posted 12-17-2002 10:37 AM               

When combined into larger units, were like types of soldier brigaded together, or did each Lance or Post fight together as a unit with in a larger unit. I also have the impression that especially in mercenary units the commander could be a Man-at-Arms without having Knightly rank and the mounted archer could also be a crossbowman.

posted 01-18-2003 05:03 AM               

By this time the distinction of the ranks of knighthood (chevalier bannerets/ chevelair bacheliers and écuyers) had already been stopped in Charles the Bolds 1471 Ordonnance, with them all being refered to now as hommes d'armes.

The lance was predominatly an administration unit, with the various types of troops being organised into larger units, depending on the battle.

Hope this helps

posted 02-05-2003 02:36 PM               

Barbuta- Term used in Italy in the 13th Century. Refers to the barbute helmet worn by the many German mercenaries. A unit composed of a warrior and his servant (apparently nominally a non-combatant)

Lancia- The lance. In Germany gleve, in France lance. Apparently refers to the actual lance used by a horseman in a charge. It is common, in the SCA, to estimate forces by counting the number of spear points in the air. A unit organized around a horseman (the one carrying the lance) and his retainers. Size varies from time to place. English lances in later 14th century Italy had two combatants and a servant. As noted in another response, the well-defined Burgundian lances were much larger and had a greater variety of arms represented.

Capo Lancia- Italian term describing the leader of a lance. Capo means 'head, chief' from the Latin caput.

Caporale- Italian term describing the leader of a unit. Etymology of the word is capo + rale. Capo is the leader. Rale is problematic. It is related to the term 'rally' and appears to mean a group (with connotations of a mounted group). I have not found a clear indication of exactly what size unit a caporale commanded.

Posta- Italian term describing a grouping of several lances. This appears to be yet another horse-related term with the archaic meaning of 'an assigned stable space'. I conjecture then that a posta was literally a group of men who stabled their horses together while on campaign. Probably also a maneuver unit. It might also mean 'position' as in an assigned location.

Bandiera- Italian term for banner. Literally a group of poste identified by a single banner. In battle they would be expected to rally round their banner.

Compagnia- Italian term for company. The term company literally means 'those that share bread'. Companies could be made up of routes (with the concept being that a company might split up to travel along several routes to a destination to make foraging easier), bandiere, or even other companies. This was particularly true of the Great Companies (at least one of which had more than 50 leaders who had to sign a contract) from 1360 onward.

Conroi- French term literally meaning 'with a leader'. A group of men, apparently of almost any size, led by a single leader. The connotation appears to be the sworn retainers of a single lord. It is unclear if multiple conrois can form a single conroi. The term is used to describe feudal forces rather than mercenary forces.

Route- French term used to refer to a group of soldiers travelling together. Literally 'those who travel the roads'. Generally used in conjunction with mercernary forces rather than feudal forces.

Battle- A wave of troops. Generally composed of many conrois. French term.

Marshal- English term derived from French term Mareschal akin to Old High German Marahscalc. Marah = horse + scalc = servant -> One who serves on horseback. The usage I have seen for this indicates a military retainer given a specific task to perform (i.e. the Marshal of the Camp).

Constable- French and English term. Derived from the latin Comes Stabili. Literally the person in charge of the stables. This appears to be a military subordinate who commands a mounted force. There are overtones of logistical responsibility as well.

Captain- French (Capitain) and English (Capitane) term. From the latin Capitaneus and the root caput. The commander of a body of troops. The connotation seems to include the idea that the body of troops is an independent/discrete command rather than a body of troops integrated into another maneuver command.

Sergeant- Also Serjent, Serjant, and other spellings. Found in English and French descriptions. A non-noble military retainer settled on a parcel of land. From the latin serviente, 'a servant'. (NOTE: Modern sergeants do not like to be reminded of this for some reason.)

Lieutenant- From the Latin Locotenums, literally 'place holder'. One who stands in the place of, and acts with the authority of, another.

The important thing to understand is that rank in the Middle Ages does not equate to rank in the current era. Rank in the Middle Ages is descriptive of a job position. A captain, for instance, does not necessarily outrank a lieutenant. The King's Lieutenant might be sent to assume command of a campaign while a Baron's Lieutenant might simply take care of all the details of actually running a small military command. The Constable of France is very different from the constable of a compagnia. Some of the terms are interchangeable depending on circumstances and points of view. A bandiera or even a compagnia might be described as a route by another observer (and might acutally be a route if they are travelling at the time).