A MYSTERY about MEDIEVAL shields
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ธ.ค. 2024
- Shields have taken many shapes and sizes over the thousands of years of their use. Their design isn’t just random or aesthetic. What can the evolution of the shield during the Middle Ages tell us about how warfare itself changed in this turbulent period? #history #historyfacts #medieval
• Executive Producer: Jason Kingsley OBE
• Executive Producer: Chris Kingsley
• Senior Producer: Brian Jenkins
• Producer: Edward Linley
• Director: Dominic Read
• Presenter: Jason Kingsley OBE
• Camera: Jo Taylor
• Camera: Dominic Read
• Continuity and Stills Photographer: Kasumi
• Production Manager: Kevin Case
• Audio: Frank Newman
• Sound Design: Nick D. Brewer
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• Additional Camera: Darren Cook
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• Additional Sound: Elizabeth Carlyon
Special Thanks:
• Chris Payton
• Ed Savage
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Remember the good ol' days when History Channel used to show quality stuff such as this?
seems a long time ago now...
@@danielpatrick3761 It's the bane of television-the 'reality' tv show that's cheap to produce and people watch unfortunately. They want you losing brain cells instead of actually learning something.
@@tomservo5347 I don't get why people even like reality TV.. It is so corny, classless and talk about shitty subject with fake drama.
If you want to see reality drama you can find it in regular life. Why people like that shit.
Moral degeneracy.
James Robert
Was just thinking that.
This TH-cam channel: Actual historical content.
History Channel: Aliens.
Panos McFarley because aliens are in our history.
@@KingofCrusher rather that than bible crap
@@palacsintapalacsinta7750 the bible contains stories
Palacsinta Palacsinta the Bible is a record of actual people that lived on the earth. Why don’t you find me an actual record of an actual alien species that contains their names and details from their lives coupled with events from that time in history that you can cross reference with other actual records from that time period for legitimacy.
@@palacsintapalacsinta7750 shut the fuck up infidel
I was extremely impressed when you cut to personal demonstration footage of the kite shield on horseback instead of stock footage or artwork. This is some high quality stuff right here!
Glad you liked it!
I was looking forward to seeing artwork of the kite shield being strapped the way that doesn’t bump against your knee.
@@ModernKnight why did they abandon the shield wall and when?
Poople.
@@swizzblue1 Maybe it wasn't *just* about sheilds or shield technology?
The Saxons had spears for sure, but the elite Carls had damn great axes - Great against other shield wall, maybe not as effective against cavalry armed with lances?
Then again, history has numerous accounts of footsolidrs forming squares, even with bayonettes later so that's maybe not so much an answer as another part of the puzzle?
One of the most enjoyable random recommendations TH-cam has ever given me.
💯
I made a strapped kite type shield for my brother similar to the one you made and initially we did not add a boss. Later, we added one because we found that if you thrust at that spot between the straps where the arm is with a sturdy spear then you can break through the shield and stab the arm, so that boss might have more practicality to it.
It would be the 90° head on hit yes. It's the most vulnerable spot. I wouldn't be surprised if the shields without a boss would be constructed in a way that makes the wood reinforced in that center to make a penetration there less likely.
To me the boss always looked like a bit of a buckler. so you basically get a buckler-like area that's additionally protected in addition to your regular shield. Seems still useful to me.
And it would deflect a blade from that area
@@coppertopv365 it's true. And making it unbreakable to a strong blow.
I didn't even read your comment. I just wanted to upvote your name.
These history buffs aren't smart, they just talk a lot.
The best educators are always the excited ones. If this isn’t the most arresting lecture I’ve seen... I’ve no idea what is.
It's true! I came here with the intention of skipping through bits of the video and instead found myself fascinated throughout the entire 15 minutes 👏👏👏
Find the place where your enthusiasm becomes contagious
@@evanroberts2771 How tf did you connect "feelings over facts" with passion for a topic ?? Lol
The "excited ones"? Slick con-men and politicians are pretty excitable, too? The best educators are the ones that challenges you to do better than you thought you were capable.
@@JS-ob4oh that depends on the subject. We are talking about teachers. People who want to pass on their knwoledge to others. Politicians, con-men etc are not teachers. But i also agree with you. I don't think passion or being excited makes a good teacher. It can help getting people's attention yes, but you can teach about something that makes no sense and still be passionate about it or be excited.
