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English Army

Armour and the royal household

In the medieval period when a king went to war he was accompanied by a large number of men from his household. These included the knights and esquires of his chamber who waited on him, as well as officials and servants who fulfilled the different functions necessary for the running of the royal household. We know that in 1415 many of these men served on the campaign. The men from the royal household who served as men-at-arms were generally expected to provide their own equipment. Continue reading →

The military retinue of John Mowbray, Earl Marshal, for the 1415 campaign

The army which Henry V took to France was paid. As a result we know a great deal about its size and composition. In order to avoid fraud, Exchequer officials checked that those who had promised troops had actually brought them. This was done by carrying out musters which listed all the names of the soldiers. You will find more details of these processes and documents on other pages of this website. Continue reading →

Armour and the men-at-arms

When Henry V’s army departed in August 1415, about a quarter of the soldiers were men-at-arms. Most of these were of the status of esquire – indeed that term was often used to describe them -  and were paid one shilling per day (twice the rate of pay of an archer) but some were of noble and knightly rank and received higher rates of pay based on their social status. A duke, for instance, was paid 13 s 4d per day. Continue reading →