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Author Topic: 15th cent drills
Wolf
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posted 02-18-2004 09:09 PM     Profile for Wolf   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
need some 15th cent drills either sword or pole arms. any ideas

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Chuck Russell


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Petrus
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posted 02-19-2004 12:06 AM     Profile for Petrus     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
TMK this is the only drill description in the 1460s and 70s.

Burgundian ordinance from 1473

Furthermore, my lord [the duke] ordains that, in order that the said troops, may be better trained and exercised in the use of arms and better practiced and instructed when something happens, when they are in garrison, or have time and leisure to do this, the captains of the squadrons and the chambres are from time to time to take some of their men-at-arms out in the fields, sometimes partly, sometimes fully armed, to practice charging with the lance, keeping in close formation while charging, how to charge briskly, to defend their ensigns, to withdraw on command, and to rally, each helping the other, when so ordered, and how to withstand a charge. In like manner they are to exercise the archers and their horses, to get them used to dismounting and drawing their bows. They must learn how to attach their horses together by their bridles and make them walk forwards directly behind them, attaching the horses of three archers by their bridles saddle-bow of the page of whose man-at-arms they belong; also to march briskly forwards and to fire without breaking rank. The pikemen must be made to advance in close formation in front of the said archers, kneel at a sign from them, holding their pikes lowered to the level of a horse's back to that the archers can fire over the said pikemen as if over a wall. Thus, if the pikemen see that the enemy is breaking rank, they will be near enough to charge them in good order according to their instructions. The archers must also learn to place themselves back to back in double defense, or in a square or circle, always with the pikemen outside them to withstand the charge of the enemy horse and their horses with the pages enclosed in their midst. The conducteurs can begin by introducing this way of doing things to small groups and when one of these groups is practiced and instructed, they can take out others. While doing this, the conducteurs are to keep an eye on all their people every day so that none will dare absent themselves or be without horse and armour, because they will not be sure on which day the conducteurs will want to take them out on exercises. Thus each will be constrained to learn to do his duty.

[ 02-19-2004: Message edited by: Petrus ]


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Guy Dawkins
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posted 03-01-2004 05:14 PM     Profile for Guy Dawkins     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wolf:
need some 15th cent drills either sword or pole arms. any ideas

Are you looking for drills a single man or pair of men would have done?

If so, 'Arte Gladiatoria' by Filippo Vadi, may be what your looking for.

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David Valenta


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Buran
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posted 02-17-2005 02:21 PM     Profile for Buran   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
Also Fiore dei Liberi's Flos Duellatorum: http://www.aemma.org/onlineResources/liberi/liberiHome.htm

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Adam R
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posted 03-21-2005 11:05 AM     Profile for Adam R     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
@petrus
Nice quote - as a matter of interest - the term 'fire' is used in the text for arrows, is that correct, or just a modern translation error do you know?
Cheers
Adam

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EHCG


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Adam R
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posted 03-22-2005 10:09 AM     Profile for Adam R     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
Thanks Brent, It would have made my day to find out that 'fire' was a contemporary term x()

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EHCG


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Fire Stryker
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posted 03-22-2005 12:50 PM     Profile for Fire Stryker   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
"Fire" seems more like the activity of lighting a combustible substance than the command to shoot a volley of arrows. Not sure what the command would be for gonners, but given that I don't think they were actively employed in volley fire, it may not be at issue. What about artillary? Wonder if "let fly" is appropriate.

We'd need to see the document in it's native language and see how it translates.

J

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ad finem fidelis


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Dudicus
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posted 04-04-2006 08:13 PM     Profile for Dudicus   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
Although from a later arms manual, Jacob De Gheyn's "The Exercise of Armes", 1607/08 - in plate I.10 and I.11 on drill with the Calivers, the orders are "Present Your Peece" (I.10) and "Give Fire" (I.11). This is also mentioned in the next drill for the Musket, II.12 ("Give Fire").

Since they are still using the Matchlocke, I would not be surprised if the order is "Give Fire", since that's essentially what it looks like when one of those bad-boys goes off...I can only image how insane a handgonne from the late 1400's must have looked like when it went off "properly"!

Although I think a better question to the Archery thing is when did the order "Fire" get erroneously attatched to Archers in the first place....It never made much sense to me to call shooting an arrow as "fire". Guns? Yeah that certainly makes sense. Although I will readily admit to recognizing the order "fire" being used when you see Archers in the movies and TV...I think it's one of those things you cannot correct or eliminate no matter how hard you try, so engrained in our heads from an early age...

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Andy V.
You're friendly neighborhood Roman Dude

www.andyvolpe.com
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gregory23b
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posted 05-07-2006 06:20 PM     Profile for gregory23b   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
Nothign wrng with shoot, that covers a lot of sins, we are wrapped up in fire arms age so end up firing...

I have been in an arcehry shop stood next to an archer who chatted about firing shots, I casually pointed out he may not have fired them, he frowned looked puzzled and the shop owner said, 'indeed one shoots bows/looses arrows etc' I was younger and had no shame then, I am more grown up now, honest.

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history is in the hands of the marketing department - beware!


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hendrik de coster
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posted 07-13-2009 07:36 AM     Profile for hendrik de coster     Send New Private Message   Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote
not that i'm an expert archer or handgonner but on the dutch battlefields the orders when shooting an arrow are:
"knock"
"draw"
"loose"

and for the handgonne:
"coutfeu" or a term resembling the sound

oh and some handy drills if this is for a reenactment battle;
-wheeling
-learn how to die eg how should they fall etc
-learn the formations
-learn to work together eg, one blocks 2 polearms so your firne dcan attack them with minor resistance etc

[ 07-13-2009: Message edited by: hendrik de coster ]


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