Shield wall

shield wall against Norman cavalry at the Battle of Hastings (scene from the Bayeux Tapestry). A shield wall is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation, but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder and holding their shields so that they would abut or overlap. Each soldier thus benefited from the protection of the shields of his neighbors and his own.

shield wall against Norman cavalry at the Battle of Hastings (scene from the Bayeux Tapestry).]] A shield wall is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation, but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder and holding their shields so that they would abut or overlap. Each soldier thus benefited from the protection of the shields of his neighbors and his own. ====Tactics==== The shield-wall was commonly used in many parts of Northern Europe such as in England and Scandinavia. ]] In the battles between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes in England, most of the Saxon army would have consisted of the inexperienced fyrd, a militia composed of free peasants. The first three ranks of the wall would have been made up of select warriors, such as huscarls and thegns, who carried heavier weapons such as Dane axes and consistently wore armour, and were often the retainers of ealdormen. However, the vast majority of combatants in such battles were equipped only with shields and spears, which they used against the unprotected legs or faces of their opponents. Often, soldiers would use their weapons to support one another by stabbing and slashing to the left or the right, rather than just ahead. Short weapons, such as the ubiquitous seax, could also be used in the tight quarters of the wall. Limited use of archery and thrown missile weapons occurred in opening stages of shield-wall battles but were rarely decisive to the outcome. The drawback of the shield-wall tactic was that once a shield wall was breached, the whole formation tended to fall apart quickly. The morale of the less-trained fyrdmen was sustained by being shoulder to shoulder with their comrades, but panic might well set in among them once their cohesion was disrupted. Once breached, it could prove difficult or impossible to re-establish a defensive line, leading to a rout. Although the importance of cavalry in the Battle of Hastings portended the end of the shield wall tactic, massed shield walls would continue to be employed right up to the end of the 12th century, especially in areas that were unsuitable for large-scale mounted warfare, such as Scandinavia, the Swiss Alps and Scotland. ====Examples==== The tactic was used at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in which the relatively well-armed Saxon army hit the Norwegian army of King Harald Sigurdsson unaware. The Norwegians were not wearing as much armour since they had left their hauberks behind on their ships and were only wearing their helmets. After a bloody battle between two shield walls, the Norwegians fled in panic, and were almost entirely wiped out. Both sides at the Battle of Hastings are depicted as using the formation in the Bayeux Tapestry although the battle was ultimately won through a combination of feigned retreats by Norman mounted cavalry and the impetuousness and fatigue of the Anglo-Saxon warriors. ==See also== Line formation Phalanx formation Roman infantry tactics Schiltron Wedge formation Mesopotamian military strategy and tactics ==References==

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