Medieval Military Ranks – Today’s combats, or even world wars combats, are starkly different from the ones that occurred during the middle-age. The differences exist regarding the military ranks and role as well. This article will explore various medieval military ranks. By reading the following passage, you may learn about how each role differed and how much risk and responsibility each of them had.
The Royals
Here are the medieval military ranks work within the reigning immediate royal family:
King
King is someone who rules a certain domain and has the highest level on medieval military ranks. This position was acquired by bloodlines. During the middle age, Kings were the leader of his army on the battlefield, and overthrowing the king during battles would shift its tide completely.
Queen
Queens had a major role as the spouse of the king. Their main responsibilities ranged widely, from assisting decision makings of the kings to rival spying. They also served as the king’s regents when he was ill or at war.
Prince
Right after they were born, princes in medieval times were groomed to become future kings. They received warfare training at an early age. They were also expected to provide critical military assignments and to endure people’s welfare in times of peace.
Princess
Not only princes were receiving combat and weapon training from an extremely young age, but princesses also did as well. In middle age, a lot of princesses conducted sieges and battles to defend and flourish the kingdom. It was also not uncommon to use princesses as political means by conducting arrange marriages.
The Armed Forces
Medieval military ranks were especially prominent for the armed services of the kingdom. Here are several roles commonly available:
Knights
Knights were typically seen on horseback with protective attire. They were the armored warriors who trained for combat started from an early age to fight for kings in the future. A knight who risked his or her life in battle for the king was considered an immense honor amongst medieval society.
Archers
Amongst the soldiers, archers often stood out due to their bow and arrow skill. They were a critical part of defense and attack strategies conducted by the military for battles in medieval times. They were usually the ones who start and engage the action of the armies.
Cavalries
Cavalries were part of the medieval military as armored units. They normally include chivalries, lancers, and mounted knights. The benefits that most cavalries had were great protection by their armor and high mobility. They usually ride on horses, camels, or even elephants to accommodate with a heavyweight of the armor.
Infantry
Medieval infantry units consisted of huge numbers of men with various types of weapons such as swords, axes, spears, and shields. Some of them may wear protection like helmets, but the rest were exposed to the brutality of middle-age combats. This military position was the harshest and had the highest possibility of ending up in mortality.
The Nobles
Although noble positions refer to the more administrative side of operating a kingdom rather than the combative, some of them also had special medieval military ranks. Here are the levels of nobility during middle-age:
Baron
As for nobility with a high ranking, the barons were responsible to directly report to the king. They had a significant amount of power and influence. Amongst their many responsibilities, the primary one was to maintain the army of the kingdom and prepare it to be ready for any moment.
Lord/Lady
Lords and ladies were the people who usually handle the land under barons’ rules during medieval times. They typically were tasked with operating the local manors. These nobilities normally owned people, crops, and villages within their property.
The organization of medieval military ranks was simple compared to the modern armies of countries nowadays, because they don’t have corps, divisions, or regiments. There were many changes that happened since middle age, but looking at how combats happened during those times might help to understand those that happened today.