I can almost hear the discussions between an old medieval armorer and his son, who _dares_ to leave out the boss, which the father does not understand, because, sonny, we have done this as long as I can remember, while the son argues, that this is just a relic of the past no longer of any use, but the father just would not understand the younger generation…
That's exactly what I think it was. People today resist change because that's the way it's always been done. I'm sure it was the same then.
An underappreciated comment.
Technically, the boss would give a surface for weapons and strikes to bounce off of. I've seen some examples of armour having extra nubs of armour plating to try to help deflect bullets. Maybe the boss was extra use if someone was trying to chop your shield with an axe. It might go through wood easier, but have a hard time going through the iron boss. Or maybe it was to concentrate force if someone decided to bash someone with the shield. It's definitely not as functional, cost-effective, or weight effective as the boss in the round shields or one of those shields without the boss.
@@Thalanox I you're using a wooden shield to stop bullets you're in deep shit
@@grahammonk6122 It will stop wooden bullets.. ;-)
My teachers: you need multiple trusted sources
Medieval historians: BAYEUX TAPISTERIE
Did you mean Tapestry ?
@@davecoleman2417 no I meant something else (I know it was a retorical question to show off your superior spelling)
If the tapestry is depicting shields and weaponry from its own time period (i.e. tapestry from 1056 AD that depicts a battle that happened in 1054), then it's a primary source. That's about as trusted as you can get!
@@RianeBane oh for fucks sake dude i know it's a pretty good one (and prob the best from that time) but it's still only one source
@@RianeBane Unless the artist took artistic licence with the work, and we're just assuming it was an accurate representation.
Im amazed at the attention to detail on the Bayeaux Tapestry
@@ryan.1990 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_Tapestry
The modern riot shield looks surprisingly similar to a Roman Legionnaire's shield, I suspect in large part because the way the baton is used( to thrust in to the rioter to push him.her back) is used much like the roman gladius was.
There´s also a round riot shield variant,that looks similar to a greek hoplite shield.I guess,the logic behind it,is also in order to use the baton,like a greek short sword.
Gregory Kirk well those kinds of shields are better for formations, which is what the police would need against the larger amounts of rioters
The tower shield also offers more protection against thrown objects and can be tortoised if needed
@Александр THanks for the clarification yes, I did mean the Scutum
Riot police around the world use Roman shield formation tactics today. There's some videos on TH-cam of them forming the iconic testudo "turtle" formation in order to protect from all angles against projectiles and molotovs
*deep whiff*
Smell that?
It's a sincere passion for history.
That and the glue in the fucking PLYWOOD.
@@juancornetto8243 *coughs out the smell violently*
God damn, what kind of glue did they put in there?
I'm pretty sure that smells like old books
Nice.
Oh, oh yes.
Honestly this guy is the best, he indulges in your interest in knights meanwhile giving you good history in a friendly, enthused and non-condescending manner.
Thanks for your support.
@@ModernKnight You're the best
I heard he shaves his butthole though...which is highly immoral.
I think we need to start an online petition to get Jason Kingsley OBE his official knighthood.
i cant imagine how much he would appreciate that
I'm in for it!
Yes!!! Let’s do it
The guy actually has a knighthood I think, is also the CEO of rebellion games.
@@haell-en Seriously? That's awesome!
I watched so much "mount and blade 2" video's that these is in my recommendation.
Very interested, I try use that knowledge
You too!?! To be fair I watch a lot of shadaversity and his fellow TH-cam gaming/novel/ history buffs
Same, was just watching the gameplay the youtubers I follow anyway put up, yet here I am. I wanna play it and test shields out myself but Im sure my pc cant run it properly yet
Same, was just watching the gameplay the youtubers I follow anyway put up, yet here I am. I wanna play it and test shields out myself but Im sure my pc cant run it properly yet
same lol
Th. L. Same dude lol
I imagine the knight looking at older shields from before his time the way we look at older computers.
Only 12th century kids remember this
The good old days
132k years ago
Claudio Andrei lol
Back in the day.
I remember when those bloody kite shields came up. John the Moron once tried to fly one. Stupid blighter.
The heater shield is also a lot thicker than the kite shield. Improved armour led to an increase in weapons like hammers and maces. These rely on blunt force trauma, which transfers better through armour than cutting or piercing weapons. In other words, the armour itself is now good enough to protect from most light attacks, and the shield becomes specialised for heavy attacks.
Also, in the same vein the shield is gravitating more to being used offensively as a part of the fighting toolset, it can be used more aggressively with the weapon.
Basically ending with bucklers and those buckler/weapon combos.
I can't believe this guy is the CEO of rebellion games (who made AVP and sniper elite)
I was gonna say, “Isn’t that Jason Kingsley?”
