BOUVINES AND BEYOND

When medieval sources comment upon the success or failure of knights charging their foes, much is made of whether that charge was conducted ordinate, in good order. At Brémule in 1119, the French charged in disorder, were beaten off and turned tail. At Bouvines in 1214, it was the rashness of the Imperial knights’ charge and their disorderly pursuit that led to their downfall.

Rob Jones

The Templars’ Rule of the Order of the Knights stressed the need to keep good order… as might be expected from a monastic order of obedience, poverty, and humility! Each of the Knight Brothers was assigned to their squadron which was led by a commander and a banner bearer. With ten knights acting as a bodyguard, the rest were to form up ‘in front and behind, to the left and to the right, and wherever they think they can torment their enemies’ so long as they were in a position to defend the banner if needed. Secular knights must have had similar structures of anywhere between 10 and 50 men. When the charge was launched, the aim was to break through the enemy. Unlike the situation envisaged by many wargames…

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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy (Digital) - 1 Issue, WSS 133

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