single place, which was not suspected by them of presence of Bolesław's forces. In this way, Bolesław was tirelessly harassing them, capturing several at once either from the front of the marching column, or from the rear, or sometimes after attacking their flanks. This is why Emperor's warriors had to march all day long in full armour and with weapons ready for a fight, constantly and everywhere expecting Bolesław's attacks. During nights they were also all sleeping in their armours, or standing on their posts, others were on the guard as watches, some others were encouraging them: - Watch over!... Beware!... Each day many noble men were dying, their corpses, after disembowelment, were being filled with salt and herbs and put on wagons, which were supposed to transport those corpses back to Bavaria and Saxony, as the only tribute exported of Poland... The Emperor realized, that his very large army could no longer sustain itself, because Bolesław, just like a lioness whose puppies were taken away, was encircling it from all sides. Horses were starving and dying of hunger, people were agonized by constant lack of sleep, long time of the campaign and starvation. Add to this impenetrable thickets of forests, never drying marshes, stinging flies, sharp arrows of obstinate peasants - all of this did not allow the Emperor to accomplish his task (...)"

Map of the joint German-Bohemian invasion of Poland in 1109:



Chant of Polish troops from the times of the reign of Bolesław III, recorded by Gallus Anonymus in his chronicle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRogtbUclEE

Words of this battle chant can be translated roughly like this:

"Our grandfathers propped their lands
against the chest of the sea
Our fathers left their tribes
open to attack by the enemy

Our grandfathers flushed their swords
in the waves of the oceans
And we are flushing faults of our fathers
in our own battle wounds"


Edited by Domen - 28-Aug-2013 at 15:16

Chant of Polish troops from the times of the reign of Bolesław III, recorded by Gallus Anonymus in his chronicle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRogtbUclEE Words of this battle chant can be translated roughly like this: "Our grandfathers propped their lands against the chest of the sea Our fathers left their tribes open to attack by the enemy Our grandfathers flushed their swords in the waves of the oceans And we are flushing faults of our fathers in our own battle wounds"

And further part of that chant was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXUEDEO4yGQ

Translation:

"Our fathers were content with salty and stale fish,
we are coming for fresh ones, splashing in the ocean

Our fathers were content when capturing strongholds,
we don't fear any storms, nor a nasty sound of sea waves.

Our fathers were going off deer hunting
we hunt treasures and sea monsters, hidden in the ocean!"

Edited by Domen - 28-Aug-2013 at 15:15