Listening to someone who clearly is absolutely fascinated by what they are sharing is a delight, especially if they can (like this fellow) pass that fascination on to you. Nice video!
Thanks.
The shields seem to change over time to suit a much more individualistic fighting style. The shieldwall formation is that of an entire army, and thus your shield has to serve the purposes of your comrades as well as yourself. It didn’t matter if you didn’t quite like the brace, it suited the army to have your shield standardised. Cavalrymen had to fight by themselves a bit more, because they were less likely to be in shieldwall, so they could afford to tailor them to their own needs a bit more. The knight’s shield betrays a total conversion to an individual style of fighting to accompany the individual style of plate armour. A knightly class fights as a group of individuals, the shieldwall fought as a more unitary army.
Not necessarily individualistic, just that infantrymen in later period rely more on better armor and pike formations
Six foot tall guys in 2000's this mounted Norman shield hits me in my knee. 5'4" guy in 900 AD this shield is perfect goes all the way to my boot covered shins. ;)
They weren't actually that short. Plenty of 5'10" male skeletons and above, especially Northern Europeans.
@@tsoliot5913 Late Dark - Early medieval Europeans, and especially the mounted aristocracy, tended to be taller than 18-19th century Europeans (and probably the late 13th-early 14th c peasants).
I think the boss on the kite shield would help protect from anything that could penetrate or split the shield. I bet it'd be quite handy if you got hit by a Dane axe. Also, I'd think the centre of the shield over your arm would be the worst place on the shield to be hit. A blow would be less likely to be deflected or to lose energy from the unsupported parts of the shield flexing.
Non penetrating attacks may also injure you when the shield would bend under the blow. A boss would be stiff and spread the impact.
It looked silly to me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more useful it seemed. It wouldn't add too much weight but gives a lot of protection where you need it most. Even the shape still makes sense as a dome is strong, spreads impacts over multiple boards, removes the weakness of gaps between boards, can absorb energy by crumpling... It goes on and on.
Modern riot shields are made from clear materials. I'll bet the medieval warriors would've gone nuts over a shield you could SEE through!
I can't explain how much I would have been in heaven to have this kind of channel when I was a kid. Fortunately for me I have it now, and it's amazing.
This dude is so charming. He was born to teach.
QUAG most deff
If my history teachers had been as interesting i would have stayed awake in class
Wow, I started this journey watching videos of Freddie Mercury and somehow ended up here watching a video on Middle Age shields, and I’m not even mad. In fact I subscribed 😮
That is...the internet. Got to love it.
I started listening to aoe 2 music and here I am.
Started with cat videos, somehow ended up with a war thunder video and now I'm here. Idk what happened
Not too far off tbh. Once you get to Japanese people cutting fish and squids, you should stop.
Watching Queen ---> Let's teach you about the time of actual queens!
TH-cam Logic: 'Oh you liked part 10, well naturally here is part 23 for your next video!'
@Kenny the G Same for me, another 4 months on.
Like Bill Nighy and James May came together with a love for medieval history, love it!
Modern police shields, the long, rectangular ones, are also used to assault barricaded shooters, as they are bulletproof against handgun and shotgun rounds. Pretty cool that the humble shield has served for thousands of years and continues its service in our ultra modern world.
The clear, big shields are for protection against missiles (hand thrown objects) not bullets. Ballistic shields are quite a bit smaller and will usually just cover the torso and head
@@RhodokTribesman Don't understand the point of your clarification. There are long rectangular ballistic shields... and there are also smaller clear plastic shields that are smaller can cover the torso/head. It all depends on the use/purpose.
@@CL_Hat Thats why I said "usually". It was an easy clarification for those who learned about "ballistic shields" from Call of Duty for example
So uh, what's y'all opinions on the frying pan? Say... If I had it slinging over my back
Could stop a bullet potentially, but would shatter when it impacted causing a spalling hazard that ricochets in different directions
I remember visiting the village where the Bayeux tapestry is kept in France and I still remember it well. Beautiful little historical stone village, even the gift shop was pretty.
@@GVGames1986 well that would be Bayeux then….
i always assumed the round metal bit was to bash with the shield since having the force of your thrust on a single point seems more effective in combat (sort of like a blunt weapon) than having it allocated over the entirety of a shield
At that rate, whether kite or round shield, you can always just use an edge
For center gripped shield the boss also almost guarantees your hand won't get injured from blows ore strikes that otherwise pierce or split the rest of the shield face. Yes it certainly allows offensive punches too & the rim can be used to strike with too.
