https://www.medievalists.net/2026/03/size-armies-early-medieval-warfare/?utm_source=gravitec&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=Push+Notification
Much ink...
Interesting the sieges aspect in that the siege is where having a lot of men to shift earth and perform similar heroic tasks becomes a major advantage.
Yes you can have horsemen blockade and stop food coming in. They can even fight heroic duels with defending horsemen. But if you want to get in, numbers become important
Quote from: Jim Webster on Mar 24, 2026, 06:38 AMInteresting the sieges aspect in that the siege is where having a lot of men to shift earth and perform similar heroic tasks becomes a major advantage.
Yes you can have horsemen blockade and stop food coming in. They can even fight heroic duels with defending horsemen. But if you want to get in, numbers become important
Is there a case for two types of Armies. One to fight and one to besiege castles, with major campaigns combining both aspects. Clearly castles are a major change to warfare as they became more common which I suppose is early in this period, the Normans in particular pushing their spread.
I think this should be prefaced with "An article on the size of early medieval armies by a leading proponent of large armies". In fairness to David Bachrach, a little piece like this isn't really adequate to tackle the complexities.