How long did it take to train a medieval army?

A half year is complete minimum, and you might want a year(for example Roman legionary). Armoured cavalry with lances? Now again, like mounted archery, you look at minimum of 2 years.

Are pikemen good against cavalry?

The Pikeman performs outstandingly against cavalry, doing 26 base damage to Knights and 51 to War Elephants. They make an excellent complement for siege weapons, as they can protect them against enemy melee cavalry.

When did pikemen become obsolete?

The Army of the Holy Roman Empire officially stopped using pikemen in 1699. It had been progressively phasing out both pikes and lances since the Thirty Years War.

When did pikes become obsolete?

1699
The Army of the Holy Roman Empire maintained a ratio of 2 muskets to 1 pike in the middle to late 17th century, officially abandoning the pike in 1699.

How would a pikemen fight?

In the Sealed Knot, pikemen fight in one of two ways: ‘point’ and ‘push’. Big blocks of pikeman would level their pikes (see right) and advance towards each other into a crush called ‘push of pike’, when the front ranks would draw swords and engage in deadly hand-to-hand fighting.

How long would Medieval battles last?

Even with a huge influx of adrenaline and the fear of death a soldier could not last for more than 5 such direct duels, before having to rest behind the lines at least for one hour and most important to drink. Soldiers who fought not in close combat like archers, did not last for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Did pikemen use shields?

It is a common mistake to refer to a bladed polearm as a pike; such weapons are more generally halberds, glaives or voulges. To compound their difficulties in a melee, the pikeman often did not have a shield, or had only a small shield which would be of limited use in close-quarters fighting.

How does a pikemen fight?

Why were Medieval pike formations so successful?

Medieval pike formations tended to have better success when they operated in an aggressive fashion. The Scots at the Battle of Stirling Bridge (1297), for example, utilized the momentum of their charge to overrun an English army while the Englishmen were crossing a narrow bridge.

How were Pike weapons used in the Middle Ages?

The pike, being unwieldy, was typically used in a deliberate, defensive manner, often alongside other missile and melee weapons.

How would a pikeman defend his unit?

By that period, pikemen would primarily defend their unit’s musketeers from enemy cavalry. A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear formerly used extensively by infantry.

What is the history of the Pike?

By the late 15th century, the basic pike was a crucial weapon in the hands of the mercenaries. Swiss mercenaries, already well noted for their skill as specialized infantry utilizing other polearms, began taking to the field in the mid-1400s with 14- to 18-foot-long pikes comprised of ash poles fitted with leaf- or diamond-pointed steel heads.