Got this video as an ad on my homepage. TH-cam and I are finally starting to understand each other 👌
14:40"The shields we were looking at in history... are also kinda re-imagined and re-invented by the modern-day police for very similar purposes." The suppression of peasants!
😂😂😂
Reminds me of a meme i once saw where a peasant complains about feudalism to a knight on horseback and the knight replies with "you talk pretty boldly for someone with such a flammable house".
I once complained to a cop when i called the cops on a trespasser who'd broken my neighbors gate and the trespasser kept calling the cop "sir" so the cop obviously liked him. When I complained to the cop asking him if he'd at least escort the guy off the property (and my neighbor had asked the same thing when he showed up around the same time the cops did) the cop said he wouldnt and said "if you call us back again I'll come back here and kick your door down". America has gotten weird in the last few years.
@@arthas640 well the entire country is founded off ego. it only makes sense that there would be no sense of loyalty outside of die-hard religious circles and morals. it's a requirement of the land... also y'know how the country exists? that says a lot.
I would have loved to see some pictures of what you were talking about throughout the video. One of the tapestry, some of people using each type of shield! 😊
this is funny
with the first shield i wondered "why isn't it strapped to the arm for more comfort and stability",
and the next shield does just that, but it's long and hits the leg and i wonder "why not just turn the long part to the back",
and that's exactly what i'm told next.
that contrasts to whenever my partner who's really into military ships tells me stuff about their little obsession i end up thinking up weird ideas of "improvements", and every time i got a response of "well, they did actually try that, and it was a really stupid idea" lol.
One thing I found when building an anglo-saxon shield based on burial site digs, is how thin they were. The edges were only about 6mm thick. The actual shields use that central bar that you grab to hold the shield together. The leather backing or other material that they used also held the planks together. But it is still relatively flimsy if you think about it. The thought might actually be that catching a weapon actually might have been a better reason for the shield that absorbing a blow.
I first rode a horse in March of 1967, while wearing a mail birnie/ hauberk that I had made from about 550 wire coat hangers that I had coiled around a half inch diameter mandrel and cut into rings. It weighed 40 pounds. I was also carrying a 24 inch diameter metal round shield made of 14 gage steel on my left arm, with my left hand holding both the reins and the front
leather enarm/handle. In my right hand I couched an eight foot long, steel tipped spear. On my head I wore a coif of the same mail , under a four plate nasal spangenhelm, that I had built out of the four triangles of steel that were leftover from cutting out the roundshield disc from the square sheet I had bought to make the shield from. The horse was completely unknown to me moments before I asked the lady riding it if I could try out my new armor on it, as she stopped to inquire what a bunch of people in medieval garb were doing in the park she regularly rode in. Surprisingly she agreed and even more surprisingly, the horse didn’t balk or refuse my riding it around , trotting and cantering easily as I mock jousted at an imaginary opponent for a couple of passes. Controlling speed and direction was not difficult ,even with the shield solely carried on my rein hand and arm, without any guige strap. { To see a photo of me doing this in 1967, go to the SCA’s West Kingdom History’s Website and look in The Who’s Who Listings and find the listing for “ Henrik the Dane”, and look for the fourth Tournament photo. }
Since then I have ridden a lot with lance and shields of various shapes and sizes, always the reins in my left hand while actively controlling the shield at the same time. While riding at the Hastings re-enactments in 2000 and 2006 , I never hung my kite shield from its guige except while standing and waiting for the next charge up the hill. I would simply slip the guige over my helm and onto my neck to rest and off my neck to ready for a charge. One important thing about carrying a spear or lance in the right hand, is to have a leather or metal cup fixed to the right stirrup, to stand the spear butt in so you can encircle the shaft with the right forearm, allowing the right hand to be free to assist the left hand in repositioning the reins as circumstances may require.
This channel is going to blow up soon because the quality is amazing. It's well researched and very well presented. Everything is perfect and incredibly interesting. I would only ask that your editing team try add images of the things you're not about that you don't have on site. Things that are a little more obscure to imagine so for example we don't need to see the riot shields used by police but the shields used by crossbowmen would be good to see as they're obscure for me to imagine
And one other thing that doesn't really need to change and might be a personal preference but it would be nice for you to have more b roll. I'm not sure if you're doing the camera work by yourself or not but it would just be a little nicer for me personally.
Over all amazing video, nothing really has to change but some changes would be interesting to see. Thank you for keeping me entertained :)
Youre welcome
I didnt know girls that look like you would watch this
No it won't. He called a boss on the shield useless. Thats quite an idiot statement. A boss is used as a bashing tool.
Since this is part of a series on the Knights, no need to see shields used by crossbowmen.. In another series tho that would be pretty cool. I'd like to see something on the siege weapons of the time...ie ballista.
@@edwardelric717 on a kite shield
Awesome video look forward to diving into your library
I could listen to Jason talk all day. He’s so incredibly knowledgeable.
I am reading history at university. I stumbled onto this channel and think it is fantastic. These videos are full of information and really processionally put together. Good job!!!!
"It's basically the same, except it's quite diffirent"
*well yes but actually no*
You’re right about being wrong though. Also, I digress while being relevant.
I had a teacher in the Philosophy College that used to expose the theories like that.
I always thought that the boss was an additional way to help deflect blows on those early shields... but thinking on it now, that doesn’t really make a lot of sense! Fantastic video! You just earned another sub!
Thanks for subscribing
I’m so compelled to watch this over my regular TH-cam feed. Bless this man and his passion
thanks!
I stumbled on this channel while researching to write a medieval fantasy themed novel. Great knowledge and much appreciated!
Glad we could be of help. Good luck with the writing.
If you haven't found Shad from Shadiversity, he has a series called fantasy rearmed. He examines what weapons would suit best fantasy creatures.
If there was a box set of this show I'd buy it!
I would consider the modern rectangular police shield much more like a Roman scutum than like a medieval kite, both in shape and being a pure footman's tool. Also, tiny note, the talk about hitting the edge of the round shield to rotate it reminds me of a guy I saw once using a classic Viking round who deliberately flipped the thing back and forth, using the motion to block and to distract his opponents, so almost half the time his arm was actually in front of the the shield. It didn't look like it ought to work, but he was actually pretty effective--and the kind of strike described, he'd just go with, finishing the rotation so his shield was immediately in position again just faced the other way. It was really weird to watch in action. Very dynamic fighter.
I think that a lot of the improvements in shape and strapping design might have come from soldiers not just shield makers (though they realize the design changes of course) because as you said, the older viking shields are easy to open up. Whoever trained with them would know that. Vikings weren´t dumb. I would assume like most people do they at first thought "okay, I know this, my oponent knows this. Of course he´s gonna try to open me up: I can counter that!" That´s the practical thought right. Until probably some guy at one battle field, probably even someone who is okay but not the greatest fighter in his clan shouts something like "somebody got a leather strap? strapping the shield should make it better to use." (and I might be wrong but I think the straps help agains the turning as well although it would bind the shield closer to the body which absolutely takes away some technical possibilities. ) it works and then gets told to the shield makers "ey, that one guy, that isn´t that good had a really good idea. can you put straps on your shields? They don´t open with straps. and it´s more comfortable" . I mena that´s the reason sports gear companies work very closely with top athletes. That´s not just for commercial: No they need testers that know their stuff. I would think the same exchange happened between soldiers and weapon makers. So it´s a bit unfair to attribute the changes in form for weapons and protective gear entirely to the craftspeople and generals who came up with new tactics.
I like his enthusiasm and the way how he explains the evolution of shields, it would be great to learn more about crossbowmen shields and bucklers and more weird protection stuff from late Medieval period
I'm disappointed in you sir. If movies, television and 99.9% of all RPG games ever made have taught us anything, it is that real men never carry shields. The Hero always dual wields with a weapon in each hand, to show the enemy and the audience that he means business! Who wants a wimpy +1 AC when you could have an extra attack each round!
(Obviously I'm a big fan of shields and of staying alive in general and I wish games and film would catch on. Excellent video. Shields deserve at least as much attention as weapons, if not more).
Shields do +2 to AC
Incorrect. The shield is more important than a second weapon. If God of War 2018 has taught us anything, it's that a shield is better for offense than defense and better for offense than a second weapon.
real men duel wield shields
@@sTiKyt haha I saw an ancient Egyptian thing once had a guy with two semi circular bladed shields, I can't see how it would be any worse than a sword!
I wonder if that's where the roman got the scissor gladiator from
Ah D&D..
The boss does have a function. A few actually. Most important is how it misdirects the blow. A shield is used as a weapon as well as armour. Striking with a flat surface isn't as effective a condensed striking surface. As it has evolved it has changed to spiked or bladed bracers. Great vids love the channel
Quick question:
Would people ever put their coat of arms on their shield or something to identify themselves? Or perhaps would one whole army put a flag design on their shield so they can differentiate between friends and enemies?
I can even see how the shield with a coat of arms turned into the modern day roadsign. Just a nobleman finding a use for his old shield, putting it around his castle to tell people who owns the land "you are now entering Sir Henry's territory".
In german both even got the same name.
The coat of arms were for lance tournaments. It was your teams uniform, as you otherwise would be in fairly identical armor outfits. Some of those shields would be used in combat since it was expensive to make another one.
You would only have a shield made for combat with a painted figure on it if you were wealthy enough to afford it.
@@HappyBeezerStudios I read once that English pub signs originated from knights hanging their shield outside while they were inside. I'd love to know if it's actually true.
Strange how I start to get video recommendations like this after looking at Bannerlord gameplay. But I'll still watch it because it's awesome!
Haha im getting shield info for Bannerlords.
Yeah same here wtf. I'm not mad though, this guy's brilliant
Hello Mr. Kingsley, first of all, I would like to express my admiration for you, for sharing your passion is such a informative and substantive way. This is one of only several history related channel on yt, that are really worth watching. But I would also like to say something more about these "boss shields" or "umbo", as I prefer to call it. The main reason, they were installed, is to toughen the durability of a shield. And yes, in round shields it was more useful, because the warrior had more control over his shield, and what he would try to do, is to take an enemy hit directly on umbo. It's the most durable peace of a shield, and it can also deflect your opponent's weapon. And as for kite shields, it is still useful for endurance of a shield, but as a wielder, you are no longer able to use it so smoothly, simply due to a size and wage of this thing. As we know, putting an umbo onto a shield, requires a blacksmith's work, and in a field, I believe it was not always possible to use his help. Or umbo's could be simply unavailable, or somebody couldn't afford it. I don't think, that saying they were useless at this later period, is a proper statement. They might have been less useful, but still not useless. I hope somebody finds this interesting.
Also you can stand on your sheild and do core with the boss.
Words cannot describe how much I am loving this channel!
Do you think maybe people kept the shield boss on after it lost its function because they used it as part of the shield tactics? Being metal, I could see it developing from the earlier shield tactics as a pinpoint of force, for parrying or otherwise deflecting a blow, maybe even a point to punch at someone's face with, since originally it was right at the point of your fist. Great video though!
With my reenactment group we found that the bosses are great for countering spears. The spears gets stuck under them and you just run up the length of the spear with the boss keeping it out the way and stab the person holding it.
Round shield is too heavy to used to punch. You can punch with a buckler maybe
@@Spider-Too-Too You can 'punch' with them it's just easier with bucklers since they are smaller.
@@Spider-Too-Too viking shields were used to punch in 1 on 1 combat but you would punch with the edge of the shield and not the center, the metal part was to protect the hand and to control the opponents weapon, if i recall correctly.
The boss can also help with the shield wall, when they are trying to open up your line. catches on the shield of the warrior to the right, keeps yours from being turned as far.
I'm sure I remember being told that round shields prevented the enemy from easily finding the grain in the wood and splitting it. Also why they were painted. Don't quote me on that.
Alex Paulsen they were actually covered in linen or leather to not only hide the grain but also offer a surface to paint your retrospective design onto.
@@jonathantitterton9455 the linen and glue also acted as a reinforcement. (not a fantastic reinforcement but good trade off on weight vs strength)
Thank you for sharing your expertise. Love your nonfiction channel.
The comments section is a bit off topic on this one.
This man knows too much, hes a time travelling medieval knight
If I was in these times I would have the shield on my back (for the stamina boost) and be in 2-handed mode.
@Ulf Knudsen U wot bro?
Dark souls (nice lol)
Up until you take an arrow to the knee.
I would also be naked and in fact, I would onlly have a two-handed weapon, nothing else is needed. (just roll to dodge enemy attacks)
What rings u got bithc?
I always imagined that the evolution of the rounding of the shield vs a flat face was to increase the likelihood of a glancing blow against the shield, causing less of a felt impact and more than likely increasing the lifespan of the shield. I figured it’s easier to hit or stick an arrow in a flat surface than a rounded one..
“I learned just one useful lesson as a child. Beware the blow that comes under the shield.”
~ Uhtred of Bebbanburg, *The Burning Land* by Bernard Cornwell
Are you watching the last kingdom on Netflix? Very good show. Would like to read the books.
I love that show! I hope they don't cancel it @@paulcooper9125
Although Uhtred is a fictional character and so the author made up that line.
@@majorhippo2772 The character is partly based on a real person en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhtred_the_Bold
@@Deathless2288 I know hes partly based on a real person, but he is still very fictional. The Uhtred the Bold in that Wiki link, is from 1006AD which is over 150 years in the future from the setting of the show and book. Plus there is really no memoirs of this man meaning that all dialogue in the book and TV show are creative liberties. So still very fictional.
Algorithmic punch!
(This is the first video of yours I happened to come across, and am quite pleased, looking forward to looking at your back catalog, and seeing what you put out)
in my dorky old fighting vs shield walls we would have 1 row of shields followed by 2 rows of pikes. job of the first pikeman was to hit the bottom corner of the opposing shield pulling the arm out and pushing them off balance. 2nd row of pike would then go in to the now open chest for the kill. It worked fantastically even against tower shields although sometimes your hitting different corners. once the shield was pulled out the person was defenseless.
Swiss police use a round wicker shield for riot control.
This material may seem outdated but synthetic stuff tends to become fragile in cold environment so the old wicker shield wins the day.
in south/southeast/east asia they used laquered rattan to make shield, armour in ancient time and they worked. and still used by police or some group since yeah it can't exactly stand some full swing of a giant axe or something but it is quiet useful against usual situation and it's cheap and light.
umm from what I can tell, they don't
Wait, swiss people riot? :D
@@bbasil1312 haha i was going to say that
@@xboi4359 They actually did until 2009.
Great stuff, thanks! Don’t forget the SWAT shields used by the pointman to help protect the team entering an area or room, or the reversed concave shields used by prison response teams to immobilize and capture rioters. Modern riot shields are actually designed to rip away to prevent officers from getting dragged out into rioting crowds if they get grabbed. 🤓
Great video. I believe 10-15 min videos with some depth will draw in more viewers. Keep it up!
Thanks, I like doing the longer videos too, though I want to make sure we get to see some action rather than me just talking!
I gotta say I enjoyed the longer video myself. However some action is always great!:D
@@jasonkingsley2762 Have watched all the videos so far. They are all very excellent.
@@jasonkingsley2762 I could listen to this stuff all day. Keep it up brother.
Can confirm, was drawn in
Armour improved such that bludgeoning became more important than cutting, and weapons charged to adapt; causing shields to become thicker and smaller to block harder blows
I am taking a look at the Bayeux Tapestry, and seeing their hair fly back while galloping is such a cool detail! I love history so much.
Can we just appreciate how badass that unicorn on the last shield looks? That is no pansy unicorn, he will mess you up!
I'm glad people are leaving comments suddenly now. I guess the channel got good to the algorithm?
I got here from recommendation list of youtube
Me too, subscribed last week at 10k subs, it's now more than 5x that
@@draco147 Same here, can't stop watching now.
I got the food video reccomended and stuck around after that
@@truslew8089 Same
The Roman scutum has the curved surface to deflect blows and also a boss at the center. However, the handle wasn’t vertical like the first one you showed, but horizontal. My guess is that this would make it very hard to be turned by strikes.
why did i watch 15 mins video about medieval shields? what is even more strange i watched it all with full focus, and enjoyed it... good job dude
Thanks!
Also, if you put 3 of those round shields together and remove the center cap, you got yourself a wheel in case of emergency
This make my gaming in Bannerlord much more fun. Thank you!
Thank you for your knowledge and the passion for a fascinating subject. You successfully explain a complex subject in detail and quite well.
Awesome, loved the food series for peasants to duke/kings. Very simple but drawing formula. Background music also compliments your vid!
This was fantastically informative. I don't usually write or play characters with shields precisely because I don't understand them.
One word FASHIONABLE.
10:15 I know I’m late to the party but I remember that in the first crusade they did do a shield wall.
In the battle of Dorylaeum Bohemond ordered a shield wall to protect non combatants from a Seljuk ambush. And the shield wall held for a long while. To be fair the Seljuks never charged at them and just shot arrows from mounted archers.
I’m also pretty sure that was the shield used during the first crusade
Charging into a shield wall that holds would be quite suicidal for any cavalry. One wouldn't really finish a charge unless the shield wall breaks - either it itself disintegrates, or at least a gap opens up.
History channel: we have history
TH-cam: hold my shield
First ad I’ve actually watched fully and enjoyed
The enthusiasm of this man is o-to-powerful !
I appreciated the mention of riot squads, as I use a shield frequently in my line of work.
I have found that the shield itself can be a useful weapon in set circumstances. I have utilised the top for cutting strikes, the bottom and the flat for broad strikes. There are also various grips that are used for different scenarios and it's incredibly important to select the correct grip before engaging as you may injure yourself or lose the shield.
A shield wall grip is a single arm loop grip. A shield team leader grip is a two handed grip with the shield rested on your helmet and knee, and a shield wall centre grip is a punched out two handed grip.
There's so much to modern shield use, it's a bit of a passion of mine :)
Cheers!
Actually, there is a small piece of that shield walls were used in this period- the French men-at-arms formed a shieldwall at Poitiers. Geoffrey le Baker wrote "protecting their bodies with joined shields, [and] turned their faces away from the missiles. So the archers emptied their quivers in vain".
projectilequestion logical, why throw away a perfectly good tactic?
@@christianfreedom-seeker2025 No they did throw it away. The shield wall was reinvented for the Hundred Years War.
Because heavy cav can smash right through the first ranks and kill no matter how tight the sheild wall is and this sudden loss of life in the front rank and instantly rout an undisciplined or recruit forces
@@melt6894 Their ancestors threw through away the shield away but the French nobles brought it back.
@@projectilequestion Not sure what ancestors your talking about , Romans kept using shields since the beginning to the end of their civilization.
Could you use the shield boss on the kite shield at 4:00 as a sort of "sweet spot" to block incoming attacks? A downward sword strike that's blocked by the boss will not only have to cut through the boss and the shield, but if the blow lands off-center on the boss, the spherical slope of the boss will redirect the blade and slide it down to the edge of the boss, ruining its edge alignment entirely and basically rendering the attack's power and impact useless. You could also maybe use the boss as a bludgeon if you were going for a shield bash.
I love the attention to detail regarding the utility, motivation, and evolution of tools and methods of warfare.
What a brilliant channel this is. Found it randomly but really enjoyed this!
Welcome aboard!
I find historic military developments very fascinating. How armor vs. weapon influence each other but also region/foes and culture etc. also influence your choices and solutions.
I think the Boss on the strapped shield would still be an effective striking surface, akin to Brass Knuckles, or Knuckle Dusters, depending on where you live. Either straight on, or as glancing blow, where the convex shape protruding would prevent them from essentially sliding along the shield, particularly when on a horse with speed, passing by an adversary. More so if they are running away.
Might as well just put a spike on it then
Silly question, but what about left handers. Were we allowed in the shield wall or stoned to death at birth 😂
well you needed to adapt to majority ofc...
You'd probably have to adapt, but would be likely much better at using the shield arm
purplinko nothing changed there then 🤔
Beasterbunny yeah but my swing using a sword would have the same strength as a girlie 😂
@@papapabs175 In reality, you'd probably be placed as an archer or single combatant rather than in a shieldwall where you're at a disadvantage. I imagine everyone being trained to fight shields in the left hand would be a major advantage if you used the shield in the right hand
Interesting but suprised you never mentioned the Roman shield.
They were an ancients civilization and their iconic red rectangular shield, although effective, dwindled away with their gladius and skill of the original Roman legionaries. This happened as more “barbarian” people’s of Rome joined the army in which they preferred big intimidating weapons like the spatha. Of course a big weapon cannot be used with a big sheild as seen in other soldiers such as the Macedonian phalanx. The Roman sheild was replaced by a oval shield which did the same thing, but reduced the physiological effect of haveing a big intimidating shield wall and forming an effective testudo
the hoplon wasnt mentioned either but thats fine
@@melt6894 all wrong
It was very effective until barbarians evolved and were starting to use the same techniques but with many more men
Plus barbarian arms and armour started to get better
The roman empire in the east moved on to shock cavalry before anybody in the west
@@xirensixseo But I guess that was basically a round shield that was covered in the video.
@@xirensixseo He mentioned it briefly.
Love the fact that you`re one of the few that make a difference between group and single!
correction, i don`t love the fact that you`re one of the few, but that you can state there`s a difference.
I like the way you tell the stories without using overly dramatic sound effects❤
Although the Boss doesn't create a space for the hand on the kite shield, it's still great for smashing people in the mush! :-)
How the hell would that work, you cant bash with a strapped shield, not with the boss anyway
@@ZagorTeNayebo
Backhand you Moron!
This lockdown is making me watch some historical videos,
This is such a great channel!! Thanks for all your research!
Everything I didn't think I needed to know about the evolution of shields! Fascinating as usual sir.
I love this host so much. His passion for history just shines through, and his videos are so entertaining! My only wish is that he would add sources, so some of his comments are backed up.
Thanks, will try to do so when I can.
Why am I just discovering this channel? COME ON.